TAMPA — Following the Rays’ overwhelming victory over the Red Sox on Monday, Manager Alex Cora accepted accountability. Boston’s uninspired bats managed a mere six hits, while starting pitcher Tanner Houck surrendered 12 runs and 10 hits, lasting only until the seventh out. The Red Sox suffered a heavy 16-1 defeat at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“It looked like one team was ready for the other, and we weren’t prepared for them,” Cora stated. “That responsibility starts with me and goes all the way down. It was not a good night for us. I’ll accept the blame as it seemed our team wasn’t ready.” The Red Sox (8-10) have dropped six of their last eight contests. Leading the league with 20 errors, Alex Bregman committed his fourth miscue of the season during Tampa’s nine-run third inning.
“Our defense, offense, and pitching have all been subpar,” Cora admitted. “Those are the fundamental elements of baseball, and we haven’t excelled.” Cora emphasized the need to better prepare his team for Tuesday. “The evening wasn’t enjoyable from the start. From the first pitch, it wasn’t fun,” Cora remarked. “We need to regroup, return tomorrow, and play a clean game. A clean game would be beneficial.”
Although Bregman recorded Boston’s sole error, a few Rays hits might have been marked as errors. Jarren Duran also permitted a runner to score from first base on Brandon Lowe’s 100.2 mph, 242-foot single to left field in the second inning. Duran’s throw to second base allowed both Taylor Walls and Jake Mangum to cross home plate. “Today, we didn’t complete a double play,” Cora observed. “Alex mishandled a ball.
Jarren threw to second, and we redirected the ball to the plate. It was a good play by them. But I don’t think it’s about decision-making. We’re simply not catching the ball.” Boston has accumulated 78 runs in 18 games, averaging 4.3 runs per game. However, 31 of those runs (39.7%) occurred in just two matchups against the Cardinals. In the remaining 16 games, Boston has scored 47 runs, an average of 2.9 runs per game. “We’re not playing good baseball,” Cora noted.
“That doesn’t imply we’re not ready to win. … We need to perform better. We’re aware of that. I mentioned from the start, for us to achieve our goals, consistency is key. Lately, we’ve been consistently poor over the last 10 days.” When Trevor Story learned that Cora took the blame, he responded, “No. I mean, we’re the ones on the field. Wearing this jersey comes with pride. … We need to look in the mirror and be truthful with ourselves. But the season is long. We know the caliber of our team. We can change course. I’m very confident in that.”
