The first 2026 regular-season edition of \u201c7 Questions\u201d was originally intended to be of the feel-good, Fenway Faithful variety in honor of Friday\u2019s home opener.<\/p>\n
Then the Red Sox began the season 1-5, their worst record through six games since 2019, and this heptad became a hodgepodge.<\/p>\n
1. Are Sox really this bad?<\/p>\n
The short answer is probably not. The lineup has too many solid-to-great hitters to be as lackluster as they look thus far. (I still believe they should\u2019ve added another power bat during the offseason, and will need one if they want a fighting chance in the postseason.)<\/p>\n
But at the start of spring training, manager Alex Cora told us<\/a>, \u201cI feel like we have a more complete team than last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s Red Sox followed a 1-4 start, in which they were outscored 21-16, with a five-game winning streak.<\/p>\n So far, the 2026 Red Sox are worse. Not simply because they\u2019ve lost five in a row after a 3-0 Opening Day win<\/a>, but because Sox starters have been a driving force in opponents outscoring them 32-14 during the losing streak. Three-fifths of the rotation allowed at least four runs in their season debuts, and Garrett Crochet did the same in his second start of the year.<\/p>\n As of 7 p.m. Thursday, the Red Sox pitching staff\u2019s 4.91 ERA ranked fourth-worst in the majors. Only the Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels have given up more runs, and the Red Sox are tied for second-most homers allowed. Not ideal for a club whose front office decided to rebrand them as a pitching-and-defense powerhouse<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Why chase pitching\/defense powerhouse?<\/p>\n The Red Sox have struggled to develop and build pitching depth throughout their franchise history, and they\u2019ve spent the last several years being a bottom-two team in defense. It\u2019s understandable they want to shed such reputations.<\/p>\n Yet while a season and championship can\u2019t be won on bats alone, I still believe it\u2019s the most important of the game\u2019s three facets; even if the Red Sox had the best arms and gloves in the world holding opponents scoreless every single inning, they would still need at least one man who could drive in the necessary run to win 1-0.<\/p>\n It\u2019s why I pull out this Pedro Martinez quote from the 2004 ALCS at least once a year: \u201cI can\u2019t do anything if we don\u2019t score runs. I can only pitch, do whatever possible to keep my team in the game. From there on, it\u2019s up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Is Abreu new big bat?<\/p>\n Wilyer Abreu has already hit three home runs, matching the combined total by the rest of his teammates.<\/p>\n He\u2019s the first Red Sox player to begin a season with at least three homers and 10 hits in the team\u2019s first six games since Carl Yastrzemski in 1974.<\/p>\n 4. Are the\u00a0 Sox planning on retiring No. 49?<\/p>\n Calls for the Red Sox retire No. 49 began long before beloved knuckleballer and philanthropist Tim Wakefield tragically passed away from brain cancer on the final day of the 2023 Red Sox season.<\/p>\n No Red Sox player has worn the number since Wakefield retired in 2011. In the spring of 2024, a team executive told the Herald there had been conversations about enshrining No. 49, but that it wouldn\u2019t happen right away.<\/p>\n Two years later the number remains in limbo; off-limits, but not officially so.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the hold-up?<\/p>\n