Alex Cora gives Red Sox ‘no excuses’ bottom line after winning streak gets snapped

The Boston Red Sox entered the second half of the 2025 season riding a 10-game winning streak and with a 12-1 record in their last 13 games. But their red-hot run came to a screeching halt Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs handed them a 4-1 loss in Major League Baseball’s first game after the All-Star break.

After the loss, Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t offer any excuses.

“I think we had chances and then we made that baserunning mistake,” Cora told reporters in Chicago. “We put pressure on them, not enough, first inning, two walks, we can talk about the homer, but the two walks before put us in a bad spot.”

The damage came early as Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito, pitching for the first time since July 9, allowed a three-run home run to Seiya Suzuki in the first inning after issuing back-to-back walks to begin the frame. The blast was Suzuki’s 26th of the season and gave him an NL-leading 80 RBI. Giolito, who had posted a dominant 0.70 ERA over his previous six starts, saw his streak of quality outings snapped, finishing with four runs allowed over 5.1 innings, five hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.

“That’s a bad way to start the series and the second half,” Giolito said. “I’ve got to be a tone setter, and I didn’t do that. Two walks and a home run, three runs in the first inning, that puts us on our heels, so I’ve got to be better than that.”

Despite the layoff, Giolito and Cora both rejected the idea that rust was to blame.

“No, there’s no excuse, like, extra days off or anything,” Giolito added. “I need to be ready to go. I came out of the gate not locked in enough. I was out of sync mechanically the whole game, but I was able to grind through.”

Cora shared the same view, saying, “We’re not gonna use that as an excuse. He just didn’t make pitches, and then there was a pitch up in the zone, and [Suzuki] covered it. That was a good swing.”

Offensively, Boston scattered seven hits and drew four walks but went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight men stranded. Their lone run came via a two-out RBI double by rookie Roman Anthony in the third inning. Anthony, MLB’s top prospect, extended his hit streak to 10 games and now boasts a .266 average, .788 OPS, 10 doubles, and 14 RBI through 32 major league contests.

The Red Sox’s best chance to rally came in the fifth inning when Abraham Toro singled and Jarren Duran walked to start the inning. But a crucial baserunning blunder killed the momentum. Toro was doubled off second base after misreading a line drive by Alex Bregman.

Marcelo Mayer went 2-for-4, and Ceddanne Rafaela extended his hit streak to 11 games with a single in the seventh. Still, the Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on multiple chances and fell short despite out-hitting Chicago 7-6.

Cubs starter Colin Rea (8-3) earned the win with five innings of one-run ball, while Daniel Palencia recorded his 13th save. The Cubs, who improved to 40-7 when scoring first, maintained a narrow NL Central lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Red Sox, now 53-46, will look to bounce back Saturday as they face the Cubs in Game 2 of the series.