The Boston Red Sox were one-hit by the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 19. It brought Boston's record below .500 and any remaining playoff hopes crashing down to earth.
The Rays took two out of three games from the Red Sox in their second to last series of the year. Tampa Bay is just one game below the Sox in the standings, and after Boston's recent offensive performances, it seems at risk of falling to fourth place, and maybe even lower, in the American League East.
"Honestly, from my end, very disappointed," Cora said of the season on the "WEEI Afternoon Show." "It’s been three years in a row that we played good until one point, and then after that we struggled, you know? We haven’t finished seasons."
2024 is the third straight year in which the Red Sox were in postseason contention before an utter collapse. Cora placed the trend all the way back to the start of the first half when Boston was swept at Dodger Stadium — the rotation struggled after the break, and the bats compensated. When the pitchers regained their groove, there was no offense to support them.
Alex Cora is "very disappointed" with the Red Sox's late-season performances
Alex Cora: "There’s a chance. I mean, we sweep [the Twins], we’re one [game behind them], but Detroit is tied and Seattle is ahead of us. It's an uphill battle. It's tough. Realistically, it's very tough, but we’ve still got three games against [the Twins]."
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) September 20, 2024
The bullpen has struggled since play resumed and the Red Sox's defense has never been good enough to keep up with the increased traffic on the bases. Having the hardest second-half schedule only highlighted the issues up and down the roster.
And some of Cora's managerial decisions didn't help. From pulling Cooper Criswell while he was throwing a perfect game against the Tigers — who are now tied with the Twins for a Wild Card spot — to not playing Masataka Yoshida when he was the hottest hitter on the team, Boston's problems weren't limited to its play on the field.
The Red Sox have three games against the slumping Twins to pull themselves away from the bottom of the AL East. It may take a miracle based on their recent play, but the Sox aren't dead yet.