It's easy to find statistics to paint a striking picture of the Red Sox's offensive output. For instance, after the club's 8-1 loss to the Braves Sunday afternoon, its total number of runs scored over the last eight games is 14, the lowest in the major leagues and 42 fewer than the White Sox.
Twenty-eight times this season, the Red Sox have scored three or fewer runs, predictably winning just seven times. It's a total the Sox didn't reach in 2018 until July 4.
Over the weekend, the Red Sox had 23 hits, including a big league-best 10 doubles. But it didn't matter, with Chad Tracy's team scoring just six runs. Over that time, the Mets had just one more hit but crossed home plate nine more times. Going 2-for-25 with just one walk with runners in scoring position isn't going to cut it.
The hits, or lack thereof, keep coming. This month, the Red Sox have an MLB-worst .524 OPS with runners in scoring position.
There have been just seven games this season in which the Sox have hit more than one home run. Conversely, the Yankees have hit multiple homers in 18 games, going 17-1.
You get the picture. You probably have for a while.
But here is the be-all, end-all (courtesy Pat Brown of the Play Tessie podcast: "If the Sox were a league average offense (4.5 runs per game), their record would be ... 32-14."
Let that sink in.
In case you weren't aware, the Red Sox are nowhere near 18 games over .500. After the latest Brayan Bello meltdown, they stand at 19-27. (If they were in the National League, their Wild Card deficit would be eight games. Because they are not, they still sit just three out.)
League average. That's all they had to be for this to be the most optimistic May since 2018.
By the way, there is evidence that this scoring formula, with an average of 4.5 runs, is valid. The Red Sox have done it 15 times this season, going 11-4 in such games. But, alas, just two of those games this month have seen the Red Sox score more than four runs, making the fourth-best team's May ERA in baseball (2.73) a complete waste.
It's been said before, and it will be said again until there is a fix: The Red Sox are wasting a golden opportunity. The numbers relayed by Brown should drive that home.
Now they play a Kansas City team in similarly uncomfortable surroundings, having won just three of their last 11 games while sitting at 20-27.
The strong likelihood is that these games will be offensively challenged, with every starter rolled out possessing an ERA under .400, except for Kris Bubic, who has a very respectable 4.11 mark. Offensively for the Royals, it has been Bobby Witt Jr. and not much else.
The Red Sox could win this series and perhaps alter the narrative a bit. But will they be able to reverse course regarding the most important problem, scoring actual runs? Right now, that image is hard to envision.
