It’s been a bit of a tough go for the Boston Red Sox as of late.
Though not on the level of teams like the Cincinnati Reds, the Red Sox have not started off the 2022 season the way they had expected to.
Entering Thursday, they’re 10-15 and sit in fourth place in the American League East division, eight games behind the first-place New York Yankees.
The biggest point of emphasis for the Red Sox has been their bullpen.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe points out that there have been 20 blown saves this season in the ninth inning or later.
What’s more, the Red Sox own four of them.
There have been 20 blown saves this year in the 9th inning or later. The Red Sox have 4 of them. No other team has more than 2.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) May 5, 2022
Bullpen Woes
A bad bullpen can kill a team.
Though it’s not time to panic yet for the Red Sox, the bullpen is still a concern.
It was their bullpen that cost them the game last night against the Los Angeles Angels, who put up a six-spot in the top of the tenth inning.
If the Red Sox are going to get out of this slump and ultimately be a contender, they will need to start seeing improvements out of their bullpen.
Matt Barnes, the team’s closer, is 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA and just one save in 8.1 innings.
As noted by Speier, the Red Sox have blown four saves in the ninth inning or later.
No other team in baseball has more than two.
This is concerning for the Red Sox, who had a strong bullpen at the end of last season.
But so far, the bullpen has not replicated that success from a year ago.
We’ll see if they can fix things and turn it around.
