Boston Red Sox
“I’m not saying this is the brand of baseball we’re gonna have to play over 162 to get going, but it’s a cool way to do it.”
The Red Sox’ offense has been a point of consternation for fans amid Boston’s lackluster start to the 2026 season.
All of the fears regarding Boston’s lineup and the inability to add some pop over the winter have largely been realized.
Entering Monday’s game against the Tigers, Boston had clubbed the fewest home runs in the American League (13) while sporting a team-wide .228 batting average.
Given the annual 11:10 a.m. start on Patriots’ Day, it was a valid fear that the Red Sox’ bats were going to hit the snooze button once again at Fenway Park with a series split on the line.
Instead, the Red Sox finally skipped the decaf for the first time in a long time — scoring eight runs en route to an 8-6 victory over Detroit.
It marked the second-highest scoring output in a single game for Boston so far in 2026, after scoring just four total runs in the first three games of this series against the Tigers.
Despite that offensive surge, the Red Sox’ slump-busting salvo against Detroit wasn’t the result of Boston’s bats teeing off against pitches and sending them into the Monster seats on Monday.
Much like the thousands of runners making their way through Kenmore Square on Monday, Boston’s offensive breakout was a byproduct of a slow, steady, and grueling approach at the plate.
“We walked a lot today, right? There was traffic,” Alex Cora said after the win. “We ran the bases well. We put pressure on the opposition, and that’s where we’re at right now, right? Some good and some bad. … So that’s what it takes for us to score runs. We will maximize the roster.”
In total, Boston only slugged one home run (a solo shot from Wilson Contreras) in its entire four-game series against Detroit.
On Patriots’ Day, it was death via a thousand cuts from Boston’s lineup, with the Red Sox working eight walks, swiping three bases, and cashing in on some opportunities.
In total, Boston went 5-for-19 (with two walks) with runners in scoring position on Monday.
That would signal more room for improvement, but it was markedly better than what Boston showcased with RISP earlier in the series — with Boston going just 2-for-18 in its previous three games under those same circumstances.
How Boston doled out some damage on Monday may not harken back to the days of old when sluggers like David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were depositing pitches into the cheap seats.
A bunt from catcher Carlos Narvaez with Caleb Durbin on third opened the scoring for Boston in the third inning, with Durbin sliding home after a throwing error from Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty. A based-loaded walk from Wilyer Abreu brought in another run in that same inning.
A bloop RBI single from Roman Anthony in the sixth knotted the game back up at 3-3.
It was far from flashy. But barring an unexpected power surge, such is the way that the 2026 Red Sox will need to manufacture runs for most of this current campaign.
“The more walks early, the top of the lineup is going to get five, six at-bats,” Cora said. “You just have to stay the course, right? But if you keep putting in good at-bats, good things are going to happen.”
“I’m not saying this is the brand of baseball we’re gonna have to play over 162 to get going, but it’s a cool way to do it,” Cora added. “It was energy and everybody contributed, right? Everybody put [up] good at-bats. But I still believe when you control the strike zone, good things are going to happen.”
That workman-like approach will need to continue going forward, especially with the Yankees coming to town on Tuesday.
The Red Sox need to correct several flaws on their roster amid a 9-13 start to the new season.
But Boston’s bats desperately need to start doing damage — with a three-game set against a trio of Yankee starters in Luis Gil, Max Fried, and Cam Schlittler standing as a sizable test for Cora’s club.
”I’m not saying we’re going to be the LA Dodgers, kind of like Mookie [Betts] and Freddie [Freeman] or back in the day [with Boston] … you walk and then hit the big homer,” Cora said. “But we have to control the strike zone. That was a good sign today.”
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