The Boston Red Sox held a 4-0 lead over the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon and watched it evaporate in an 8-6 defeat at Fenway Park. Ranger Suarez was sharp early on before it fell apart for him and Boston once they took the lead. The bullpen could not recover from there.
Boston is now 2-7. Three series played, three series lost. The Red Sox trail the New York Yankees by five games in the AL East after just nine contests. The Milwaukee Brewers come to town Monday carrying a 7-2 record and looking like one of the strongest clubs in baseball.
After Sunday’s defeat, Alex Cora fielded questions. His response about one struggling hitter was revealing.
Cora Addresses The Lineup
Cora was asked whether he still wanted Trevor Story batting second in the order.
“I still like Trevor Story as a player,” Cora responded.
It is a carefully chosen response from a manager who knows every word gets dissected.
Story has struggled in the first nine games of the year. His .333 OPS tells the story on its own. He has not drawn a walk all season. An 0-for-16 drought ended only with an infield single during Sunday’s seventh inning. He has also committed three errors in the field.
Sunday’s performance did not ease many concerns. He finished with two strikeouts in five plate appearances. Cora hinted at potential changes without offering details, saying the team would make adjustments while cautioning against overreacting to the early results.
GettyTrevor Story of the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Bright Spots for the Red Sox
Not everyone has struggled for the Red Sox. Wilyer Abreu continues to look like Boston’s most complete player. He reached base three times Sunday, collecting a double and a triple among his hits while driving in his seventh run of the young season. The Gold Glove winner has produced on both sides of the ball since Opening Day.
Masataka Yoshida found his timing Sunday after a quiet first week. He delivered a clutch two-run double in the seventh to pull Boston level, finishing with three hits and three RBIs in his strongest outing of the season. Yoshida pointed to the youth on the roster as a factor in the early struggles, noting through a translator that some of Boston’s younger players have been rushing through at-bats. He said it was a matter of time until they got hot.
Roman Anthony did not sugarcoat the situation.
“This is unacceptable,” Anthony said. “It’s unacceptable to fans.”
The rookie’s frustration reflected a locker room that knows the 2-7 record does not match the talent on the roster. Boston reached the playoffs in 2025 and entered this season expecting to compete again. Nine games in, the gap between expectation and reality is widening.
GettyBOSTON, MA – APRIL 5: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox follows through on his two-run double against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning at Fenway Park on April 5, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Suarez’s Struggles Continue
The Red Sox committed $130 million over five years to Suarez after missing out on Alex Bregman, who signed with the Chicago Cubs. The front office framed the move as a shift toward pitching-driven contention. The early returns have not supported that vision.
In two regular season outings, Suarez has surrendered 13 hits and eight earned runs through 8⅓ innings of work. Sunday followed a troubling pattern. His pitch count sat at just 42 through three scoreless frames. Then the Padres adjusted in the fourth, scoring three runs in a 32-pitch inning that forced Cora to go to the bullpen far earlier than planned.
The relief corps was already running on fumes. Garrett Whitlock is away on the paternity list. Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten had both worked the previous two games and were not options. Cora had no choice but to send Tyler Uberstine back out for a third inning of his major league debut.
“Where we were today, it was him,” Cora said.
Jackson Merrill answered with a go-ahead homer over the Green Monster on the first pitch of the eighth. When bullpen decisions come down to necessity rather than strategy, the margin for error disappears. Sunday proved that.
GettyBOSTON, MA – APRIL 5: Pitcher Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox throws a ball aside after giving up a run to the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on April 5, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Red Sox
The Brewers represent another significant test starting Monday. Boston cannot afford to keep sending the same lineup out and expecting different results. Something has to give.
Cora did not offer much on Story. But he said adjustments are coming. The 2-7 record demands it.
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