Through all the rain, mud, and discomfort on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, there were some signs of encouragement in this 6-5 loss to the Twins.
The Red Sox hit multiple home runs for the eighth time this season. They claimed 10 or more hits for the 15th time, landing with 11. And there was evidence that they actually planned on using Fenway Park's left field wall, with both Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu clearing it, while Masa Yoshida and Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled off of it.
There were also runs scored, which is usually a good sign, considering this is a club that is 18-6 in its last 24 games when scoring three or more runs.
But ...
"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind. Do this. Don't do that. Can't you read the sign?"
It is as if the Five Man Electrical Band were speaking to these 2026 Red Sox when surfacing this classic 56 years earlier, particularly the part about "breakin' my mind". All the signs are there for this road map to better results, yet the stark reality of these Sox remains.
They just got swept by the Twins. They are 22-30. They are tied with the Astros in the Wild Card race, both sitting 3 1/2 games out. They have the worst home record in MLB (8-17). And only five Red Sox teams in club history have managed a worse OPS at their home park, all coming during the 'Dead Ball Era' and two of them not even named the "Red Sox" yet.
"To get swept here definitely hurts," Isiah Kiner-Falefa said after the loss. "We feel it and as a group we really want to make our fanbase proud. We’ve got to find a way to stack some wins together at home and get back in the race. … It’s tough, but you look at the standings and somehow, we’re still in it. I think that helps a lot."
"Somehow" is right.
But through all the slight improvements and lifelines the Red Sox are experiencing, exactly how long will they manage to cling to the cliff?
We're about to find out.
Seven of the next eight teams the Red Sox play - the Braves, Guardians, Yankees, Rays, Rangers, Blue Jays and Mariners - all reside in the Top 10 when it comes to team ERA. And even though the Red Sox can claim the third-most hits in baseball in the past week, they still were in the middle of the pack when it came to scoring runs.
Close is counting less and less with each passing day.
They understand all of this. They get the fact that this pitching can't plug the holes to this degree forever. They also grasp that without the imminent return of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, the offensive punch won't magically appear. It's why you hear the rumblings of trying to secure some sort of bat. The kind of bat the Red Sox whiffed at securing in the offseason, and now will have to pay dearly for with actual players instead of just money.
And if anybody wants a reminder of how rare it is to fix such things on the fly, understand that the one meaningful May trade that everyone still holds up as the example when it comes to the Red Sox took place on May 29 ... 23 years ago. Shea Hillenbrand for Byung-Hyun Kim.
The Red Sox are being forced to embrace an urgency that is becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the day.
They were banking on their first hard look in the mirror, when replacing the manager and five of his coaches, would have resulted in a prettier picture by now. All it has done, however, is force them to stand in front of the unflattering reflection once again. Sure, since moving on from Alex Cora and his crew has resulted in a slightly better winning percentage, going 12-13, some of the most pressing problems have only gotten worse.
Before the change, the Red Sox's carried a .260 batting average and .737 OPS with runners in scoring position. Now, almost exactly one month later? It has landed at .202 with a .612 OPS, third-worst in the majors.
Again, there are signs.
Against the Twins, the Sox actually managed an .815 OPS with runners in scoring position. It's a step (and could be a whole lot worse, just ask the Pirates who went 0-for-21 in such situations over the weekend). But these sorts of steps have to get significantly bigger.
"Sign. Sign. Everywhere a sign."
Now, as we hit Memorial Day, the only one that currently matters is the one that reads "Standings" on the tippity-top. And that one is truly breakin' the Red Sox minds.
