The evolution of Rob Refsnyder
It's a results business. Rob Refsnyder has been around long enough to realize that. So when the Red Sox outfielder spoke his truth after a 3-2 loss to the Brewers Monday, he was simply stating the obvious: Business is not good.
“We still lost. I don’t really care about promise,” Refsnyder told reporters in Milwaukee. “There’s some good at-bats here and there, but we’re just not getting the job done. ... It’s not for a lack of effort, work ethic or game planning. It’s just … we’re not doing it. We suck right now. We’ve got to just be better."
The Red Sox sit at two games under .500, one in back of where they were after 56 games last season. They have scored a total of four runs over the last three games, this time leaving 10 runners on base.
It turns out the last Red Sox' struggles weren't quite in the rearview mirror.
For whatever reason, this is a team that has found itself constantly running place, now totaling a record of 108-110 since the beginning of last season. Sure, they don't currently have the services of Alex Bregman and Triston Casas. And, yes, the two starters who were among the best at their craft this time last year - Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford - have been non-factors.
But other teams have had similar adversity and come out feeling like yesterday's problems were going to be flipped. They were going to figure things out. As Refsnyder pointed out, the Red Sox aren't figuring things out.
One of the frustrating aspects of the Sox' existence is that the pieces they added to put this club over the top have actually been far more part of the solution than the problem. Aroldis Chapman. Justin Wilson. Walker Buehler. Carlos Narvaez. Alex Bregman. Hunter Dobbins. All are having productive seasons.
And then there is Garrett Crochet.
The ace has been as advertised, and then some. Through 12 starts he has a 2.04 ERA, leading all the major leagues in innings pitched. The problem has been that in games Crochet has pitched the Red Sox sit only at 6-6. Even the historically bad White Sox had five wins in the lefty's initial 12 appearances last season.
It is an example of how something simply is off.
Injuries or no injuries, it's not normal to have lost 14 one-run games before June.
On the Red Sox Radio pregame show, Red Sox manager Alex Cora had blunt analysis when describing Ceddanne Rafaela's inconsistencies, saying it has been "2 1/2 years" of trying to figure out it out. Translation: Enough was enough.
It was a statement that encompassed more than just Rafaela. Players need to live the life the Red Sox were counting on them living by now. Trevor Story. Brayan Bello. David Hamilton. Connor Wong. Their struggles were all supposed to be lumped into that rearview mirror conversation, but so far they keep hitting the windshield.
And when you're not performing, it's difficult to step out in front and present a team's uncomfortable reality. That's why Refsnyder - who is performing - did the right thing. He was the right guy at the right time.
We finally have the words. Now we wait for the actions.