ATLANTA — The Boston Red Sox have undoubtedly — and inexplicably — been a better team on the road this season than at home.
Entering Friday, they were hitting .247 on the road compared with .223 at home. They were averaging 4.8 runs per game away from Fenway Park compared with 2.8 runs at home. They’d homered 20 times on the road compared with 11 times at home. And with runners in scoring position, they had hit .294 on the road versus just .174 at home.
With the start of a six-game road trip, might that be the spark the team finally needed?
“I hope so, I certainly hope so,” weary interim manager Chad Tracy said before Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. “Even in my little time here, we have had some better at-bats on the road.”
Those hopes were dashed, once again.
Despite another strong performance from their starter and the fact they battled back from an 2-0 deficit to tie the score, the Red Sox lost once again, this time 3-2 in 10 innings as Mike Yastrzemski hit a run-scoring double to send the Braves to a league-leading 31st win.
The biggest culprit was base running as the Red Sox ran into too many outs, wasting crucial opportunities. That they competed against the best team in baseball offered a meager silver lining on a night they couldn’t get out of their own way.
“The big thing tonight, probably more careless mistakes on the bases than anything, which could have turned into opportunities,” Tracy said.
In the first, Jarren Duran drew a walk and was picked off.
In the second, Ceddanne Rafaela drew a one-out walk but was stranded.
In the third, Carlos Narváez walked but was erased on a double play.
In the fourth, Mickey Gasper hit a leadoff single, then was caught stealing, slowing up as he approached the bag with Willson Contreras at the plate. It was a straight steal and he thought Contreras had hit the ball, but the sound was the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt.
“That can’t happen,” Gasper said. “That one, that was a big one. You got to let Willson hit there, and I was just trying to get into scoring position.”
In the fifth, Rafaela led off with a double but was caught trying to steal third.
“I’m just trying to take opportunities, and I think in my mind, I had it there, but I was thrown out,” he said. “I was just playing the game hard and trying to win ballgames.”
Finally, in the sixth, Narváez doubled and Gasper drove him in to make it a 2-1 game. The following inning, Marcelo Mayer homered for the first time since the home opener, tying the score. Both runs came against the Braves’ bullpen, which owns a league-leading 3.06 ERA.
But they had their chances against right-hander Spencer Strider, too. Strider entered the day with a 2.89 ERA, but he wasn’t as sharp as usual in his third start back from the injured list.
The Red Sox had nearly a dozen chances to beat the best team in the league but went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Even against closer Raisel Iglesias, who has yet to surrender a run this season, Rafaela singled and Mayer walked, but Andruw Monasterio struck out. Iglesias had allowed only eight runners all season.
“We’re all working really hard,” Mayer said. “Obviously, a lot of guys aren’t where they want to be.”
For his part, Connelly Early put up a strong outing once again, surrendering two solo homers, one to Drake Baldwin (which Rafaela nearly reeled in) in the first and another to Michael Harris II in the fourth. In five innings, he gave up two runs on five hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. He pleaded with Tracy to remain in the game beyond five innings, but Tracy turned to the bullpen, which held a dangerous Braves lineup in check until the 10th.
“I feel like I did a decent job,” Early said. “Obviously, solo home runs are tough.”
Help on the way?
Roman Anthony took a step Friday toward returning. (Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
Despite another dismal day at the plate, the Red Sox received good news Friday: Roman Anthony began playing catch for the first time since he injured his right wrist/hand on an awkward swing May 5.
Anthony had been wearing a brace on his right wrist after receiving a cortisone shot this week. The brace was gone Friday, and the throws (Anthony bats left but throws right) were a major first step.
“I’m out of the brace and got to do baseball activity today, so (it’s a) positive sign,” he said. “I’m feeling good. So just continue to get with our training staff and trust what they have planned for me and continue to ramp up.”
The biggest test will be when Anthony starts taking swings in the coming days. Anthony sprained a ligament in his ring finger, which makes gripping a bat difficult. As of now, he doesn’t have a timeline for when he’ll start swinging.
“All I know is that the first step was getting out there, and the throwing kind of leads into the hitting,” he said. “So gaining that confidence in throwing, and really that sort of flexion that you make (with the wrist), so that felt great today.”
Tracy remained optimistic.
“He threw a ball today, which is a really positive progression,” he said. “That’s a day of throwing and moving that wrist. He’s feeling a lot better, which is good news for us. Depending on how he responds to all this, and maybe by the end of our time (on the road next week), we can get him swinging a bat, but we’ll see how he goes and how he responds to what he’s doing.”
In 30 games before going on the IL, Anthony hit .229 with a .675 OPS, but the Red Sox are searching for any jolt to the lineup.