The Boston Red Sox were swept by the Houston Astros this week. Boston has fallen out of the AL Wild Card race for now. Here's who to blame.
The Red Sox were utterly dominated by the Houston Astros in what was a highly-anticipated series early this week. Alex Cora's group had an opportunity to cut into Houston's AL Wild Card edge, but instead fell flat on their face.
The Red Sox were outscored 26-11 in the series, with the majority of Houston's damage coming in the first game of the set. The Astros are the defending World Series champions for a reason, and they flexed their muscles after a disappointing homestand in which they let the Seattle Mariners back into the AL West race.
Faced with the task of redemption in their upcoming series against the Royals, Boston must first reflect. Who is to blame for their disappointment at home vs Houston?
Red Sox to blame: Start with Kyle Barraclough
Boston had a lead in the first game of this series until it was relinquished by Chris Sale, who has struggled all season long. In an attempt to save face and perhaps the bullpen, Alex Cora put Kyle Barraclough into the game. That...did not end well.
Barraclough, who had just been called up by the Red Sox after pitching well in Triple-A Worcester, gave up 10 earned runs in short order. He threw over 90 pitches, and frankly they were not good ones. Cora felt awful after the game, even suggesting he put Barraclough in a no-win situation.
"We had a lot of guys down," Cora said, per CBS Sports. "This is where we were. We had Chris [Martin] and we had Kenley [Jansen]. It just didn't happen for [Barraclough] today. He'd been throwing strikes the whole time in the minor leagues and Triple A. He was the guy in there and it just didn't happen."
Damn right it didn't happen. There's a reason Barraclough is listed third and not first on this list. While he struggled, it wasn't his call to keep a struggling reliever in the game far too long.
Red Sox to blame: What was Alex Cora thinking?
Alex Cora is one of the best managers in all of baseball at his best. There's a reason the Red Sox brought him back after the sign-stealing scandal tarnished his name. However, Cora was working against Boston this series. The former Houston assistant coach failed miserably, starting with inserting Barraclough in the first game of the series.
"It's awful, I feel bad," Cora said. "It happened to [the Astros] last week when they brought up a guy who threw 100 pitches and saved their bullpen when we beat them. [Barraclough] wanted to go out in the ninth and we were thinking about sending a position player. You saw me. My face was probably all over TV. It was uncomfortable."
While we're glad he feels bad, Cora essentially destroyed Barraclough's confidence moving forward, taking a potentially-important relief pitcher out of the Boston bullpen. Cora knew how important this series was for the Red Sox, and getting swept is an utter failure on his end. This is a team that relies heavily on bullpen management. Cora struggled all series long in that regard.
Red Sox to blame: Justin Turner came up short
Justin Turner went 2-for-12 with an RBI in the Red Sox series against Houston. For a player who has come up huge all season long, this was a surprising sore spot. Turner thrives in Fenway Park, just take one look at his splits. But Turner -- a player who seems born to play in Boston -- struggled mightily in one of the Red Sox most important series of the season thus far.
In the same week David Ortiz praised Turner's value to the Red Sox, he failed to make much of an impact against Houston. While it doesn't take away from what Ortiz said, it is enough to wonder whether Turner, Rafael Devers and Co. are meant to be an AL Wild Card team this season.
"If I'm the Red Sox right now, I take advantage of his next couple of years," Ortiz explained. "Look at the monster season he's putting together. We know how good of a hitter he is, but we also know what he brings to the table in the clubhouse loaded up with young players. (You) got it right there. Go and get him."
Boston lost three games, it happens. However, Turner and Co. need to find a way to turn things around fast considering the majority of their opponents reside in the AL West, which features a three-way tie atop the division. All three teams have better records than the Red Sox
The Sox are seven games out of the final Wild Card spot as of this writing.
