BOSTON — The Red Sox made a number of moves at the MLB trade deadline to improve the roster with veteran additions.
Tuesday’s 10-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners served as a reminder that this team will endure ups and downs as its young core grows up at the big-league level. In April, the Red Sox had an epidemic of defensive disasters that created a flurry of unearned runs. That trend has started to return since the All-Star break.
Boston took a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning against Seattle. From there, a frame with two errors, a hit batter and three hits allowed led to five runs for the Mariners to totally change the landscape of the contest.
Of the 10 runs Boston allowed in the loss, only five of them were earned.
Boston manager Alex Cora knows the Red Sox have had stretches of consequential defensive woes throughout the season and reiterated the internal need to adjust, particularly with his coaching staff leading instruction.
“(I’m) not surprised because it’s 162 and we’re playing with kids,” Cora said. “They’re learning, still learning. They played so well for a month and a half. That doesn’t mean that it’s complete. The development continues. You see it the way we’re working.”
“Those things happen,” Rafael Devers said through translator Carlos Villoria. “That’s part of the game. I feel like we’d been playing very good defense. Obviously, those errors will come up. At the same time, I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job.”
The enhanced veteran presence, while mostly on the pitching side, still stands out as the Red Sox try to strengthen their direction to winning baseball and a potential run to the postseason. This staff understands that youthful swings are going to be factored in with the implication that Boston will have to work through such trends.
For now, the Red Sox turn full focus to Wednesday afternoon with the three-game set up for grabs, seeking a series win they haven’t had since the All-Star break.
Here are more notes from Tuesday night’s Mariners-Red Sox game:
— James Paxton recorded his 1000th career strikeout in his first start back with the Red Sox.
“To be back in front of the Boston fans was a lot of fun,” Paxton said. “Playing on this team with these guys felt really good. I’ve been welcomed here really well. Having a good time. Excited to continue to go to battle with these guys.
— Prior to the 6 p.m. deadline, the Red Sox finished off a series of moves over the last few days with a pair of bullpen additions on Tuesday in Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia.
Cora challenged his club to not fall off after the deadline as it did in 2022 and 2023 while Breslow affirmed his decision to improve the roster.
— Boston’s offense scored at least six runs for the eighth time in 11 games since the All-Star break.
— Yohan Ramirez made his team debut out of the bullpen. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) in 1 1/3 innings for the Red Sox.
— The Red Sox fell to 3-8 since the All-Star break.
— The Red Sox and Mariners wrap up the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
