McAdam: Red Sox hold team meeting in an effort to turn things around

Saddled with the worst record in the American League, not-so-proud owners of a week-long losing streak, and getting embarrassed on a nightly basis, the Red Sox recently held a team meeting in an outdoor space near their team hotel.

Judging by the scoreboard Sunday night, it paid no immediate dividends, as the Sox streak stretched to seven games. It's doubtful they took no solace in the fact that, for the first time in a week, they didn't allow a minimum of eight runs. Presumably, the goal here is actually winning, rather than more respectable defeats.

But the fact that the meeting was called at all -- by "leadership'' according to Kevin Pillar, who revealed the meeting in a postgame Zoom call with reporters following a 4-2 loss to the Yankees -- illustrates a growing level of frustration within the clubhouse.

On the surface, that's a positive. It's a sign that the players themselves are sick of the losing that threatens to become habitual.

"As a group, we got together,'' Pillar said. 'We talked about some things. I know things aren't going really well. We still have got a ton of games left and we've got to stop feeling sorry for ourselves...Stop putting the added pressure on us as individuals, especially for the guys who haven't gotten off to good starts.

"We've got 30-40 some-odd games left. A lot can change and it's just about not taking some of these bad losses that we've had into the next day and really just start fresh, really trying to compete every single day...It's going to take us collectively, individually for us to continue to work hard in the cages and during BP, and just stay positive and turn this around. We know we've got a talented group and it's just a matter of time.''



As he has on several other occasions, Pillar mentioned the unique nature of the 2020 MLB season. At Fenway, where players dress in luxury suites to limit exposure to others, the players don't share a clubhouse, and thus, find it harder to communicate with one another.

"The message we were trying to get across was, 'Let's make this as normal as possible,' '' said Pillar. "It's 2020, let's go out and play and try to have fun with it....Baseball's so difficult to begin with. When you have any little sort of outside or external factor that takes you away from the task at hand, that makes it even more difficult. It's just sending the message: 'This is just how it is. Don't let it be a distraction.' ''

Pillar said the meeting featured "quite a few players'' talking, from veterans to younger players.

"We just kind of wanted to open the floor up to everyone, kind of get some frustration out, vent a little and really just get on the (same) page collectively,'' he said.

That's been difficult, given the pandemic and protocols in place. Pillar specifically referenced Mitch Moreland's walkoff homer last weekend at Fenway. Ordinarily, that moment would have been savored in a raucous clubhouse and loud music. Instead, players were obliged to return to their own suites and then returned home. As a result, the Sox didn't get the expected bounce or momentum that such a dramatic win usually offers.

It appears that the meeting was players-only, though manager Ron Roenicke said he had met with position players and the pitching staff in recent days, presumably to deliver a similar message.

"Any time we get together and talk,'' said Roenicke, "I think that's good.''

It's not without irony that the Red Sox meeting took place outside the Palace Hotel, where the 2012 team also requested an August meeting with ownership over their displeasure with then-manager Bobby Valentine. The day after that season concluded, Valentine was summarily dismissed.

There's no evidence to suggest that there is any unhappiness among the players with Roenicke, and to the players' credit, they seemed intent on being more accountable and responsible for their poor play on the field. They're urging more togetherness and a looser approach.

But that won't solve the fact that the team has a grossly inadequate starting rotation that isn't giving them a chance to be competitive on most nights. Nor will it hide the fact that the Sox have gotten almost nothing out of either J.D. Martinez or Rafael Devers, two of their three most important hitters.

Ultimately, the Red Sox will need to pitch and hit better on the field, though some pride and professionalism is always welcome, too.

Still, teams get judged on wins and losses. The rest is, literally, just talk.