James Taylor was at Fenway Park Sunday night. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was on hand to discuss his new song “Angels at Fenway,” a track off his first album of new material in 13 years.

It was a fitting appearance. The 2015 Boston Red Sox have seen fire and rain.

This weekend they saw the Yankees come to Boston and sweep the Sox in a series of three or more games for the first time since August 2006.

That five-game sweep by the Yankees effectively knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs in 2006. This weekend’s series knocked Boston below .500 for the first time all year. The Sox also fell below .500 at home.

“Playing in Fenway and taking advantage of the wall, or taking care of just a comfortable place for us, that’s got to be more the norm,” said Manager John Farrell after Sunday’s 8-5 loss.

The Sox once again showed fight at the plate Sunday night, putting up a five-run inning and leaving the bases loaded in the ninth. That wasn’t enough to overcome another horrible night for Boston pitchers.

Advertisement

Joe Kelly gave up five runs over the first three innings. Craig Breslow gave up a three-run homer to put the game out of reach. Boston pitchers began the week with a 5.04 ERA, second highest in the American League. The starters (5.66 ERA, second-highest in baseball) have been the biggest concern, but the overworked bullpen (4.11 ERA, fourth-worst in the AL) has been struggling as well.

The bullpen ERA is a far cry from New York’s sparkling 1.68 mark, the second best in the league. Andrew Miller, the former Sox reliever who looks reborn in the Bronx with short hair and a fresh shave, is 10 for 10 in save opportunities. He has yet to give up a run.

The Red Sox could’ve brought Miller back to Boston this winter but chose not to match the four-year, $36 million deal the Yankees gave Miller. Boston felt it was covered at the back end of the pen with Koji Uehara. The 40-year-old Sox closer has been fine, going 4 for 5 in save opportunities with a 2.84 ERA. Uehara had one bad blown save in Baltimore, but after missing most of spring training he seems to be building arm strength.

Uehara hasn’t been the problem. It’s been getting to him. Anthony Varvaro (released with a 4.09 ERA), Robbie Ross, Jr. (4.22), Tommy Layne (4.26) and Edward Mujica (5.11) haven’t created a lockdown bullpen.

Having four pitchers with ERAs in the fours (and low fives) isn’t ideal, but it’s a situation the starting rotation would love to be in. Four of Boston’s five starters have ERAs of 5.34 or higher. Only Justin Masterson (4.71) is under five.

The Sox continue to hit the ball well enough to win games. Through the Yankees series they had scored 122 runs (seventh most in baseball) and hit 29 homers (eighth). These offensive efforts are being wasted by inconsistent pitching.

Over the weekend the Yankees came to town and pitched better, hit better and quite simply were better than the Sox. Having their former reliever close two games while former center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit and ran wild through the weekend didn’t help. Beginning the week with a losing record is a harsh reminder of the work that needs to be done.

Taylor plays at Fenway on Aug. 6, while the Sox are in Detroit. The team will have to show considerable improvement if it’s to be in contention when Sweet Baby James takes the stage in center field that night.

Tom Caron is the studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.