ST. LOUIS — There are lots of stats that can describe why the Red Sox are two games under .500 and falling fast midway through a brutal May. But one might stick out above all.
Starter Kutter Crawford, who gave up a single run on six hits in 5 ⅔ strong innings Saturday against the Cardinals, has a 2.17 ERA in 10 starts this season. Five of those outings have been quality starts. On six occasions, he has allowed one or fewer earned runs. The second-inning homer he allowed to Nolan Gorman was just the third blast against him this season.
Yet, against all odds, the Red Sox have won just three of Crawford’s 10 starts. That’s right — they’re 3-7. And it’s almost entirely because of the offense. Boston’s bats have scored more than three runs for Crawford just four times so far this season and are averaging just 3.4 runs per start of his. On Saturday, as the right-hander dealt on a hot night at Busch Stadium, he left with a no decision in a 2-2 game; the Red Sox went on to lose, 7-2.
“That’s baseball. It’s baseball,” Crawford said after the game. “We’re struggling a little bit as a team. But I think it’s only a matter of time before we begin clicking on all cylinders.”
