This time, there’s not even a moral victory to cling to. The Boston Red Sox are coming off two straight losses to the Orioles. And now, on Monday night, even though the Sox tried to mount a late rally against the Milwaukee Brewers, it only displayed increasing cracks in the team’s foundation. Eventually, the Brewers handed the Red Sox yet another 3-2 loss.

Boston is now sitting at 27-29, fourth in the AL East. In the eighth and ninth innings, Jarren Duran and Kristian Campbell scored one run each and both recorded RBIs. However, the late-game surge didn’t help the team enough, and they fell to their third consecutive defeat. After the game, the Red Sox veteran Rob Refsnyder made a media appearance, and he was visibly distraught with the loss. Even more so, he called out the inside issues with the teammates.

Speaking with NESN, Refsnyder stated. “It’s frustrating. Tired of losing. Tired of losing close games.” Further, when the interviewer particularly asked him about Garrett Whitlock’s performance, the response clearly showed how upset he is…

Refsynder replied, “Yeah, I mean, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. We feel like every time he goes on the mound, it’s a great thing for us. Such a competitor. Everyone loves him. It’s just disappointing that we can’t come through for him.” Refsnyder’s comments hint at both admiration for the way Whitlock pitches and frustration over the Red Sox’s inability to convert such exceptional pitching into wins.

He then admitted, “There’s some good at-bats here and there, but we’re just not getting the drop-down. It’s not for lack of effort or work ethic, game planning. It’s just, you know, we’re not doing it. We suck right now. We’ve got to just be better.” It was a blunt confession. The team is actually underperforming right now.

There’s no two ways about it. And that’s why it also brings manager Alex Cora under the radar. The word has been that he might not be the right leader for the team. According to the Red Sox nation, besides one championship season with a stacked roster, they have been questioning, ‘What has he even done?’

Currently, there is no sense of urgency from Cora’s end to turn things around. This is a slump for the Red Sox right now, and they continue to ride this slump out without any visible action. Refsynder’s frustration towards the team was justified. And if Cora doesn’t make a change, the calls for his firing are just going to grow louder.

To top it all off, the Red Sox also lost their third baseman to the 10-day injured list. How are they going to cope?

Alex Cora’s response to the team’s struggles and injuries is taking a toll

The Red Sox are now slipping below .500, and Cora isn’t mincing words anymore. “We are what the record shows.” He said as the team dropped to 27-29.

The Red Sox’s ace Alex Bregman strained his right quad on Saturday when the team went for a doubleheader against the Orioles. It’s the latest and most terrible blow for them. Now, Cora and the coaching staff are, of course, expected to work on their offensive approach.

They won’t be chasing big hits anymore. Instead, the strategy has shifted to small-ball tactics. Here, the focus will be on moving runners over, stealing bases, making contact, and manufacturing runs anyhow. Cora added on this, “It’s a different brand of baseball. It’s a different roster.”

Even after changing the strategy, the team couldn’t deliver much. Against the Brewers, the Red Sox shifted the scoring changes. But nothing happened. Late RBIs from Duran and Campbell couldn’t help the team take the lead from the Brewers. Hold on, Bregman’s injury isn’t the sole issue. Veteran Trevor Story isn’t performing any better either. And when it comes to rookie Kristian Campbell, he’s unable to stay consistent.

Speaking of consistency, Cora admits it too. “You look around, it’s just up and down. We haven’t been consistent offensively the last three days, and that’s the reason we haven’t scored too many.” Well, now we have to see for ourselves if the team performs even remotely better in the next game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.