With the Celtics and Bruins done, the Red Sox take center stage… for better or worse

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 02: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox slides back to first during a pick-off attempt in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images That week sucked, man. Even with a couple of wins for the Red Sox here and there, I think we can go ahead and generally chalk up the recent play we’ve seen one week into the post-Cora era as “uninspiring” as this dreadful start to the season slugs along.

Another series L against Houston only reinforces how bored I am with this team. It’s a shitty feeling. I need the spark to be back within my baseball-related life.

Say what you want about the dismissal of the manager and members of his coaching staff (which, believe me, we have here at OTM) but all of the warts of the 2026 team were not gonna magically disappear with them. The lineup, by and large, is still not doing enough to succeed. Most of the starting pitching staff—something that was supposed to be a strong foundation of this team—is either hurt or hasn’t met the standard.

We’re staring down a pair of games in Detroit this week against two of the best left-handed pitchers in the sport—a pair of guys who already shoved against us recently—along with a series at the end of the week against a good Rays team. It could get real spooky by the time I sit down to write the next MMBB. We got outfielders throwin’ their hands up at infielders, we got hit pieces comin’ in, our pets’ heads are fallin’ off—the vibes are just putrid right now, even if I did find a pair of positive things to talk about in this edition of the Brushback.