Paint by numbers: A quick breakdown of the Red Sox opening series loss to the Texas Rangers
Baseball, as we know, is a game of numbers. Back in the day, when scraping for ideas, I sometimes did a breakdown of Red Sox games or series and called it Paint By Numbers (or something like that) because it was the fastest and easiest way to, well, paint the picture.
So we’re going retro and bringing it back.
You want the short answer on why the Red Sox dropped 3-of-4 over the weekend to the Texas Rangers, who actually beat the Sox in three straight after Boston’s 5-2 win on Opening Day? The Sox didn’t hit. Plain and simple. Especially with runners in scoring position.
“That trend is going to change,” manager Alex Cora said of his team’s struggles. “We’re going to hit. We know that.”
While that may be true, the Sox need some solutions or risk a poor start to this 2025 season, something that president Sam Kennedy recently suggested he’d like to avoid. (Kennedy said the Sox need a good start.) That won’t get any easier starting today, when the Sox face the Baltimore Orioles, who scored 24 runs, hit 10 homers and posted an .863 OPS in their season-opening series against the Toronto Blue Jays, though the Orioles lost yesterday, 3-1.
Without further delay, a look at the Red Sox series against the Rangers – as promised, by the numbers:
.146
The Sox’ overall average with runners in scoring position this season, which translates into 6-for-41 with a major league-leading 16 strikeouts. After going 1-for-12 with RISP on Saturday night, the Sox did themselves one better (or worse) on Sunday and went 0-for-12. The combined 1-for-24 translates into an .042 average.
With two outs and runners in scoring position – the baseball equivalent of third down in football – the Sox were 1-for-18 in the series with eight strikeouts. The biggest culprits with men in scoring position have been catcher Connor Wong (0-for-8, four strikeouts), third baseman Alex Bregman (0-for-6, two strikeouts), designated hitter Rafael Devers (0-for-4, two strikeouts) and infielder David Hamilton (0-for-4, two strikeouts).
.100
Combined batting average of Nos. 2-5 hitters Rafael Devers (0-for-16), Bregman (4-for-17), first baseman Triston Casas (1-for-16) and shortstop Trevor Story (1-for-11). Devers’ struggles, of course, are of particular note given his unwillingness to play in a spring training game until the end of camp (something team play-by-play announcer David O’Brien noted during yesterday’s broadcast) after being moved to the designated hitter position.
.542
Combined batting average of rookie Kristian Campbell (6-for-14, HR) and outfielder Wilyer Abreu (7-for-10, HR), really the only Red Sox players who provided any kind of offense. Abreu’s three-run home run in the ninth inning on Opening Day produced the Sox’ only victory and Campbell’s home run on Friday night prompted the handler of at least one social media account (we know who you are) to take a shot at You Know Who:
8
Stolen bases, in eight attempts, by the Red Sox during the series, third-most in the game. Cora has preached a need for more athleticism in the Boston lineup over recent years and he now appears to have it. Six different Sox players stole at least one base during the series and not a single Sox base runner was caught stealing, meaning the team is at 100 percent on steal attempts.
42
Number of times the Red Sox struck out in the four games, third-most in baseball during the first weekend of the season. While Devers (12) obviously leads the way – his 10 strikeouts over the first three games were the most ever to start a season – Triston Casas (seven) wasn’t too far behind. Meanwhile, Abreu went the entire series without striking out.
6
Walks issued by Sox pitchers in the entire series, fourth-fewest in baseball. While this is obviously a good news for a Sox staff that posted a respectable 3.55 ERA (17th best in the game so far) against a good Texas lineup, Sox pitchers managed just 20 strikeouts, seventh-fewest in the sport. It should be noted, however, that while Sox relievers posted a 0.00 ERA – no runs in 12 innings for a group perceived to be a glaring weakness as the season began – the starters posted a 5.57 ERA, most of the damage coming against Nos. 2 and 3 starters Tanner Houck (6.35) and Walker Buehler (8.31).
1
Errors made by the Sox in the series, though even that comes with an asterisk. Boston’s only official miscue over the four games was a catcher’s interference call against backup catcher Carlos Narvaez. Boston did not make a single throwing or fielding error, during the four games, a notable achievement for a club that made the most errors in baseball from 2019-24, a six-year stretch during which the Sox ranked at or near the bottom in a range of defensive metrics.
