Boston Red Sox Ace Struggles Yet Again In Loss To Detroit Tigers

The fifth was the final inning for Crochet, whose final line read: five earned runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out eight, taking the loss.

"He just lost it," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the fifth inning. Overall, though, Cora thought there were some positives to take from the start, saying, "The things that we talked about over the course of the week, he was able to execute. Of course, he's not gonna be happy with the outcome, but compared to the first few starts, I think stuff-wise, from the second all the way to Baez (the second-out Crochet recorded in the fifth inning), it was really good."

Crochet, however, struck a more positive tone than his manager predicted. "Tough to assess, moving in the right direction for sure, but it's wins and losses, it's one or two, it sucks that I feel like I am moving in the right direction and I also happened to lose the game for us," he said.

Apr 19, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Jahmai Jones (18) reacts after hitting a one run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As for what the issue is for the 2025 Cy Young runner-up, Crochet pointed to his inability to get ahead in the count, saying, "Count leverage...tonight I did it more often than not, but every time I didn't, I paid the price for it".

Crochet will head back into the lab, looking to improve on what is now a 7.88 ERA across 24 innings in his first four starts. As for the Red Sox, they now sit 8-13 and are tied with Toronto for last place in the American League East.

Sonny Gray will look to play the role of stopper in the series finale as the Red Sox will look to salvage a series split with the Tigers in a Marathon Monday matinee. He'll get the start opposite Jack Flaherty for Detroit. First pitch from Fenway Park set for 11:10 a.m. ET.

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