Red Sox's Disappointing 18-25 Start Can Be Summed Up in One Stat

If you don't score, you don't win...

Apr 14, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) looks on after striking out against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

It's hardly a secret that the Boston Red Sox's season has gone poorly to this point. And most who have watched this team know full well that the offense has been the biggest problem.

The Red Sox aren't only at the bottom of the league in most offensive stats, but they have far too many nights where they flat-out don't compete. There's one simple stat that shows just how often this team lays an egg on offense, and how detrimental it is to their potential success.

That stat, unsurprisingly, has to do with runs scored. But it's startling just how frequently that runs scored total is so negligible that it's hard to envision wins coming later.

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Red Sox scoring two runs or fewer way too often

May 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) bunts against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

On Thursday night, the Red Sox played their 43rd game of the season. They scored one run in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, and that marked the 19th time already this season that they've scored two runs or fewer.

"Score four" is often a bare-minimum indicator of a winning effort on offense. Not even getting to three runs puts you in a massive hole, and the Red Sox are putting themselves in that uncompetitive territory nearly half the time -- 44.2% of their games, to be precise.

Last season, the Red Sox scored two runs or fewer 48 times, or 29.6% of the time. They went 9-39 in those games. That means when they scored at least three runs, they went 80-34. That split was obviously going to be a stark contrast, but it's remarkable how low the bar is to put yourself in a very favorable situation to win.

This season, they're 2-17 when it happens. It's also happened seven times already in the 16 games managed by Chad Tracy instead of Alex Cora. It's just not feasible to compete for the playoffs when there are this many empty games.

Call this stat arbitrary if you want, but it feels like a real barrier for this team on a nightly basis. There's a way to guarantee you're at least within a fighting chance of winning a game, and almost half the time, the Red Sox fail to rise to that bare-minimum threshold.