Forget poets. The Red Sox are the “Tortured Players Department.”
How many more hits can the team endure? They've already suffered so many blows that it’s surprising to realize it’s only April, not August.
“I’m in a lot of pain right now,” a crestfallen Triston Casas told reporters before the Red Sox won Sunday’s series finale 6-1 for a sweep in Pittsburgh.
The Red Sox put their first baseman on the 10-day injured list with a rib strain hours before, and both he and Alex Cora admitted they were worried the absence would be a lengthy one. In his place, the Red Sox called up catcher Tyler Heineman, the last healthy position player on the 40-man roster, for their last game against the Pirates.
Once again, it's April. Not August.
Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, and Chris Murphy are out for the season; the two pitchers were done before Opening Day. Rafael Devers has missed 10 of the team’s first 23 games due to a combination of shoulder and knee issues. He and Tyler O’Neill collided in the outfield on Marathon Monday, sending the outfielder to the 7-day injured list with a concussion. Romy Gonzalez was called up from Triple-A to help fill the gap left by Story, only to go on the 10-day IL himself with a wrist sprain. Nick Pivetta (mild right-elbow flexor strain), Garrett Whitlock (left-oblique strain), and Isaiah Campbell (right shoulder impingement) are on the 15-day IL.
And now Casas.
“Obviously it’s hard for us to have those guys out, but we stay together as a team, we stay together as a unit,” Wilyer Abreu told NESN’s Jahmai Webster (via Carlos Villoria Benitez).
It makes the 13-10 record all the more impressive, though sweeping the Oakland A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates isn’t particularly noteworthy. (When the Pirates swept the Sox at Fenway in early April ‘23, it was their first-ever series victory against the Sox on their home field.)
Injuries are widespread around the league, so it’s not like the Red Sox are alone in their suffering. Help is on the way as well. Devers requested to be in Sunday’s lineup, but the manager wanted to give his third baseman another day to rest his bone-bruised knee. He and O’Neill are expected to return to the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener in Cleveland. Vaughn Grissom had the Triple-A lineup’s only two hits on Saturday evening. The energetic second baseman – who was sidelined throughout the entire slate of spring training games with a groin strain – also stole a base and played second for the entire second game of the WooSox’s doubleheader.
Even without several of their most powerful hitters, the Sox found ways to end their weekend series in Pittsburgh on a high note. After giving Boston a first-inning lead in each of the first two games of the series, Wilyer Abreu continued to make an impact with a three-hit, two-RBI, one-run performance. His RBI single in the top of the third got the Red Sox on the board. He has at least one hit and one RBI in four consecutive games and a 10-game on-base streak.
Alex Cora told reporters that they have been discussing him for some time. He said that the player hits the ball hard and is a good defender.
The defense made it through two games without making a mistake. Abreu, who mostly played right field this season, played left field over the weekend because of PNC Park's dimensions. His and Bobby Dalbec's strong defensive performances earned praise from their manager.
Rob Refsnyder was activated on Thursday and has been a much-needed veteran presence and all-around improvement. He hit four extra-base hits in the series – a homer on Friday and a double in each game. He played right field with ease.
Cora said that having Ref back meant a lot.
Josh Winckowski found himself in immediate trouble when Connor Joe hit a 410-foot double at the start of the game. It would've been a home run in 28 of 30 ballparks, but it may as well have been one anyway, as Joe promptly scored on Ke'Bryan Hayes' sacrifice fly.
The Pirates' only run of the contest turned out to be that one. Winckowski pitched a 1-2-3 second, worked around a one-out single in the third, and got the first out of the fourth before Cam Booser took over.
The team has been carried by a starting rotation with a collective 1.73 ERA, which is at the top of the MLB rankings. Winckowski will likely remain in the rotation as Pivetta and Whitlock work their way back, Cora confirmed.
The pitching staff continues to dominate as a whole. Booser, Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten, and Chase Anderson held the Pirates scoreless the rest of the way. Slaten continues to be a standout addition; two innings on Sunday earned the rookie his first big-league win, and Cora was happy to give Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen, who both pitched Saturday, an extra day off.
The manager said that the pitching has been the constant. He said they are throwing the ball well.
The Pirates served up blowout opportunities on a silver platter all weekend long, and a healthier Boston lineup would've capitalized even more. On Sunday, they gave up eight hits, hit a batter, walked six, and made two errors. Ceddanne Rafaela, Refsnyder, and Jarren Duran each stole a base, and Duran then advanced to third when Aroldis Chapman was charged with a “Disengagement Violation.” Starting pitcher Martín Pérez and Ryder Ryan each made Pitch Timer violations.
Saturday's contest had been a competition to see which lineup could leave more runners on base, and Sunday's was no different for the Sox lineup. Facing his former team, Pérez looked shaky early on. The left-hander issued walks to Rafaela – in the leadoff spot for the first time this season – and Refsnyder before escaping the first inning unscathed.
By the time the Pirates went to the bullpen with two on and no outs in the top of the fifth, the Sox had already left seven men on base. Reese McGuire gave Pérez a parting gift, blooping a pinch-hit two-run single into left to extend Boston's lead to 4-1, then became one of two more left on base. By game's end, the Sox were 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position, had stranded 12, and struck out 14 times.
A series sweep in Pittsburgh might temporarily fix things, but a win is a win, and the Sox should be happy about it.
Since they won't have another chance to play the Pirates until next year.
