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Red Sox's Offensive Approach Appears Broken After Brutal Homestand
TL;DR
The Boston Red Sox are struggling offensively, showing a lack of power and poor performance with runners in scoring position. Their aggressive batting approach is contributing to these issues, especially at Fenway Park.
Key points
- Boston Red Sox offense struggling with power
- Poor performance with runners in scoring position
- Aggressive batting approach contributing to issues
- Scored two runs or fewer in six of last seven games at Fenway
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox infielder Caleb Durbin
Red Sox's Offensive Approach Appears Broken After Brutal Homestand originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox's offense has a lot of problems right now, from an alarming lack of power to struggles with runners in scoring position. They're even scuffling at Fenway, where they scored two runs or fewer in six of their last seven games.
A big issue is the team's free-swinging approach at the plate, which has been far too aggressive to start the year.
That was evident during the Red Sox's three-game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees this week. Boston had far too many short and unproductive at-bats against the Yankees, managing just three runs and 13 hits against them.
That made life too easy for New York's pitching staff, which got 22 1/3 innings from its starting pitchers and barely had to dip into its bullpen.
Yankees pitchers averaged just 119 pitches per game against Boston, whereas Red Sox pitchers averaged 141 pitches per game.
In 11 of the 27 innings, New York's pitchers threw 11 or fewer pitches. Per Bob Nightengale, a whopping 33 Boston hitters saw only one or two pitches in their at-bats.
This has been an issue for the Red Sox all season, but it was especially obvious during this series. Boston ranks 27th in pitches per plate appearance at 3.78, well below the MLB average of 3.91. By comparison, last year's team matched the league average of 3.87 pitches per plate appearance.
As Alex Cora and other analysts have pointed out, the Red Sox are chasing too many pitches outside the strike zone and trying to swing their way out of their early-season slump. That's leading to a lot of weak contact, short at-bats and bad results.
For Boston's offense to have more success, it needs to be more patient, lay off those pitches and stop expanding the strike zone. That will lead to longer at-bats, more walks, higher-quality contact and better outcomes.
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Q&A
What are the main problems with the Boston Red Sox's offense?
The main problems include a lack of power and difficulties with runners in scoring position.
How has the Red Sox's offensive performance been at Fenway Park?
At Fenway Park, the Red Sox scored two runs or fewer in six of their last seven games.
What is the reason behind the Red Sox's aggressive batting approach?
The team's free-swinging approach has been identified as a significant factor contributing to their poor offensive start.