Getty
Boston Red Sox young star Roman Anthony
Things have not gone the way the Boston Red Sox have hoped through the first five games of the22026 season. After opening the season with a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Red Sox have lost four in a row.
Ace Garrett Crochet threw a gem on Opening Day, and since then, anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Their offense has disappeared in some games, while their pitching and defense have imploded at times. The latest was against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Brayan Bello was looking to stop a three-game losing streak, but instead, he was added to the list of issues facing Alex Cora’s club. In just 4.2 innings, he allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits and walked three. That isn’t going to get it done on any night.
Factor in the offensive struggles for Boston, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Speaking of offensive struggles, Boston rising star Roman Anthony has struggled, and it reached its low point, he hopes, on Tuesday night.
Roman Anthony’s Struggles Continue in Boston Red Sox Loss to Houston Astros
After breaking out in the World Baseball Classic in March for Team USA, it has been a nightmare start for Anthony through five games. He has just four hits in 21 at-bats. Three of those hits came on Opening Day in Cincinnati. Since that day, he has one hit in four games.
On Tuesday night, he struck out four times in a 9-2 loss. He was a strikeout victim of Hunter Brown three times and once against Coldy Bolton.
“Things aren’t necessarily going our way right now, but we just (have to) be better as a whole. I (have to) be better,” said Anthony. “That can’t happen. Not seeing it completely well right now, as is pretty obvious. But just got to be aggressive there.”
Anthony didn’t come up until June last season. When he did, he cemented his place in Cora’s lineup. There was no way he could be taken out of it unless an injury occurred. That happened in September, and he missed the American League wild-card series against the New York Yankees.
Last season, Anthony slashed .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs and 32 runs driven in. He struck out 84 times in 257 at-bats. This season, he’s struck out 11 times in 21 at-bats in the lead-off spot for Boston. It’s safe to say that you can’t have that from your lead-off batter.
Boston Red Sox Need Roman Athony To Turn Things Around
Anthony stated the obvious when he said he’s not seeing it well right now. In each of his at-bats against the Astros on Tuesday night, he looked like he was fighting things. Brown is a Cy Young candidate; however, he threw some pitches that Anthony usually hits well. He either didn’t swing or took some swings that show that he’s not seeing the ball well right now.
Boston finishes the season-opening road trip on Wednesday before their home opener on Friday against the San Diego Padres. Maybe returning to Fenway Park will help Anthony turn things around. The Red Sox offense will go as Anthony does. Right now, both are struggling early in the season. Combine that with some shaky defense and pitching, and you have the recipe for a tough 1-4 start to the season.
Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche
More Heavy on Red Sox
Loading more stories