Red Sox Explain Puzzling Tyler Uberstine Call After Padres Loss

The Boston Red Sox fought back late on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, but were not able to get over the hump.

Boston entered the seventh inning of Sunday's contest staring at a 6-4 deficit. Fortunately, the Red Sox were able to get the two runs back and tie the game at six runs apiece. Masataka Yoshida ripped a double that drove Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras in for Boston.

At the time, the vibes were high. Boston had some new life and the bullpen seemingly was prepared to close the contest out. Tyler Uberstine pitched two scoreless innings in the sixth and the seventh innings in his big league debut and there were options warming up to come in and relieve him. While this is the case, the Red Sox stuck with Uberstine in the eighth inning and the vibes quickly shifted.

The Red Sox had a tough call

Mar 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Tyler Uberstine (79) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the eighth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jackson Merrill stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning and blasted a go-ahead homer for San Diego.

Jackson Merrill goes the opposite way for a go-ahead home run over The Monster in the eighth! pic.twitter.com/tsijLj85to
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 5, 2026

Boston would not recover and would go on to lose, 8-6. After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained the decision to stretch Uberstine into a third inning of work on Sunday, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.

"Where we were today, it was him, [Zack Kelly],” Cora explained, as transcribed by Smith. “So we felt like he was throwing the ball well. One pitch hit out of the ballpark. But he gave us a chance to win the game.”

At the time, Uberstine was rolling. The Red Sox took a risk rolling him out for a third inning in his big league debut and things unfortunately didn't work out in Boston's favor. Now, the Red Sox are 2-7 on the season, which is the worst mark in Major League Baseball. There isn't another team in the league with just two wins at this point in the season.

Things aren't going well to the point that young outfielder Roman Anthony called the play of late "unacceptable." Sunday was a perfect example of how things just aren't clicking for Boston yet. The story of the season has been a sluggish offense. The offense got going on Sunday with six runs, but the pitching collapsed and Boston gave up eight. On Saturday, the Red Sox gave up just three runs, but scored only two.

The best part about baseball is that you have to flush the loss quickly because you get right back at it the next day. Boston will begin a series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night at Fenway Park looking to snap this cold stretch.