Cora: ‘This week is going to be huge for us’

Boston turns to upcoming homestand looking to stay in WC race after series loss to Rays

September 7th, 2023

ST. PETERSBURG -- As the Red Sox packed their bags and left Tropicana Field following an overpowering performance by Tyler Glasnow (six innings, 14 strikeouts) in a 3-1 loss to the Rays in the rubber match of a three-game series, they were ready to enjoy the upcoming off-day at home and then get back to business on Friday night at Fenway Park.

Though this will be the penultimate homestand, in which the Orioles come in for three games followed by the Yankees for four, it could be Boston’s last stand in the fight for the postseason.

With 22 games left and a five-game deficit to the Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card standings, the Red Sox don’t have room for another misstep like their last homestand, when they went 1-5 against the Dodgers and Astros.

While the Sox could have gained ground on the Rangers and Blue Jays with a win on getaway Wednesday at the Trop, Boston manager Alex Cora struck a positive tone rather than dwelling on what could have been.

“Not this one,” said Cora, when asked if the losses by Texas and Toronto made the defeat harder to stomach. “I’m telling you, we’re ready to go home. There was a lot of good stuff that happened tonight. Showing up and grinding the way we did where we were bullpen-wise. I know it sucks and there are no moral victories, but we feel good. 

“We’re going home now. If you want to gain ground, we have a chance now. We have the best team in the American League and then we have the Yankees and we have Toronto and Texas [on the next road trip]. This week is going to be huge for us.”

It was an interesting response from Cora, considering the Sox let an 11th-inning lead slip away on Tuesday, which would have given them their first series victory at Tropicana Field since 2019.

What Cora appreciated most was a gritty albeit not great start by Nick Pivetta (4 2/3 innings, three earned runs, five strikeouts), who took the start on three days of rest after a three-inning save on Saturday in Kansas City. 

Pivetta has pitched in every role possible this season, and Cora let him know that his latest effort was appreciated.

“He’s been great,” Cora said. “I told him on the mound, ‘Thank you, bro.’ Every time he takes the baseball he’s been outstanding. He prepares. He wants to compete.”

Considering that FanGraphs gives the Sox just a 4.1 percent chance to make the playoffs, they’ll need all the “compete” they can get from everyone from here on out.

It is easy to wonder what could have been, had the Sox played clean defense and gotten better health and performance from their starting rotation.

“It’s hard,” said Cora. “Let’s be honest, we haven’t played good baseball, either [at times]. We put ourselves in that spot in certain weeks. We just have to keep grinding. We came here for three days and they won the series, but we were right there. We just have to keep playing good baseball. Friday night at Fenway, we’ve got Tanner [Houck]. We have a good team coming and we just have to be ready.”

The last homestand was perhaps the low point of the season for the Red Sox. They would like to turn this next one into a high point.

“I think last homestand was pretty rough, offensively and defensively, but I think we found something in Kansas City those last couple days,” said first baseman Triston Casas. “We put together really good at-bats the first day here, and then yesterday, and today, just faced a lot of good pitchers and ran into a buzzsaw today with Glasnow.”

The quickest recipe for a hot streak for the Red Sox would be for the offense to get on one of those big runs they’ve had multiple times this season, particularly in July.

“We live to play baseball,” Pivetta said. “We love playing and showing up every single day for the fans, for the organization, for each other in this room. It’s just the fight of every single dog in this [clubhouse]. You really see it with this coaching staff, the training staff, the guys in the room. It’s a team effort, but everybody gives 100 percent no matter what’s going on. And I think the fight is always within us.”

With time growing short, the fight will have to be matched by performance.