The Boston Red Sox lost a tough one on Saturday to the St. Louis Cardinals. They were in control for most of the game until they had a late-inning collapse that proved to be costly.
Up two runs in the ninth inning, Boston turned to closer Kenley Jansen, who blew a save in Friday's game. Jansen didn't find his rhythm on Saturday, walking three batters. When he finally got one over the plate, Kiké Hernández tried to turn a double play but threw the ball away. The Cardinals scored three runs in the ninth to win the game, 4-3.
This was a terrible way to lose the game. Chris Sale was tremendous on the mound for the Red Sox, and it was all for nothing. He threw eight innings, giving up three runs and striking out nine batters.
Teams can't afford to ruin games after their pitchers start off strong. Sale has been trying to get his confidence back on the mound, and a win here would have gone a long way to help him.
"Terrible Terrible Terrible game from Cora. Why on earth is Kenley pitching after last night when you have a fresh Schreiber and Martin. And Kiké is not a shortstop. That little experiment has to stop. Not even hitting either. Abysmal series loss," one fan tweeted.
"The Red Sox need a shortstop in a big way. Kiké is not the asnwer," another fan tweeted.
Boston Red Sox fans were furious with their manager Alex Cora's decision to pitch Jansen again on Saturday. There were other arms available in the bullpen that Cora could have gone to.
Fans also want to see the team move away from Kiké Hernández at shortstop. He hasn't cut it in their eyes and has become a liability.
Despite their recent losses, the Boston Red Sox have played above expectations
Nobody expected much from the Boston Red Sox coming into the season. After losing Xander Bogaerts in free agency and Trevor Story to an injury, there wasn't much hype surrounding this team.
Despite that, they're an above .500 team. If the Red Sox were in the American League Central, they would be tied for first place with the Minnesota Twins.
While the team is on a rough stretch, they're a far better team than what people thought they would be. Don't sleep on the Red Sox.