McAdam: Swept by the White Sox, the Red Sox temporarily lose the plot

Sunday was a reminder -- as if one was needed -- of how mercurial the long baseball season can be.

The Red Sox began the day having won 10 of their previous 11, and along the way, established themselves as the most fearsome offensive team in the league. They began the day leading all of MLB in batting average and doubles, while leading the American League in a host of other categories, from runs scored to on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.

They ended the day, however, on the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep to the Chicago White Sox, dropping the first 3-2 and the second 5-1. Over 14 innings, they managed just three runs and 12 hits, and perhaps tellingly, one measly walk.

In the first game, they had a chance in the seventh inning, with the potential tying run on base. In the second, they never threatened after the fourth, by which time they had already spotted the visitors a commanding lead.

In the first loss of the day, the Red Sox invoked memories of their horrid Opening Weekend series against Baltimore. Twice, shortstop Xander Bogaerts seemed to lack urgency on ground balls hit to him, leading to a pair of infield hits, and the second time, a run being scored. Hunter Renfroe was caught napping at first, putting the brakes on an inning when the Sox looked to be finally putting something together.

The second game was less competitive, but no less troublesome. The Sox didn't manage a baserunner until their 10th hitter of the game, and as was the case when the club was sleepwalking through an embarrassing sweep by Baltimore to kick off the 2021 season, never achieved any offensive flow.

It didn't help that another costly defensive miscue -- Christian Vazquez's attempt at a back-pick to first was both unnecessary and poorly executed, with his throw sailing over the head of first baseman Marwin Gonzalez and resulting in a runner moving into scoring position, from where he eventually scored - played a role.

Gone were the big two-out hits that typified their wildly successful road trip (6-1) through Baltimore and Minnesota. Gone, too, was the plucky resilience that marked their penchant for early-season comebacks.

In their place? An endless succession of groundouts, pop-ups and strikeouts as the Chicago pitching staff carved them up with alarming ease.

"Coming into the series,'' said Alex Cora, "we knew (that the White Sox staff) had stuff. They're really good. I know they lost some games with the bullpen, but stuff-wise, it's one of the toughest staffs in the big leagues. They've got velo, good secondary pitches and they were good. They were good the whole day.''

The Red Sox, by contrast, were not. Even allowing for the urgency of the seven-inning concept, the Sox didn't get quality starts in either. In 10 of their previous 11 games, they had gotten at least five innings from their starting pitchers; on Sunday, they went 0-for-2 in that regard, and thus, were playing from behind almost the entire day.

Dallas Keuchel kept them off-balance from the left side in the first game, mixing an assortment of off-speed pitches while wisely staying out of the middle of the plate. In the second game, Chicago presented a study in contrasts, with Michael Kopech overpowering hitters with fastballs in the upper 90s.

"We're going to run into stuff like this,'' rationed Cora. "It happens. We just have to grind, go back to using the whole field, going the other way.''

It didn't matter what they were facing, however. The Sox barely resembled the team which, not long ago, was averaging better than eight runs per game in the midst of their redemptive nine-game winning streak.

That level of production can't be sustained for long, of course, much less for the entire season, meaning the Red Sox are going to have to figure out how to win some games in which they're managing field-goal level scoring rather than the touchdown-plus kind of explosions they were featuring earlier.

It may have helped had they been a touch more selective at the plate. The Boston lineup is, as it was in 2018, built on an aggressive approach with the emphasis squarely on hunting good pitches to hit early in the count. But at some point, on a day when that's not yielding the desired results, some patience could be in order.

"We haven't been walking,'' acknowledged Cora, "but at the same time, when we get pitches to hit, (we haven't) been missing. It's a combination of both. We like to swing the bats; we like to control the strike zone. There are certain guys who have to be more patient than others. We'll talk about it as a group.''

As ever, Cora remained resolute after the sweep. It's hardly reason to panic, especially since his team has already this season overcome far worse.

"It's like in Minnesota,'' concluded Cora. "You win two, you turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.''

Or, in this case, you lose two, and you're facing the prospect of having to beat the other team's best pitcher (Lucas Giolito) Monday morning just to salvage a split.