BOSTON -- The toughest opponent for the Red Sox to conquer this season isn’t an actual team.
Instead, it is momentum, which has been annoyingly elusive for a club that slipped to 29-33 after Monday night’s 7-6 loss to the Angels.
After winning a road series in Atlanta, capped by a gutsy masterpiece by Garrett Crochet in the Sunday afternoon finale, there were some good vibes in the air at Fenway Park as the first pitch by Richard Fitts hummed on a 70-degree night.
However, the fifth pitch of the game was smashed out of the yard by Angels leadoff man Zach Neto.
Four batters later, the great Mike Trout mauled a three-run homer that was scorched off his bat at 112.1 mph while traveling a Statcast-projected distance of 454 feet.
Jo Adell tied a bow on a nightmare first -- and only -- inning for Fitts, lofting a solo shot over the Green Monster.
Many fans hadn’t even settled into their seats. The Red Sox hadn’t even come to the plate. And they were already down, 6-0. Say goodbye to good vibes Monday.
“It’s been like that the whole season,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We played well in Kansas City, and then the first game in Detroit was a tough one. Going into Tampa, the first one was a tough one.
“We’re not that far off. I truly believe that. But we have to make sure we start off the series the right way. I think that’s how you do it, right? We did it in Atlanta. We won the first one, and then we won the series.”
Though Monday’s performance was an outlier for Fitts, who had pitched to a 2.21 ERA in his previous eight Major League starts, it continued a troubling trend of tough first innings for the Red Sox.
In the opening frame, Boston has a 6.10 ERA, tied with the D-backs for 28th in the Majors. Only the Rockies (9.30) have been worse.
“I think there's two aspects pitching-wise that have caught my attention throughout the season,” said Cora. “It's the first inning and the bottom of the lineup. We have to be better at that. Hopefully tomorrow is the start.”
Brayan Bello will make that start, and he’s been spotty, pitching less than five innings in each of his past five starts.
As for Fitts, making his second start since coming back from the 15-day injured list, he was on the wrong side of history. The Angels became the first visiting team in the 113-year history of Fenway Park to hit three homers in the first inning.
“Horrible,” said Fitts. “I feel like our team did enough to win tonight outside of me, so I feel terrible about it.”
Twice, the Sox got the once six-run lead down to one, the second coming on a solo shot by Ceddanne Rafaela in the eighth that trimmed the lead to 7-6.
The near comeback put Boston at 6-16 in one-run games, meaning nearly half of the team’s defeats have been by a run.
As Cora said, they’re not that far off.
Injuries to Triston Casas (out for the season) and Alex Bregman (possibly out until close to the Trade Deadline) have put more pressure on Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers to carry the load offensively.
Red Sox fans have been clamoring for the prospects for years, and now they are getting them. But there’s a lot of youth at one time, putting Duran in a mentoring role while Bregman rehabs.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys that are just learning to compete at this level,” said Duran, who had three hits and scored twice. “I know when I first came up with this level, I was scared to death to make a mistake, so I'm just trying to pass that on to the younger guys and be like, ‘Hey bro, you're gonna be a big part of this. Just keep going. And if you ever need to talk, I got your back. I will be there for you.’”
MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 prospect Marcelo Mayer and rookie Kristian Campbell (in a prolonged slump after a strong April) are getting their chance. No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony could get the call in the near future from Triple-A Worcester. Rookie catcher Carlos Narváez and second-year players Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are also part of the near everyday mix.
“These guys are learning every single day,” said Duran. “It's only a matter of time before it clicks for them.”