Red Sox News: J.D. Martinez doesn’t hold back on 2020, “It sucks”
Red Sox get embarrassed once again Saturday night
This is becoming the theme of the 2020 season for the Boston Red Sox. Night after night they’re going out there and just getting manhandled in every aspect of the game. The pitching can’t go more than an inning or two without giving up runs, the defense has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese, and the bats are colder than a winter storm.
J.D. Martinez is considered one of the best hitters in the entire league and has been the big bat for the Red Sox since joining the team ahead of the 2018 season. Through his first two years in Boston, he’s more than lived up to that billing but he’s been a shell of himself in 2020, and he knows it. The problem is, it’s not just him that is showing high levels of inconsistency at the plate and in the field.
Last night brought not just another drubbing at the hands of our opponents, but one at the hands of the hated Yankees. There’s a bit of a different sting when it’s New York that puts another tally in Boston’s loss column. Martinez spoke to the media after last night’s embarrassing and he didn’t hold back on his feelings about the current state of the Red Sox.
"“It sucks,” J.D. Martinez said via Zoom. “It’s definitely not fun. It’s not fun going out there and getting your head beat in every day.”"
Martinez hit the nail right on the head that this year has been anything but fun. Hell, getting a root canal sounds like a better way to spend an afternoon than watching the Red Sox play baseball. There are some flashes of brilliance though when the offense shows that it isn’t completely dead, but they come and go in exactly that fashion, a flash.
Saturday gave us moments of joy when J.D. knocked in runs early to tie the game just to be followed by Xander Bogaerts smacking a go-ahead bomb. It wouldn’t last long though as the Yankees would storm right back in the bottom of the inning and they wouldn’t look back. All hope would soon be dashed and the Red Sox would once again be dismantled and broken down by their opponent.
"“It’s hard to hit when your offense is always on the field just tired,” Martinez said. “Whenever you’re out there for 45 minutes, 30-45 minutes before you’ve gotta get in there and hit, it’s not easy. It’s tough.”"
One thing that we’ve heard a few times this year is that the lack of video replay has plagued the team, and especially Martinez. We all know how much J.D. relies on the ability to watch at-bats once they conclude, so not being able to do so anymore has to be jolting. There’s one problem with that theory, and more so excuse, no team has the capability to see the video and only Boston is really hurting.
If you watch highlights from around the league on any given night you’ll see plenty of offense as if nothing had changed, unless you’re seeing Red Sox highlights. Boston outfielder Kevin Pillar hasn’t made a single excuse for this season and made it clear the team needed to adapt, everyone else has and the Sox need to as well.
J.D. is optimistic though that things will turn around before the season is totally lost. There’s still time on the calendar and with half the league having a shot at October baseball, there’s still some hope for the Red Sox. If they want to make that run and get back to the postseason though, they’ll need Martinez to get more consistent.
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"“I hit a couple home runs the other day and then I went up against Gerrit Cole and Ottavino. They’re no slouches I don’t think. It’s about what? $400 mil between those two guys? Those guys are tough guys to be facing when you’re locked in. So today I felt like I hit the ball well. Before yesterday, I hit the ball well. So, yeah.”"
If this season continues down the path it’s rapidly moving down then we’ll be heading for the offseason before we even realize it. With that offseason comes the chance for J.D. to opt-out and test the free-agent market. Not only could he head to greener pastures, but with the possibility of the universal DH becoming a reality, his market just doubled. We also heard this week from the Red Sox ownership group that nobody is safe with the trade deadline approaching.
dark. Next. Chris Sale on the mend from Tommy John
It’s been a nightmare not only on the field but off of it as well for the Red Sox and the Fenway Faithful. Long before the season even began it felt like the owners were punting on 2020 and had thrown in the towel before an out was even recorded. J.D. Martinez is one of the absolute best hitters in the game today and despite his struggles, he can return to that level of performance in an instant. What happens beyond this season is a mystery but for as long as he’s in a Boston uniform, Martinez will give his everything.