Rafael Devers and the Red Sox offense’s struggles continued as the club lost its fourth straight game on Monday.
For a moment it seemed as if Rafael Devers might have things figured out.
After a weekend in which he was getting blown away by every fastball thrown his way, the beleaguered Red Sox slugger turned in probably his best at-bat of the season his first time up against Baltimore Orioles starter Cade Povich. Devers battled for nine pitches, fouling off four pitches in the process, to grind out a hard-earned walk.
Not a hard hit liner or a home run, but at least some measure of progress, right?
Not so much, it turned out.
Devers struck out his next three times up as the Red Sox offense sputtered again in Monday’s 8-5 loss to the Orioles. Boston once again struggled with runners in scoring position, going 3 for 14 on the day, and the club has now lost four straight to fall to 1-4 on the season.
Overall the Red Sox are now 9 for 55 (.163) with runners in scoring position on the season.
“It’s challenging but we have a good team and it hasn’t happened yet,” manager Alex Cora told reporters following the game. “I continue to say as long as we don’t expand and we keep putting good swings in the strike zone we’re going to be OK.”
“As long as we keep getting men in scoring position at one point we’re going to have fun and we’re going to score runs,” he added later, “and this week is going to be in the past.”
Making his first start for his childhood team, Sean Newcomb’s storybook afternoon took an unfortunate turn when the Orioles ambushed him for four consecutive hits to start the bottom of the first. The former Middleborough High standout allowed RBI singles to Tyler O’Neill and Ryan Mountcastle, and later also a two-run double by Cedric Mullins that put the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole right out of the chute.
