This Red Sox Pitching Trend Is Starting to Feel Impossible to Ignore

The Boston Red Sox have the talent on the roster to be much better than the 7-11 record that they currently have.

The offense hasn't been great to kick off the season. In fact, five of the club's consistent starters in the lineup are batting .208 or lower in Trevor Story (.208), Carlos Narváez (.195), Marcelo Mayer (.188), Jarren Duran (.167) and Caleb Durbin (.127). This trend won't last forever. Soon enough, these numbers will trend in the right direction. Story has already been heating up. There's work to do elsewhere, though.

It was known going into the 2026 season that the offense wasn't going to be the Red Sox's biggest strength. It should be better than it has been and it has been starting to turn things around recently, at least. Boston has scored six or more runs in four of the last five games.

The Red Sox Need To Improve In The Rotation

Apr 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Right now, the biggest concern for the club is actually in the starting rotation. Boston entered the season with the expectation being that the club would have one of the best overall starting rotations in baseball. The rotation is supposed to be the club's biggest strength. That's the direction that the club went in, especially this past offseason after Alex Bregman left by going out and signing Ranger Suárez. Boston's rotation features Garrett Crochet, Connelly Early, Brayan Bello, Sonny Gray and Suárez.

Through 18 games, Early is the only starter for Boston with an ERA below 4.43. That's a pretty big shock. First and foremost, Early wasn't even guaranteed to make the team out of camp. He earned his spot and has a 2.29 ERA in four starts. The rotation has struggled as a whole, though. Gray has a 4.43 ERA. Crochet has a 7.58 ERA. Bello has a 6.14 ERA. Suárez has a 5.02 ERA.

Now, in the long run, the Red Sox will be alright. There's too much talent not to believe this right now. But the rotation allowing this many runs is an even bigger shock than the five hitters batting .208 or lower. Neither are good things. But four of the five starters having an ERA of 4.43 or higher certainly wasn't the expectation heading into the 2026 season. Even with the offense not being great this season, they can win if the pitching is strong. But that hasn't been the case so far this season.

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