The Boston Red Sox finally halted their slow start season by winning two straight against the Milwaukee Brewers, reminding fans that they can hang with the best teams in the league when everything is clicking.
The offense in particular began to wake up in the series finale, scoring five runs behind seven hits. A big reason for that success was a newfound dedication patience; the lineup combined for eight walks against just six strikeouts in that rubber match, and the Red Sox walked 13 times total in the final two games of the set.
That was a nice change of pace from the free-swinging habits the team displayed last week, and it's clear that everyone took Alex Cora's comments to heart about "passing the baton" to the next hitter.
Alex Cora continues to emphasize that he wants the Red Sox offense swinging less. Especially when they're up in the count. Be willing to take your walk and pass the baton. pic.twitter.com/hW62Xoq2ZV
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 4, 2026
Red Sox found offensive identity against Brewers, but they still have a long way to go
Through the first 12 games of the season, the Red Sox have a major issue with non-competitive at-bats. There are currently four regulars with a strikeout rate over 30%: Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Marcelo Mayer, and Trevor Story. The former two have at least worked above-average walk rates to offset some of that, but Story, in particular, needs to figure things out immediately.
Though he did contribute to those two wins against the Brewers by accruing four RBI, Story has looked utterly lost at the plate this year. In 55 trips to the batter's box, he's struck out 19 times and hasn't walked. His walk rate would rank as the worst in the league, except for the fact that it currently doesn't exist.
Luckily, his out-of-zone swing rate (i.e., his habit of chasing pitches) does exist, and we can tell you that at 48.2%, it ranks second-worst in all of baseball, ahead of only Jacob Wilson of the Athletics. Naturally, he's also one of the more prolific swingers in the sport, hence why he's only drawn 3.6 pitches per plate appearance.
While Story is the worst offender in this regard, the team as a whole ranks well below league average in all of those categories. Cora's insistence on working more professional at-bats may have sounded like coach-speak, but it came from a very real place of concern.
With a road trip on deck against a pair of rebuilding squads, the Red Sox's lineup has a chance to double down on the changes they made during the series against the Brewers. This lineup may never be able to shed its "strikeout-prone" label, but even just seeing a few more pitches every inning would be a massive improvement over the immaturity the hitters have displayed so far.