Through the first two weeks of the 2026 season, things have not gone as planned for the Boston Red Sox. There can be several factors pointed to for that. Whatever you come up with, it will place a lot of pressure on manager Alex Cora and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.
Going into the season, the Red Sox sold everyone that the club was built on its pitching and defense. The results on the field say otherwise. Boston lost eight of their first 10 games, which included a sweep at the hands of the suddenly struggling Houston Astros.
After beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-1, on Saturday night, the Red Sox are 5-9. Winning three out of their last four feels like a step in the right direction. The slow start prompted some chants at Fenway Park recently for ownership to sell the team. That’s not happening anytime soon.
The slow start has not gone unnoticed by Breslow, and he had a message for the upset fans.
Craig Breslow Has a Message Amid the Boston Red Sox Slow 2026 Start
The slow start has left Cora to answer questions that are frustrating him. Whether it’s about the struggling offense, an inconsistent rotation, or the bullpen, Cora has been asked too many times to address each. Breslow is preaching patience.
“To grab any 12-game stretch and question the slugging feels kind of arbitrary,” said Breslow. “Our guys are very capable of doing damage — of hitting the ball hard, getting extra-base hits and home runs. Those will come. We’ve just got to give ourselves as many good opportunities to score as we can.”
It might feel arbitrary, but given the moves made this offseason, it really isn’t. When Alex Bregman left in free agency for the Chicago Cubs, Breslow pivoted to a starting pitcher instead of a bat. He signed Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez. Sure, just losing Bregman’s bat is just part of the problem, but otherwise, most of the lineup remains the same.
Again this season, Cora is dealing with four outfielders for three spots, leaving the fourth to generally be the DH. Roman Anthony has struggled both at the plate and throwing the ball from left field. Masataka Yoshida has been up and down. Cora has preached several times that they are still trying to figure out how to get everyone playing time amid the logjam. Wilyer Abreu has been arguably their best hitter this season to date.
Red Sox Need Better Outings From Starting Pitchers
Sure, the offense has struggled, but so has the starting pitching. Suárez picked up his first win in Boston against St. Louis on Saturday night. He worked six innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six Cardinals’ batters. It was hands down his best start this season after inking a five-year, $130 million contract over the winter.
Boston is 5-0 this season when their starter works six-plus innings, compared to 0-9 when they work less than six innings. Numbers don’t lie.
Cora has juggled his lineup through the first two games in St. Louis. After being shut down in the opener, the Red Sox responded with seven runs on Saturday night. Five of those runs were scored in the top of the ninth to break open a 2-1 game. Regardless, for a team that struggled early in the season, the fanbase has made its feelings known; it’s a step they need to continue to take to turn down some of the early-season heat from the fans.
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