The 2023 Boston Red Sox are not an enjoyable team to watch. This team has no identity — unless you want to call their inconsistencies on the diamond their identity.
Their offense is streaky and right now in a slump. Defensively they’re terrible, and are now under .500 at 40-41 through 81 games.
Boston will try and grab a win in the series finale Thursday against the Marlins by turning to Brayan Bello. The righty has been one of the few bright spots for this team. He’s made 12 starts but his 13th start will be important.
The 24-year-old has impressed his skipper with his preparation on and before his starts, and is equally impressed by his ability to use the information presented to him.
“I think it’s the willingness to use the information to your advantage and understanding that you’re good, but you’re not great,” Alex Cora said before the 6-2 loss on Wednesday. “You know, there’s a lot of things that he needs to do to be the guy that he wants to be.”
With a win and he plays the role of the de facto ace who can be relied on to end a losing streak. If the Sox lose, they’ll fall further out of the Wild Card race and will have a date with the Blue Jays north of the border this weekend. It’s an important series because if Toronto delivers a haymaker and Sox falter, Chaim Bloom and Cora will feel the heat from fans and media.
Following the loss to the Marlins, the slumping Sox are four games out of a final playoff spot.
As they continue to fall out of contention, the trade deadline is looming over Bloom’s shoulder. The Sox need help but how much is he willing to spend on this roster?
Portions of the fans want this team to be sellers by stripping down this team of veterans on one-year expiring deals. Others have a delusion that this team is one pitcher away from being competitive.
Bloom has been one to straddle the line and not make a decision on his roster's fate one way or another. The prime example was last year's trade deadline where he sold off pieces while adding the likes of Tommy Pham, Reese McGuire and prospects for Christian Vazquez. That will not cut it this time. Cora and his players deserve to have a clear vision of how this team will move heading into the stretch run.
The last few years, the clubhouse has been frustrated with the front office and not truly knowing which direction they are willing to go with the roster. That same sense is starting to loom again as people within the organization are wanting to see additions to help this team.
Who the team should acquire is a conversation for another day but if the front office is looking for a place to start, they should take a hard look at the middle infield situation.
One thing is for certain, the defensive play by this Sox team has been disastrous. The Sox have trotted out 14 different middle infield combinations between second base and shortstop. The results have been poor, the Sox are ranked as the fifth-worst defense at shortstop, largely driven by the poor play from Kiké Hernández. Second base has been another dark hole for this club, the Sox have been second-worst at the position based on outs above average.
“You’ve got to make sure everybody works together,” Cora said. “It’s our job to prepare them for the game. The more reps they get, the better it is. Obviously, it’s hard in that aspect [given all the lineup changes].”
Part of the sloppy play recently has come from David Hamilton who the Sox recalled from Triple-A Worcester last week. The rookie is known for his blazing speed but it’s been his defense that is making headlines.
Hamilton struggled in the field and made a fielding blunder in the sixth inning that allowed two runs to score. With the bases juiced, Josh Winckowski threw a wild pitch plating the go-ahead run and then a chopper in the infield by Jean Segura was misplayed by Hamilton and the Marlins went up by three runs, 4-1.
“It was a tough play,” said Hamilton to reporters. “I tried to make a play and missed it. That’s pretty much it.”
Trevor Story is expected back soon but it’s unknown when he will play the infield. If you’ve watched how this front office has operated, they tend to place all their eggs into the basket of a returning player coming off an injury. A prime example has been Chris Sale. In 2022, the rotation was thin and not prepared to withstand losing him or others for extended periods of time. Sale is out once again with another injury that’s landed him on the injured list. The southpaw will have an MRI on Thursday and will meet with the media to go over where he is at with his injury.
The anemic offense has scored just 11 runs in the last six games and in the process, the Sox are 2-12 in interleague games at home this season. That’s worst in Major League Baseball.
“It’s not that we’re worse than them, we’re just getting beat,” Cora said. “Like, the Cardinals swept us, but we were leading in two games. The Rockies, we played two extra-inning games. Obviously, these guys [Marlins] have played better than us the last two days. I wish I knew.
“We go to Arizona, one of the best teams in the big leagues, and we beat them two out of three. We went to San Diego and did the same thing. Here we got swept by the Cardinals and the Pirates and it’s just one of those that I wish I knew.”
Rafael Devers is the only real threat in the lineup and he was responsible for a homer in the fourth inning. His blast was his 19th of the season but beyond that no other Sox batter has been a key run producer.
Devers has been Cora's hottest hitter over the last seven games hitting .350 and owning a 1.108 OPS. Triston Casas is right behind him with an .866 OPS and then the bottom falls right out. The two lefties are carrying the load but it's not enough.
Bloom has five weeks before the trade deadline to either buy or sell, however, if he waits until August, I'm afraid it might be too little, too late.