Sean McAdam: Red Sox breathe a sigh of relief by snapping five-game skid
The Red Sox desperately needed a win Friday. When they got one, there was a sense that perhaps things had turned for them.
BOSTON — They could tell themselves that it was early and that their nosedive at the start of the season was less than a week old. They could rationalize that the losing streak, which stretched to five on Wednesday, wouldn’t be a big deal in June or August, and that there was no reason to be overly concerned with how the 2026 season had started. But all of that was an intellectual exercise.
The hard truth was, the Red Sox needed a win in their home opener. It may not have risen to the level of must -win, but it easily qualified as it-would-be-much-better-if-we-did win. So they did, erupting for a three-run sixth against the San Diego Padres and ultimately snapping a five-game skid with a 5-2 victory.
“Today,” revealed Alex Cora afterward, “was a fun day at the ballpark. ” There had been nothing fun about the road trip after an Opening Day shutout. First came two one-run losses in Cincinnati, followed by three one-sided setbacks in Houston in which the Red Sox were not even competitive.
The talk had already started – about how they didn’t do enough over the winter, and theories that Cora hasn’t properly prepared them during spring training. Once that kind of negative energy takes hold, it can be difficult to overcome. Losing early in the season weighs heavily.
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