The 2026 Red Sox’ run prevention approach has been a disaster out of the gate

"We have time on our side, but there’s urgency, for sure, that this is unacceptable.”

Garrett Crochet was knocked for five runs in Wednesday's loss. AP Photo/Michael Wyke

April 1, 2026

3 minutes to read

After a tumultuous offseason in which the Red Sox pivoted from bolstering their lineup to upgrading their pitching corps, Craig Breslow mapped out Boston’s vision for the upcoming 2026 season.

Red Sox

“I don’t think there’s a question anymore that the identity of our team and the strength of our team is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs,” Breslow told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo after Boston signed southpaw starter Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract in January.

“I think the improvements we made on the pitching side are significant,” he added. “It can be difficult at times to fully appreciate the impact of having dominant starting pitching. … I think no matter who we’re playing on any given day, we’re going to feel like we’ve got a chance to win.”

Through six games, the wins have been few and far between for a Red Sox club looking to build off last year’s brief postseason appearance.

Following Wednesday’s series sweep doled out by the Houston Astros, the Red Sox return to Fenway Park for their home opener with a dour 1-5 record — their worst start through six games since the 2019 campaign.

Some of the fears regarding Boston’s lineup have been evident. The Red Sox only crossed home plate seven times during their three games in Houston. As a club, Boston is batting just .208 on the year.

Those initial offensive growing pains aren’t much of a surprise, especially with a proven bat like Alex Bregman no longer entrenched atop Boston’s lineup.

But, it’s been Boston’s presumed strengths — stout pitching and improved defense — that have been the most disheartening result for Alex Cora’s club through six games.

“It’s embarrassing,” Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet said Wednesday after getting tagged for five runs in five innings of work. “And typically in the past, I’ve played that stopper role. And today I just let the guys down, especially when we scratched one [run] early in the first. For me to give it right back and then ultimately give them the lead at the bottom of the first, it’s not acceptable.”

With Crochet situated atop Boston’s rotation, the Red Sox’ strength in 2026 was presumably rooted in its rotation — especially after the Red Sox signed Suarez in free agency and traded for both Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo.

Those three pitching pickups have been tagged for 11 earned runs over 12 combined innings of work. Boston’s starting rotation is sporting a collective 5.22 ERA.

In total, Boston has been outscored, 32-17, in its first six games, while also coughing up 11 homers.

To make matters worse, the Red Sox’ shoddy defense — which led baseball with 116 errors last season — has been porous over the first week of this new campaign, committing six errors in six games.

“I just hesitated,” Trevor Story said Wednesday after a ball slipped under his glove, plating an Astros run in the first inning. “And there’s no room for that. It was similar to a play last night, where I was aggressive when I played through it, and I got rewarded for that. But can’t be defensive out there.”

The 2026 Red Sox’ season won’t be decided in the final week of March. But a Boston roster presumably propped up by an adherence to run prevention has failed to make a strong impression so far.

“We know we can be good,” Story told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “It’s just about us, the players, to make the adjustments that we need to make. We have time on our side, but there’s urgency, for sure, that this is unacceptable.”