Red Sox Offense Continues to Sputter in 2-1 Extra Innings Loss to Jays

So whatever happened to that vaunted Red Sox offense?

For the third straight night, the Red Sox offense was non-existent mustering only 4 hits and one run in a 2-1 extra inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox have scored only 4 runs over 3 games in the series, all losses.

“A lot of strikeouts. [Gausman] elevated the four-seamer and we weren’t able to catch up,” said manager Alex Cora. “We gotta be better. I think we’re good, we just got beat by him. We just gotta make adjustments. We have to as a group, but I trust our players, I trust this group. It’s one bad night, we’re gonna show up tomorrow and try and win the game.”

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck had a solid outing for Boston in his first Fenway start of the year. Houck had a shaky first inning loading the based and allowing a run to come in on a fielder’s choice ground out. But he settled in after that going six and two thirds of one run ball allowing only 5 hits and two walks while striking out two.

“For me, I felt a lot better in sync with my delivery all around,” said Houck. “I commanded the fastball really well tonight, I stuck to my strengths a lot, and trusted the defense behind me. I like to work fast and I felt like I did that really well tonight and it kept me in sync.”

The Red Sox responded in the bottom of the first, with Jarren Duran finding his way to third base after a leadoff single and a two-base steal on Alejandro Kirk’s errant throw into center field. Duran would score on a sacrifice fly by Alex Bregman.

Boston was only able to muster four hits, two from Devers and one from Duran and Campbell, as they were completely shut down by Kevin Gausman, who went eight innings and struck out 10 before turning it over to the bullpen who struck out four more.

It stayed that way through 9 innings. The Red Sox had a terrific chance to win the game in the 10th. Triston Casas grounded to second base to move automatic runner Alex Bregman to third. But the Sox were not able to push the winning run across as Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell struck out to end the threat.

“I trust them wholeheartedly,” he said. “I know that they work really hard and they show up and they put every ounce of their heart and soul into it and that’s all I can ever ask for them. I know that things will turn around very quickly.”

In the 11th inning Toronto was able to do what the Red Sox were not. Advance the runner from second and bring them home on an RBI single by Bo Bichette. The Red Sox were unable to counter in the bottom of the inning falling 2-2 the final.

“We threw the ball well,” Cora added. “Slaten was good, Willy did his thing one pitch, Chappy was great, you know Weisert, we did well.”

The series will finish up tomorrow at 4:10 pm before the Sox head to Chicago where Garrett Crochet will face his old team in the White Sox on Friday.