Red Sox bats once again go silent when needed most

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BOSTON - The Red Sox tacked on two more runs on Wednesday than they did on Monday, but their problem in each game was exactly the same.

They couldn't cash in with runners in scoring position.

In what can only be called an encore, the Red Sox followed up their 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position on Monday with another 1-for-12 performance on Wednesday.

The result? A 5-3 loss to the Rays.

Down 4-3, the Sox loaded the bases in the eighth inning with one out and couldn't plate a runner. An inning later, now down 5-3, they put two men on with one out. Again, nothing to show for it.

Due to pinch-running David Ortiz in the eighth, Luis Jimenez chopped one in front of home plate and was thrown out at first base to end the game.

That just about sums up the Red Sox offense as of late - Mookie Betts aside, anyways.

Everybody in the Red Sox lineup aside from Ortiz had an opportunity to drive in a runner in scoring position on Wednesday night. Just two players, Blake Swihart with an RBI double in the third inning, and Dustin Pedroia with a sacrifice fly that scored Swihart later that inning, did so.

But Pedroia was out No. 2 in the ninth inning with two men on base. After the game, he was pretty blunt about the team's struggles at the plate in key situations.

"Yeah, well it's 28 games. Over 162 that [expletive] will change," Pedroia said. "You guys look at it one-game seasons. We look at it 162. So guys that are horse [expletive] right now with runners in scoring position, that [expletive] will change. Fact. So there's your answer."

John Farrell took a slightly different approach to a similar question, as you can imagine. On the bright side, the Sox are at least putting runners in scoring position . . . right?

"Well what we continue to do is create opportunities," Farrell said. "And I know that we've talked about this recently, a lot over the past year-plus. We still take an all-field approach as to not be susceptible to one pitch or another. We square some balls up that don't fall with men and scoring position. Other times we've put the ball on the ground, a ground ball right at a defender. It's been a mixed bag at the end result. But the bottom line is missed opportunities. I think we're doing a very good job of creating the opportunities, but still finishing through and cashing in hasn't been there."

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