Red Sox limp into Fenway home opener amid early season struggles

BOSTON — The Red Sox’ start to the 2026 season has been nothing short of a dumpster fire. After opening 1-5, including a sweep at the hands of Yordan Alvarez and the Astros, Boston returns to Fenway Park for its home opener Friday afternoon.

After a 3-0 win on Opening Day over the Reds, Boston has dropped five straight, marking its worst start since 2019.

The offense has gone ice cold, the pitching staff has scuffled, the defense has been sloppy, and the club has struggled to properly utilize the ABS challenge system. There’s plenty of blame to go around, including Alex Cora, who, at least on the surface, doesn’t have this group ready to play.

Boston is averaging just 2.8 runs per game and has scored three or fewer runs in four of its first six. The offense has been sluggish, and that might be putting it lightly.

The Red Sox have scored just 17 runs through their first six games while striking out a staggering 73 times, ranking among the bottom five in the league in both categories.

Trevor Story leads the team with 13 strikeouts in 29 at-bats, followed by leadoff man Roman Anthony with 11 in 22 at-bats. Willson Contreras, Jarren Duran, and Marcelo Mayer have each struck out six times.

“We’re getting beat in the zone,” Cora said. “We’ve been chasing too, but I think we’ve been getting beat in the zone. So that’s something we have to address right away. We’ve got to be ready for Friday.”

On top of that, third baseman Caleb Durbin looks the part of a fringe AAAA-player, overmatched at the plate, still waiting to record his first hit of the season, he’s 0-for-18 with five strikeouts and has an eye-popping .053 OPS. 

“Just unacceptable, really, on both sides of the ball,” Trevor Story said about the Sox’ horrific start to the season. “Defense, too. So overall, not good. And looking to reset here on the off day and get back at home at Fenway, where we dominate and play in front of our home crowd. So I’m excited about that.”

Story held himself accountable after the loss on Wednesday. The veteran shortstop is 4-for-29 (.138) with zero walks. 

“Personally, I’ve got to be a little more disciplined, finding and hunting the one I want,” he said. “And not missing it when I get it.”

Only two players have produced offensively so far.

Wilyer Abreu has been red hot, carrying over his strong showing from the World Baseball Classic into the regular season. The two-time Gold Glove right fielder is hitting .444 (10-for-24) with three home runs, six RBIs, three doubles, and three runs scored.

Surprisingly, Connor Wong has also emerged as a key contributor. After struggling at the plate last season, he’s hitting .500 (5-for-10) with three doubles and a 1.300 OPS to open the year.

Cora made adjustments to his lineup in Wednesday’s series finale, sitting Anthony and moving Duran into the leadoff spot. Duran went 1-for-5 with an RBI but added two more strikeouts. Anthony later came off the bench and launched a solo homer in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.

The Red Sox may be in need of some home cooking and a return to the friendly confines of Fenway Park. Boston posted the fourth-best batting average at home last season (.262) and led the league with 177 doubles, aided by the Green Monster in left field.

While on the topic of the offense, something felt off about Carlos Narváez being scratched prior to the series finale in Houston.

Cora declined to provide details, telling reporters, “Let’s keep it between me and Carlos. He understands. This is something that happens on every club. It just happens to be early in the season, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Narváez echoed that sentiment postgame, offering no additional explanation for the decision.

“Like AC said this morning, we want to keep it between us,” Narváez said. When asked if he agreed with the decision, he added, “Yeah, I respect it. There’s nothing wrong. Just gotta keep going.”

Cora sending a message to his players just six games into the season raises questions about what’s already going on inside the clubhouse.

There’s plenty of speculation, but this early in the year, it’s fair to wonder — are the Red Sox already missing the leadership of Alex Bregman?

Pitching Woes

The Red Sox’ deepest and strongest area remains their pitching staff. Garrett Crochet has made two starts, including a dominant outing in Cincinnati, where he tossed six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out eight.

“He did an amazing job,” Cora said of his ace following the start. “That last inning, (he) started with a walk and then he just found it back and finished strong, and gave us a chance for the offense to cash in.”

One week later, Crochet turned out an inconsistent outing versus the Astros, looking more like the left-hander fans saw this spring. The southpaw allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits, no walks, while striking out seven over five innings. 

“It’s embarrassing," said Crochet. "And typically in the past, I’ve played that stopper role. And today I just let the guys down, especially when we scratched one (run) early in the first. And then for me to give it right back and then ultimately give them the lead at the bottom of the first, it’s not acceptable."

Crochet couldn’t hold the early lead, as the Astros struck for two runs in the bottom of the first on three hits, including doubles from Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes, with a costly error from Story adding to the damage.

Later, Carlos Correa crushed a 1-2 sweeper left at the bottom of the zone, launching a three-run homer to extend Houston’s lead to 5-2.

Craig Breslow emphasized run prevention all offseason, positioning it as the Red Sox’ new identity. In theory, it works; strong pitching and defense win games. But the offense isn’t built to consistently keep pace with deeper lineups across the league, meaning Boston often needs to play near-flawless baseball to come out on top.

Through the first turn of the rotation (plus Crochet’s second start), the starters are 1-3 with a 5.22 ERA. The defense has made six errors, including two on Wednesday. Boston’s bullpen has allowed 11 earned runs in 22 innings (4.50 ERA). 

Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Johan Oviedo all struggled in their first outings with the Red Sox.

Gray’s debut in Cincinnati was the polar opposite of Crochet’s. He battled command issues and lasted just four innings, highlighted by a 35-pitch first inning in which he faced seven batters and allowed two runs. He finished with three earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts on 80 pitches (51 strikes). To his credit, Story didn’t help matters, committing an error that led to an unearned run.

Gray also hurt himself, misplaying a chopper in front of the mound that allowed another run to score. It was a chaotic sequence that stemmed from his inability to field the ball cleanly.

It’s just one outing, and Gray will get a chance to turn the page at Fenway Park on Friday. However, his career numbers there are worth noting; he’s 0-4 with a 6.84 ERA in 26 1/3 innings, with opponents hitting .325 and posting a .895 OPS.

Meanwhile, Breslow’s top free-agent addition, Suárez, was tagged for four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, with one walk and three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in his debut.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the result that we all wanted, but physically I felt good,” Suárez said via team translator.

Boston piggybacked Oviedo behind Suárez, but the former Pirate struggled. The 6-foot-6 right-hander allowed four runs on six hits, including two home runs, while walking one and striking out three over 3 2/3 innings.

Oviedo has been inconsistent dating back to the spring, which factored into Boston adding Connelly Early to the rotation. The Red Sox announced Friday that Oviedo has been placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain. Oviedo's velocity has been down, but he told reporters that there wasn't anything physically wrong at the time. 

“I’m surprised like probably everyone else,” Oviedo said in Houston. “My body felt good. Just gotta look back to see what we’re missing, especially with the velo.”

In response, the club recalled right-handers Zack Kelly and Tyler Uberstine. For Uberstine, it marks his first time on a major league roster. In his most recent outing with Worcester, he tossed four innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out three, and had been scheduled to pitch Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Early has been one of the few bright spots in Boston’s rotation. He wasn’t dominant in his debut, but he was effective, working 5 1/3 innings while allowing one earned run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw a career-high 96 pitches (61 strikes), with a pair of wild pitches mixed in.

The outing put Early in rare company, as he became the youngest Red Sox starter since Babe Ruth in 1916 to record at least five strikeouts while allowing one or fewer runs within the team’s first three games of a season.

Boston will turn to Early again Saturday for his second start of the year.

Brayan Bello’s debut in Houston, meanwhile, was a mixed bag. At times this spring, he’s looked disengaged on the mound, more of an observation than anything concrete.

The 26-year-old was charged with six runs (five earned) over 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and three walks while striking out two. Despite the rough line, Bello generated 18 swings and misses, seven with his cutter, five with his sinker, three with his changeup, and one each with his curveball, sweeper, and four-seam fastball, according to Baseball Savant.

Through the first turn of the rotation, Red Sox starters have posted a 5.22 ERA and allowed five home runs, tied for the most in the American League.

ABS Issues

We’re one week into the ABS Challenge system, and the Red Sox have been among the least effective teams at using it.

“The most important thing is when we challenge, we don’t want to be the team that challenges the most,” Cora said. “We want to be the most efficient.”

Boston has challenged 11 calls, winning five for a 45% success rate. Hitters are 3-for-6 on challenges.

The lack of awareness has already shown up in key moments. In Saturday’s game in Cincinnati, the Red Sox burned through their challenges by the third inning. Roman Anthony unsuccessfully challenged a 3-1 pitch, shortly after Narváez failed to overturn a call from behind the plate.

“The situation, 3-1, didn’t call for it,” Anthony said. “Stupid on my end, and it won’t happen again.”

Narváez has won just one of his four challenges so far.

Ceddanne Rafaela’s decision to challenge a strike on an 0-0 count Wednesday, only to strike out looking later in the at-bat, further highlighted the issue, pointing to a lack of communication and preparation.

Cora said the team has emphasized awareness since spring training but acknowledged the challenges of implementing a new system.

“We have our system, we know the rules, but once the game starts, emotions take over,” Cora said. “We have to take the emotional part out of it.”

As of midweek, the league-average success rate sits at 55% (58% for catchers and pitchers, 52% for hitters).

“It’s a process. It’s a new system,” Cora added. “Some guys have used it in the minors, others haven’t seen it in years. There are emotions involved, that’s the reality. We have to slow it down and stay disciplined with it.”

Home Opener Notes

The Red Sox will look to get back on track this weekend with a three-game series against the Padres at Fenway Park.

Pitching matchups:

• Fri (4/3): Sonny Gray vs. Michael King, 2:10 p.m.
• Sat (4/4): Connelly Early vs. Randy Vásquez, 4:10 p.m.
• Sun (4/5): Ranger Suárez vs. Walker Buehler, 1:35 p.m.

Boston will also honor the 1986 Red Sox on the 40th anniversary of their pennant-winning season, with several alumni expected to attend, including Tony Armas, Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs, Oil Can Boyd, Rich Gedman, Bob Stanley, and Calvin Schiraldi.

The series will feature the return of Xander Bogaerts to Fenway Park, along with former Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta. Buehler is also expected to be part of the Padres’ pitching plans, while longtime broadcaster Don Orsillo will be in the booth for San Diego.

Fans will also get a chance to check out new food options at Fenway, including Lobstah Poutine, priced just under $40. The ballpark will also feature additional grab-and-go kiosks to improve concession access.