Just when we thought the Boston Red Sox were getting back to winning ways with a couple of wins, they have dropped the ball. Although none of the team departments have been firing, it looks like most of the blame is pointed towards the pitching.

After their latest 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, $170 million ace Garrett Crochet came out to the media and had a long chat. During that, Crochet talked about their pitching and how bad it has been. He said, “We were looking the other day at our numbers as a starting rotation, how poor they’ve been… Right now it just is what it is, and it’s bad.”

The Boston Red Sox have had a slow start and sit at 8-13 after 21 games. They are tied for last place in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays. Boston has scored only 3.86 runs per game this season. That low scoring has put more pressure on pitchers who are already struggling.

And the pressure seems to be catching up with Garrett Crochet on Sunday, in a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Crochet gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings in the 3rd game of the 4-game series.

The Boston ace allowed only one run through four innings before the fifth inning changed everything. Jahmai Jones hit a 423-foot home run, then Dillon Dingler added a 397-foot three-run homer. Those two hits turned a 1-1 game into a 5-1 lead for Detroit.

Manager Alex Cora spoke clearly about what went wrong after the game ended. Cora said, “He just lost it,” while talking about that fifth inning from Crochet.

He also said, “He wasn’t efficient early on… that’s something we’ve been talking about as a pitching staff. It feels like we get ahead, but we don’t stay ahead… especially 0-2, 1-2… wasn’t able to do that today,” pointing to long at-bats.

Boston pitchers have had trouble finishing hitters after getting ahead in counts this season. This showed in the very first inning when Crochet gave up a double to Matt Vierling after getting ahead 0-2, and this eventually led to the first run the Tigers scored.

Crochet’s numbers show the struggle, as he now has a 7.88 ERA after five starts. He has given up 21 runs in 24 innings, with four home runs across the last 2 games. This doesn’t justify the $170 million contract he has signed.

Last season, he had 255 strikeouts and finished second in Cy Young voting. This year, hitters are making him pay when he falls behind and leaves pitches over the plate. Crochet said, “Every mistake I make is getting absolutely hammered,” after Sunday’s loss.

But it is not only Garrett Crochet, because the whole Boston pitching group has struggled to perform till now. The team is 8-0 When the starter does well, but 0-13 when they do not. That shows how much the team depends on a good start to win games.

If Boston wants to reach the postseason, this pattern from the pitching staff cannot keep going. The pitchers need to throw more strikes early and avoid falling behind in counts.

Cora said they must “bury guys” when ahead to finish at-bats and avoid long innings. Right now, those chances are missed, and small mistakes are turning into big runs. Until the pitching improves, the Boston Red Sox will keep finding it hard to win games this season. But the Red Sox need more players to fire if they want to win games.

The Red Sox players who need to wake up and help Boston

The starting pitching is struggling, and there is no doubt about it. But the Boston Red Sox have a few players who are on the team every day but are not making an impact. And the team needs them to start having a say in games.

The Boston Red Sox came into 2026 with hope but sit at 8-13 after 21 games. They are at the bottom of the AL East with the Blue Jays. A 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers showed both hitting and pitching problems.

In that game, Boston has not been able to get hits at important positions, and that is showing. Boston has scored under four runs in many losses, which shows a clear issue.

The struggles show up with Jarren Duran and his slow start this season so far. Duran is hitting .172 with just 17 total bases in 16 games played. His .254 on-base number shows he is not getting on base enough for the team.

Boston has had games where top hitters failed to reach base in the first innings. That has led to games where they fall behind early and keep chasing the opposition the whole game.

On the pitching side, Sonny Gray has been up and down in four starts so far. He gave up five runs in four innings in a recent game against Detroit. But he also had two starts over six innings and gave up only two runs combined.

Boston is 8-0 When starters go at least six innings in games this year. That shows how much this team depends on steady starts to win games.

The problems also show with Brayan Bello and his start this season. Bello has not gone past five innings in three of his four starts. He gave up four runs in each of those shorter starts, hurting Boston.

He has an ERA of 6.75, and his WHIP is close to 2.00. Those numbers explain why Boston has struggled in games he has taken the mound.

Then there is Trevor Story, who is performing neither with the bat nor the glove. Story is hitting .188 with 29 strikeouts, which shows that he is not even able to make contact with the pitch. He also has four errors, which is one of the highest in the league. We know that Story is going to be a constant on the team, so the Red Sox will need him to start doing better.

If this does not change, it will be hard for Boston to win games.

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