Red Sox getting plenty of chances with men on base, but production lacking
It's not hard to see what the problem is with the Red Sox. Fixing it is another matter.
BOSTON — At the start of the weekend series, interim manager Chad Tracy was asked about the team’s offensive struggles and the frustration it had caused. Looking to put a positive spin on the team’s familiar problems with runners in scoring position, Tracy noted that the team was getting its chances and now only had to do a better job cashing in. In short, he sounded as though the Red Sox were halfway home toward solving the issue.
Three games later, that take sounded hopelessly naive following a series that saw the Red Sox manage just seven runs against a team ranked dead last in pitching, the Houston Astros. After splitting the first two games, the Red Sox offense saved its worst for last: on Sunday, they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, stranding a season-high 13 in a 3-1, 10-inning loss to the Astros. Right down to the final out, the Red Sox failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
The Astros scored twice in the top of the 10th before the Sox valiantly filled the bases with one out, only to have Ceddanne Rafaela hit into a game-ending double play. “A ton of opportunities, a ton,” said Tracy. “A ton of at-bats with people on.
A worst-case (scenario) could be you’re not getting the opportunities. We’re getting them. But we have to execute them.
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