The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 season with lofty expectations. Many experts including a panel of 28 analysts from ESPN projected Boston to reach the World Series or at least secure a spot in the American League playoffs.
But on Memorial Day, often viewed as a key checkpoint in the MLB season, the Red Sox dropped a 3–2 game to the Milwaukee Brewers, marking their third straight loss. The defeat came despite another stellar outing from ace Garrett Crochet, and it pushed Boston’s record to 27–29, placing them fourth in the AL East seven games behind the first-place Yankees and 2.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot currently held by the Astros.
Crochet, acquired from the White Sox in a blockbuster December trade that included top prospect Kyle Teel, has lived up to expectations. In his last six starts, the 25-year-old lefty has pitched 38 innings with a 2.13 ERA and a 45:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Despite his dominance, the Red Sox have gone just 2–4 in those games, far below what statistical models like the Pythagorean formula suggest should be closer to 5–1.
On the season, Crochet boasts a 2.04 ERA eighth-best in MLB yet his record stands at a mediocre 4–4 due to a lack of run support.
Monday’s loss also marked Boston’s 20th one-run game of the year the second most in baseball. Their record in those close contests? Just 6–14. Only Atlanta and Pittsburgh (22 each) have played more one-run games.
Frustration is growing. After the latest defeat, outfielder Rob Refsnyder voiced the team’s mood bluntly: “I’m tired of losing. I’m tired of losing close games. We suck right now.” He emphasized that it’s not due to a lack of effort or preparation the execution just isn’t there.
Manager Alex Cora echoed the frustration, admitting that the team isn’t playing complete baseball. “Offensively, obviously, we didn’t do much. We put pressure late in the game but, as of now, it’s not happening to us,” he said.
Adding to Boston’s struggles is the loss of star third baseman Alex Bregman, their top free-agent acquisition. Bregman, who was hitting .299 with a .938 OPS and a team-best 159 wRC+ before straining his quad on Friday, is expected to miss significant time another blow to a team in desperate need of answers.
