Are the 2024 Red Sox underperforming? The club finished six games under .500 two years in a row and did not make any significant offseason acquisitions, leading most analysts and statistical models to predict that the team would once again be middling (FanGraphs, for instance, pegged them at 79-83 on Opening Day, a one-win improvement over the past two seasons). Moreover, when it was becoming apparent that the 2024 team would look largely the same as the 2023 version in the early post-full throttle days of January, Craig Breslow himself admitted that the team was essentially waiting for further prospect development before it hoped to compete again.
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So it’s no shocker that, here we sit two months into the season, and the Red Sox are a game under .500, right? Not if you’re Sam Kennedy, apparently. The president of Fenway Sports Group made an appearance on WEEI yesterday and, while he called the performance of the pitching staff “otherworldly,” he also said that the team as a whole has “underperformed just given the talent and the competitiveness in that clubhouse.” (Conor Ryan, Boston.com)
Where the team is seriously underperforming is in competing against good teams. The Red Sox are 0-7 in series against teams that are at least 5 games over .500 this year. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
The loss of Tyler O’Neill’s hot April bat isn’t helping things. The MRI he underwent on Wednesday revealed no structural damage in his knee, but he’s been placed on the IL due to the pain nonetheless. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
It’s been a busy week for the Sox medial staff, actually. Garrett Whitlock’s internal bracing procedure took place yesterday. Whitlock is expecting to be ready to go at the start of the 2025 season. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
If Whitlock does return to form, he can take a crack at chasing the franchise record for consecutive strikeouts by a pitcher, which Nick Pivetta tied last night when he struck out eight Detroit Tigers in a row. (Tim Crowley, NESN)
Of course the Red Sox went on to lose last night’s game nonetheless. Losing the opening games of series is officially a trend for the club. The Red Sox are just 1-7 in openers at Fenway and 6-13 in openers overall. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
