Alex Cora’s excuse after Red Sox get swept by Rays is embarrassing
On Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox wrapped up an American League East series with their tails between their legs once again.
After arriving in Florida on a five-game winning streak, they spent the week embarrassing themselves at the Trop. The Rays swept them in three games – without some of their best players, by the way – and sent them on their way.
Manager Alex Cora’s postgame comments did little to ameliorate the situation, though nothing really will at this point in the season:
"“We didn’t put the ball in play, we didn’t hit the ball hard with men in scoring position, and they do what they do. They’re really good at what they do. We’ve seen it before.”"
In other words, the Sox lost because they’re bad and the Rays won because they’re good. Quite the hot take.
Cora’s need to explain the pivotal play of the game, Taylor Walls driving in the only run of the contest, only added to the frustration of the loss:
"“Man at third, less than two outs, 3-2 count, put the ball in play, one run,” Cora said. “And that’s what they did. That was enough for them. Their pitching staff did an amazing job against us and we weren’t able to score runs.”"
Good thing he explained how to drive in runs since his team certainly hasn’t been showing us. The Sox out-hit the Rays 6-4 on Wednesday night but left ten men on base. Failure to capitalize has been one of their biggest issues all year, and not one they can blame on their many injuries.
When things aren’t going well, Cora often resorts to somewhat canned responses. Fans heard ‘We need to play better,’ and ‘We’re better than this’ several times in 2019, and earlier this season. But now, he’s abandoned those platitudes, and that speaks volumes about the club’s morale.
The Sox have come up short in divisional play all season long; their only win at the Trop this year was their first meeting in late April. But getting shut out 1-0 on Wednesday night felt different. In a season of bad losses, this was one of the worst.
Before Wednesday, the Sox hadn’t been shut out since the end of May. It was the longest streak in the league and a rare, albeit random, achievement in a season almost entirely devoid of any positivity. Now, that’s gone, too.
When this season ends, there will be an abundance of blame to spread around. Injuries, contract disputes, trade deadline decisions, player development, and just plain underperforming. Eventually, all the games will blur together in the rearview mirror.
The 1-0 losses sting a bit longer.