Before the Red Sox' 4-1 loss the A's Wednesday night, J.D. Martinez was asked if he believed a few key players in a lineup -- the heart of a batting order -- could carry a team.
"I believe it," Martinez said. "I mean, if you look at every great team, it’s hard to have one through nine that rake. I think the last team that does that is like the Yankees super teams back in the day."
That's certainly been the feeling when it comes to these Red Sox, which has been the primary reason Alex Cora's club has reached such lofty early-season heights.
But what happens when the power is shut off in the middle of the aforementioned batting order.
That's what we're finding out now.
"They're not going to carry the offense for 162 games," said Cora regarding the likes of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. "We know they're going to go through their up and downs, and that's part of this, but other guys have to pick it up."
During this three-game losing streak, there has been no picking up.
The Red Sox have scored a total of four runs on 13 hits over the past three games, hitting double-digit strikeouts in each one of them. There has been one home run and a .141 team batting average.
The stretch has also witnessed the Red Sox collecting only one hit in 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position. And the combination of Martinez, Bogaerts and Devers? They are 6-for-31 with 13 strikeouts and just two walks.
In fairness to the Big 3, nobody else has heeded Cora's call.
The fourth option when it comes to finding a bat to lean on, Alex Verdugo, has one hit in nine at-bats. In fact, nobody other than Martinez (3)has more than two hits over the past three games. That simply can't work.
Here are the Red Sox' realities and records ...
When Devers has at least one RBI: 13-6.
When Devers has two hits or more: 10-2.
When Devers scores one run or more: 13-4.
When Martinez has at least one RBI: 11-6.
When Martinez has two hits or more: 10-4.
When Martinez scores one run or more: 14-6.
When Bogaerts has at least one RBI: 10-3.
When Bogaerts has two hits or more: 10-2.
When Bogaerts scores one run or more: 12-4.
The No. 3 (2nd), No. 4 (1st), and No. 5 spots (4th) all have the Red Sox ranked at or near the top in all of Major League Baseball in terms of OPS. The bottom four -- No. 6 (22nd), No. 7 (29th), No. 8 (11th) and No. 9 (23rd, last in the American League) -- not so much.
In case you thought the blueprint was complicated, now you know it's really not. The Red Sox can ups and downs from all corners of their roster, just not the one smack dab in the middle.
For now ... lesson learned.