Sean McAdam: For one night at least, Red Sox turn the power back on at Fenway

But the Sox didn’t build on what they already had, despite an acknowledgement by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow last October that the team needed to acquire more slug.

That never happened, as the team pivoted to an emphasis on run prevention.

In the spring, some predictive models forecast that the Red Sox would not finish the year with anyone hitting 20 or more homers in their lineup. That forecast seemed absurd at the time; to date, it’s been close to prophetic.

The first six weeks of the season have proven that, even teams with strong pitching and defense have to wield a little power in their lineup.

The Sox have been involved in eight one-run games and lost five of them. How much difference would it have made to have another powerful bat in the middle of their lineup. For that matter, they’re also under .500 (4-5) in games decided by two runs. Again, a couple of well-timed swings with men on base could have reversed those decisions.

It’s been said that as the weather warms in New England, the ball will travel better and the homers will come for the Red Sox. But with more than a quarter of the season already complete, it’s debatable whether they can wait that long.

As it was, the Sox had gone without a homer in four of their previous five games, dropping three of those four. The connection between power and success in 2026 has never been more obvious.

As a team, the Sox went into Wednesday hitting below .200 with men in scoring position at home. Some of that can be overcome if the few hits a team collects are homers. But the combination of poor execution with men on base and the abject lack of power can be crushing for a lineup.

There’s nothing to suggest that two homers on a random night is proof of a turnaround for the lineup? More will be needed before it can be said that the Sox are a formidable offense.

But the ability to create instant offense makes all the difference, and sometimes, can turn what otherwise would have been one more loss into a win worth celebrating.

More Red Sox coverage

• Bishop Feehan’s Brody Bumila moves into The Athletic’s top 50 MLB draft prospects
• Fenway Insider Live: Sean McAdam on Caleb Durbin, Craig Breslow’s future and more
• ‘There will always be a home’ for Jason Varitek with Red Sox
• Will Red Sox-Phillies game be rained out Thursday? Forecast ‘doesn’t look good’
• What ‘everyone was telling’ Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock after sliding catch

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