BOSTON -- Trying to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the Yankees on Thursday night, the Red Sox were once again without the services of leadoff hitter Roman Anthony, who is experiencing back tightness and soreness.
And once again, Boston struggled to score, taking a 4-2 loss to its rivals to cap a frustrating sweep.
As the club gets ready to hit the road for a six-game trip to Baltimore and Toronto, Anthony had some good news for an anxious Red Sox Nation that is highly concerned about the club’s 9-16 start.
“I’m not too worried about [my back],” said Anthony. “I got a little bit of perspective last year when I hurt my oblique and kind of knew then and there [it was serious]. Right now, I’m in a good spot and I'll be ready to play in the next couple of days. I'll be back out there soon.”
The Red Sox, in a near team-wide offensive slump, need all the firepower they can get.
“We've been taking care of it in the training room and I’m doing everything I can to kind of get back out there. Just a weird thing to happen on a swing,” said Anthony.
The swing Anthony was talking about took place on a 106.2 mph lineout to shortstop in the sixth inning of Boston’s 4-0 loss on Tuesday.
“So it was weird. I felt something. It was really cold, so I didn't have a great idea as to what it was,” Anthony said. “I went back in the dugout and watched back on the video, and when I hit it, I kind of made a face. And [I] went back in the dugout and put my helmet down and felt something.
“And I knew it was a little bit strange, but again, kind of the factors that go into it, the cold weather and everything. I felt like in the moment with the adrenaline, I was good enough to finish the game, which I did, and then when things kind of started to settle down, it didn't feel the way that I wanted it to feel. It was just more of a spasm. Didn't feel great the next day.”
Max Fried and Cam Schilittler both stifled the Anthony-less Sox in the final two games of the rivalry series.
While big things are expected of Anthony for his first full season in the Majors, and his performance in the World Baseball Classic did nothing to diminish that, he’s off to a slow start.
Through 22 games and 97 plate appearances, Anthony has a batting line of .225/.361/.325 with one homer and four RBIs.
This was the fourth time in Boston’s 25 games this season Anthony hasn’t been in the starting lineup.
He hopes that Friday isn’t the fifth.
“I'll see where I'm at tomorrow,” Anthony said. “I think I’m making good progress from just yesterday to today. So I think it’s just one of those things. You wake up and see how you feel and do everything I can to play tomorrow, for sure, but see what we're at tomorrow.”