Alex Cora sounds like a defeated manager.
Boston’s World Series champion manager had an absolutely dejected tone after losing a second straight one-run home game Tuesday to the Angels and falling a season-high five games under .500.
The Red Sox (29-34) are a staggering 6-17 in one-run games.
“We keep making the same mistakes, we’re not getting better. At one point, it has to be on me, I guess, right? I’m the manager, so, I gotta keep pushing them to be better,” Cora said after the 4-3 loss in 10 innings. “They’re not getting better. They’re not. We keep making the same mistakes. I’ll be very honest about it, very open about it. You get frustrated, but at what point it’s like, OK, what we gonna do, what’s going to change? Because we keep doing the same thing.
“We can keep talking about one-run losses. …. It’s the same thing. Is it effort, preparation, attention to detail? I have no idea. I watched that game, I was like, ‘Wow, this is real.’ It’s frustrating.”
Boston entered the year with big aspirations after acquiring Alex Bregman and Garrett Crochet, among others, but the Red Sox currently are closer to the AL-worst White Sox than the AL-best Tigers.
They’re only four games ahead of the woeful Orioles.
Tuesday’s game featured a litany of mistakes that could have prevented a loss to the Angels, especially during Los Angeles’ three-run third inning.
The inning began with starter Brayan Bello hitting No. 8 hitter Jo Adell and then walking No. 9 hitter Chris Taylor, owner of a .384 OPS.
Zach Neto followed with an RBI single to plate a run, but center fielder Ceddane Rafaela airmailed his throw home, and it allowed the runners to move to second and third with no outs.
Nolan Schanuel then laced a two-run single for a 3-0 edge.
Cora also lamented his team’s inability to get down a bunt and not advance runners when needed, with Boston finishing 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
“You can talk about chances. I can tell you [about] the chances we gave the opposition,” Cora said, per MLB.com. “We were lucky to be in that game at the end, to be honest with you.”
Boston is now 3-8 since losing Bregman, with the third baseman set to be out for a long stretch with a right quad injury.
The Red Sox could be in a tough spot in their attempt to stay afloat while he’s gone unless they promote MLB.com No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony.
Things won’t get easier this weekend when they visit the division-leading Yankees, who have a chance to bury their rivals.
“Routine ground balls for double plays we don’t turn, we throw to the wrong bases, we miss cutoff guys, (pitching fielding practice)s were horrible,” Cora said, according to MLB.com.
“So, there’s a lot of bad right now.”
