BOSTON — The Red Sox entered Wednesday with 6.7% odds of making the playoffs, per Fangraphs.com. Zero percent seems more accurate after the Astros buried them this week.
Boston fell behind by seven runs early and lost 7-4 at Fenway Park on Wednesday to suffer a three-game sweep. It went 1-5 on the homestand against the much-superior Dodgers and Astros.
The Red Sox showed some promise in July, going 15-8. But after the front office added no impact players to improve the roster at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, they went 13-15 in August.
They will turn the page to September when they open a three-game series in Kansas City on Friday. But it looks like the book already has been closed on their 2023 season after dropping seven of their past 10 games, all against the Astros and Dodgers.
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Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford went just 2 ⅔ innings and gave up six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one. It marked the 15th time in 28 games in August that a Red Sox starter has gone fewer than 5 innings. It marked the 21st time in 28 games that a Red Sox starter has gone 5 innings or fewer.
Boston showed some life in the sixth inning after recording just one hit through the first five innings against lefty Framber Valdez. Luis Urías began the bottom of the sixth with a soft infield single that dribbled down the third base line.
Triston Casas doubled and Connor Wong reached on a throwing error, allowing Urías to score. Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, in his first major league start, ripped an RBI double off the Green Monster to make it 7-2.
Justin Turner and Rafael Devers each followed with an RBI groundout to cut it to 7-4.
