Boston Red Sox
“Everyone here thinks we have a good team.”
The Red Sox have scored one run in two games against the Yankees. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
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As if the dreary 40-degree weather shrouding Fenway Park on Wednesday wasn’t miserable enough, the cheers emanating from Boston Stadium said it all amid the Red Sox’s latest setback against their archrival.
With every breakthrough and off-balanced whiff that Boston’s hitters fired at the plate against Yankees ace Max Fried, the expected noise of groans and jeers echoed through Fenway.
Worse still, those dark musings were only undermined by chants of “Let’s go, Yan Keys!” It is distributed by a vocal minority of fans who enjoy the absurdity of its enemy
That has been the scene at Fenway Park so far this spring for a Red Sox team that appears poised to build on last year’s shortened playoff appearance.
A lot of optimism is inherent in the thaw of a new baseball season.
Instead, fans who have braved the cold conditions at Fenway so far in 2026 have been subjected to a regular exercise in pain and punishment. Based on what we’ve seen so far, there’s been little inherent optimism in Boston’s bats thawing out of this current freeze.
Through two games against the Yankees this season, Alex Cora’s club has only had one base plate hit.
That lone run on Wednesday came with two outs in the ninth inning, only slightly softening the blow of a 4-1 final loss to New York.
In total, Boston collected just nine total hits over 18 innings of offensive ineptitude.
“He’s really good at what he does,” Cora said after the Max Fried match. “But we still have to be better. … It’s been tough, the whole house. … We’ve got to be better. Everyone here believes we have a good team. Good teams have to find a way to score against a good pitcher.”
All of the concerns about Boston’s offseason roster overhaul — rooted in concerns about the lack of right-handed pop at the plate and the veteran’s established mettle being drained — have paid off.
Wednesday marked the sixth time this season that Boston has been held to one or fewer runs, including five times in its past eight games.
After sniffing at free agent targets like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, the Red Sox have focused on running prevention this winter — relying on elite starting pitching and improving defense as a surefire way to account for some of the expected growing pains at the plate.
Instead, the dearth of any kind of power at the plate — coupled with poor roster construction that often relegates a key hitter to the bench every night — has Boston saddled with a faltering offense often unable to recover from any kind of deficit.
Aaron Boone and the Yankees may also have started firing on Sinatra in the visitor’s dugout after Amed Rosario golfed off Sox outfielder Ranger Suarez over the Green Monster for a three-run shot in the first inning.
That was all New York needed on Wednesday, especially with Fried on the mound.
Leftist – from The Red Sox have reportedly been targeted in free agency In December 2024 – before he signed with New York – he pitched eight shutout innings against Boston, giving up three hits and striking out nine.
Since joining New York, Fried is sporting a 1.10 ERA against Boston In five starts (including one postseason outing).
Outside of Fried’s extra stuff on the mound, even a three-run hole is a tall order for a Red Sox lineup to dig itself out of — especially given their lack of home run power.
In total, Boston has hit just five home runs in its last 17 games. The last time Boston was limited to five or fewer players over 17 games was May 1993.
Jarren Duran – one of the few bright spots on Wednesday with three games to play – called for patience for a young club still trying to find its footing.
“I would say we put pressure on ourselves,” Duran said. “I think we’re trying to do a lot. We’re trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. But at the end of the day, we’re not really in a hole. It’s still early. We still have a lot of time to play baseball.”
Duran is right about the extended runway in front of them for the Red Sox. Boston still has 138 games remaining on its regular season schedule.
For fans who haven’t had much to cheer about during nearly four weeks of baseball, it’s a sign of optimism that their favorite club’s fortunes will turn around.
On the other hand, another 138 games of this offense might be enough to drive even the most steadfast Sox fan to attack.
“We’re in Boston. It’s a big market,” Duran said. “We want to produce for the fans and produce for ourselves and the team. The Red Sox have a great legacy, obviously, even if you try not to put that pressure on them [yourself]it’s there. It’s just part of it. But we have a hard working team.
“I mean it sucks that you guys can’t see what we do behind these walls every day. But I know everyone’s working, and I know people are going to say, ‘Oh, well, you should work harder.’ Well, we are. We’re working as hard, as hard as we can, to make everyone proud.”
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