The Boston Red Sox have played most of their best baseball away from home this season, but that hasn’t been the case on the team’s current road trip.
The visiting Red Sox will enter Saturday’s night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 1-4 record on their seven-game road trip. That includes an 8-4 loss to the Pirates on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Boston has lost six of its past seven games, and Friday’s loss dropped the team’s road record to 36-26. The Red Sox are 29-31 at home.
All of this comes after a 27-3 run — and a 15-game winning streak — that saw the Red Sox go run that started at the end of the All-Star break and saw the Red Sox go from 10 games under .500 and last place in the American League East to a wild-card position.
But that was then.
“We’re not winning enough games,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “They’re still fighting. I think most guys in that room know teams go through this. The key is we have to find a way to get ourselves going again and get on another stretch going the other direction.”
The Red Sox have failed to score more than four runs in six of their past seven games, and have scored three runs or fewer in four of those outings. Boston is batting .239 through the first five games of the road trip — .176 with runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh had a 4-0 lead after four innings Friday night.
“I thought our at-bats from the fifth inning on were outstanding (Friday),” Tracy said. “Really, really good. We want to do that in the early part of the game. That (winning) stretch we had, we did it in the early part of the game. … We’re not doing that as much.”
The Pirates have hit six home runs in their past two games, including three by Rafael Flores Jr. After hitting a pair of three-run homers Thursday, Flores went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs on Friday.
“It’s been really impressive yesterday with the two three-run homers and then today going oppo, and then a big hit with a runner on second there to score that run (in the fourth inning),” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “He’s been swinging the bat well, working hard and really cool to see him have the success he’s had the last couple days.”
Flores, a catcher who also plays first base, has been getting more playing time since catcher Endy Rodriguez was placed on the injured list Thursday with hip inflammation.
“Nothing different, just more consistency,” Flores said. “I’ve had the same routine for however long now. I’ve been trying to eat better, been trying to lift. It’s all things all in one and it just kind of shows out there on the field.
“Yeah, I think I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity and certain situations I’m just trying to capitalize.”
Sonny Gray (14-3, 2.79 ERA) will start on the mound for Boston on Saturday. Gray is 7-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 16 career appearances against the Pirates.
Fellow right-hander Jared Jones (2-4, 5.03 ERA) is scheduled to start for Pittsburgh. He has never pitched against the Red Sox.
Kelly said he didn’t have an update on third baseman Nick Gonzales, who left the game on Friday in the fifth inning after being hit in the helmet by a pitch from Boston’s Jovani Moran.
“Anytime you get hit up in the head area it’s always scary,” Kelly said. “It’s not something you really want to mess with.”
The Pirates later said Gonzales was being evaluated and also treated for a facial contusion and is day-to-day.
-Field Level Media
