The Red Sox lost 6-3 to Houston today, and this one was annoying as hell.
Not because they got completely embarrassed.
Not because the Astros looked like some unstoppable wagon.
Because Boston had chances. Real chances. Bases-loaded chances. Men-on-base chances. “Please just get one damn hit” chances.
And they kept turning those chances into dust.
The Astros beat the Sox at Fenway behind a monster game from Brice Matthews, who hit a three-run homer in the fourth and made a leaping catch at the wall that robbed Willson Contreras and killed what could’ve been a big Boston inning. Christian Walker also went off, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs before leaving after getting hit in the head by a pitch in the ninth.
That’s the game.
Houston got the big swing.
Boston got runners stranded like they missed the last train out of South Station.
The Sox Left Too Much Meat on the Bone
The Red Sox stranded 10 runners today.
Ten.
That’s disgusting.
They had two bases-loaded opportunities and couldn’t turn either one into the kind of inning that flips a game. That’s the difference between a gritty comeback and another annoying-ass loss where everyone says, “We had our chances” after the game.
I hate that phrase.
“We had our chances.”
Yeah, no shit. That’s the problem.
At some point, this team has to stop acting like traffic on the bases counts as offense. It doesn’t. Hits are nice. Walks are nice. Pressure is nice. But if nobody cashes the check, it’s just baseball foreplay with no finish.
You need the big hit.
You need the ugly single.
You need the sac fly.
You need somebody to put a ball through the infield and make the other dugout feel sick.
Boston didn’t do enough of that.
Connelly Early Finally Got Touched Up
Connelly Early has been one of the steadier arms for Boston so far, but today was not it.
He got tagged for five runs on six hits in four innings, which is rough because he had been one of the more reliable starters, giving up three runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts.
That’s baseball. Young pitchers are going to have nights where they get punched in the mouth.
I’m not out on Early. Not even close.
But this is where the Red Sox rotation situation gets scary. Crochet is on the IL. Bello has been a mess. Bennett gave you a spark yesterday. Early has been solid but got hit today. Every start feels like it matters twice as much because the staff is thin and the margin for error is tiny.
Early doesn’t need to be perfect.
But today showed why Boston can’t keep wasting offensive chances. When your starter gives up five, you need the bats to respond. Three runs with that many chances isn’t enough.
Brice Matthews Killed Them Twice
Brice Matthews was the problem.
First, he hits the three-run shot in the fourth inning.
Then he goes and makes that leaping catch at the wall to rob Contreras and kill a potential Boston rally. That’s brutal. One guy changed the game with the bat and the glove.
That’s the kind of shit that makes a loss feel extra annoying.
You’re already mad he hit the bomb. Then he takes away a hit too? Come on, man.
That’s a momentum thief.
Boston needed someone on their side to make that kind of play. Instead, Houston got it.
Wilyer and Story Did Their Job
The bright side?
Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story at least gave Boston some run production with RBI singles. Connor Wong added a sac fly too.
Wilyer keeps being one of the guys I trust right now. He’s not scared. He gives real at-bats. He looks like he belongs in the middle of this mess.
Story getting an RBI matters too because Boston needs him to be more than just a name on the lineup card. They need real production. They need veterans who can help drag this thing out of the mud.
But overall, three runs wasn’t enough. Not with the amount of runners they had on. Not with Houston giving them openings.
The Fenway Vibes Are Still Weird
This whole Red Sox season has weird energy around it.
Before Friday’s game, a plane flew around Fenway with a banner saying “FIRE CRAIG! SELL THE TEAM!” aimed at Craig Breslow and John Henry. That tells you where the fanbase is right now. The frustration isn’t just about one game. It’s about the whole damn direction.
And games like today don’t help.
You win Friday behind Jake Bennett’s debut and Jarren Duran’s homer, and for one night it feels like, “Alright, maybe there’s some juice here.”
Then Saturday comes and you strand 10 runners, waste bases-loaded chances, and lose by three.
That’s how you kill momentum fast.
What Needs to Change Tomorrow
The Red Sox need to win the series finale. Simple as that.
They already got the good Friday night story with Bennett looking legit. They blew the chance to take the series today. Now Sunday becomes the difference between:
“Okay, they bounced back and won a series against Houston.”
and
“Same old shit, one good night surrounded by frustration.”
The bats have to cash in.
No more empty traffic.
No more bases-loaded sadness.
No more “almost” rallies.
If runners are on, somebody needs to drive them in. I don’t care if it’s a rocket double off the Monster or a broken-bat single that looks like it was hit with a pool noodle. Just get the damn run home.
Final Thoughts
This was a rough loss because Boston absolutely had paths to win it.
They just didn’t take them.
Connelly Early had a bad day. It happens.
Brice Matthews made the swing and the catch that changed the game. Christian Walker did damage. Houston made the plays Boston didn’t.
But the real story is the Red Sox offense wasting chances again.
Ten runners stranded.
Two bases-loaded opportunities wasted.
A 6-3 loss at Fenway that feels like it should’ve been more competitive than it was.
The Red Sox don’t need moral victories. They need actual wins.
Win tomorrow.
Take the series.
Stop making every game feel like a damn therapy session.
— Hot Packs Off The Block / Dead Roots Fight Co.