Wong's blast lone highlight as Red Sox's offensive struggles continue

PITTSBURGH -- For the Red Sox, a disappointing road trip had a stalled conclusion due to rain, thunder and lightning that led to a delay of two hours and 34 minutes, starting in the top of the seventh inning.

Unfortunately for Boston, lighting did not strike for the team’s recently cold offense after the inclement weather subsided.

In Sunday’s rubber match of a three-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park, the Sox were defeated, 8-3.

Directly on the heels of a 27-3 surge, the best 30-game run in team history, interim manager Chad Tracy’s club has lost seven of its past nine games, including a road trip that concluded at 2-5.

Much like when the team struggled earlier in the season, offensive futility has been a theme of late, though that was hardly the cause for defeat on a day starter Patrick Sandoval was belted around for nine hits and seven runs over four innings.

“I do feel like, before the hot streak, there were plenty of games where we weren't even really generating a ton of traffic for a good chunk of the game,” said Tracy. “So I still think we're doing a much better job as far as swing decisions and getting people out there [on base]. We just gotta get them in, and we will.”

Over the past nine games, the Sox are scoring 3.56 runs per game while slashing .236/.323/.350 (.673 OPS) with six homers, a strikeout rate of 22.8 percent and a walk rate of 11 percent.

Here are some other takeaways from a Sunday that started hot and humid, continued with downpours and finished with gloomy but dry weather.

1. Rutschman trying to get going post-trade
New acquisition Adley Rutschman has been among those struggling, going 1-for-17 with five walks and nine strikeouts in his first five games with his new team.

Rutschman had been on the injured list with left wrist inflammation at the time of the trade with the Orioles and had just two Minor League rehab games before his Tuesday activation.

“I think the competitor in me, I want to go out there and perform,” said Rutschman. “Bottom line: I want to perform for these guys and come out here and be able to do what I do. But at the end of the day, you have to really stick with your approach or else baseball is a game of failure and can get you in a bad mindset quickly.”

Perhaps the adrenaline of making his home debut at Fenway in Monday's series opener against the D-backs will help get Rutschman going.

“Baseball, it's a game of adjustments,” Rutschman said. “So I’m just trying to work every day towards my process. That's always been my approach from a hitting standpoint. Just trying to stay with my process, not make any drastic changes. Just that one thing that clicks and gets you back to barreling balls.”

2. Wong bomb
The only substantial burst of offense in this one for Boston came off the bat of backup catcher Connor Wong, who roped a three-run homer to left-center in the fifth that sliced the deficit to a manageable four runs.

Wong, who played with multiple injuries last season when he had a .500 OPS with no homers in 63 games and 168 at-bats, has been far more productive this season. The right-handed hitter has four homers, 22 RBIs and a .714 OPS in 62 games and 165 at-bats.

Though Wong’s playing time has been decreased due to the arrival of Rutschman, he gives the Sox a solid defender and some production at the plate when he plays.

3. Burgos returns after the storm
With the Red Sox still undecided who will start on Monday night, Tracy had no interest in going deep into his bullpen when his team fell behind early on Sunday.

Thanks to rubber-armed lefty Raymond Burgos, called up from Triple-A Worcester before the game to replace the injured Justin Slaten (right elbow inflammation), he didn’t have to. Burgos pitched two innings before play was halted and somewhat surprisingly returned to the mound once play resumed for another two frames. Last weekend at Fenway, after his first callup of the season, Burgos pitched three innings on back-to-back days.

“It’s huge,” said Tracy. “A long wait, although he only had [26] pitches before, but a long wait nonetheless. And he was pacing around saying, ‘I'm ready to go and continue’. So huge as far as keeping the bullpen online going into the homestand with the off-day [coming up on Thursday].”