Garrett Crochet’s Struggles Continue as Red Sox Fall to Tigers
Minutes after the Boston Red Sox’ 6-2 loss to the Tigers on Sunday, Garrett Crochet was found in the corner of the clubhouse, deep in conversation with pitching coach Andrew Bailey and a few teammates. The goal was clear: to figure out what went wrong during his start and how to make improvements moving forward.
Crochet, who had just delivered his worst performance of the season six days earlier in Minneapolis, was hopeful that his outing against the Tigers would show signs of progress. He acknowledged that there were moments when he looked like the dominant pitcher fans have come to expect, but the overall result left him feeling frustrated. The final line — five earned runs, seven hits (including two home runs) in five innings — didn’t reflect the effort he put in.
“The performance up to this point, I’ve said it’s unacceptable multiple times going back to Houston,” Crochet said. “But it’s still the case.”
Six days after allowing 11 runs (10 earned) and recording just five outs against the Twins, Crochet returned to the mound looking for redemption. Despite a crisper pitch mix and moments where he appeared to be at his best, the lefty still struggled to find consistency. His performance wasn’t enough to lift an anemic Red Sox offense, which made the loss even more difficult to swallow.
“This one, I felt like I was dominating until I wasn’t,” Crochet said. “The last one was so bad you can’t even have any emotion about it. This one, I felt like I was moving in the right direction.”
A Tale of Two Innings
Crochet’s start in Minnesota was a disaster, but Sunday’s game was a different story. It began with a strong first inning, where he got two quick outs and was ahead of Matt Vierling 0-2 before the outfielder hit a double. Seven pitches later, Dillon Dingler drove Vierling home with a cutter that caught too much of the plate. By the end of the first, Crochet had thrown 25 pitches and was already down 1-0.
From there, Crochet settled in, retiring 12 of 14 batters and striking out eight in a span he called “4.2 damn good innings.” However, the fifth inning proved to be a turning point. After striking out the first two batters on just eight pitches, Crochet lost control.
First, he left a 2-0 sinker over the plate, which Jahmai Jones hit for a solo home run. Gleyber Torres walked on four pitches, and then Matt Vierling singled before Dingler hit another three-run shot to center field, making the score 5-1.
“It’s just count leverage when I had success and when I didn’t have it, I got banged around pretty good,” Crochet said. “To be honest, I don’t even know if that (predictability) was ever really the issue. I think that was more of what I thought was the issue. Right now, it’s that every mistake I make is getting absolutely hammered.”
Progress and Challenges
Despite the rough fifth inning, Crochet was encouraged by some positive developments. He used his four-seam fastball more frequently, increasing its usage to 38%, and his velocity averaged 95.8 mph — close to his yearly average. However, five Tigers hit balls off him at 99 mph or harder, highlighting the challenges he still faces.
This was the seventh time in a Red Sox uniform that Crochet had allowed multiple home runs. While he felt he was moving in the right direction, he admitted it was frustrating to lose the game despite showing improvement.
“It’s one (or the other). It sucks that I feel like I am moving in the right direction and I also happened to lose the game for us,” Crochet said. “It’s just tough that it’s kinda the same sticking point for me. Right now, I feel like I know what needs to happen. It’s just a matter of doing it.”
Looking Ahead
Through five starts, Crochet has an unsightly 7.88 ERA. The Red Sox, who were 24-9 in his starts last year (including the postseason), have lost three of the five games their ace has pitched. While the lack of offensive production has been a major issue in the first 21 games of the season, Crochet hasn’t shied away from the fact that his performance has been alarmingly substandard.
“I’m surprised I’ve given up 16 runs in my past two starts and haven’t made it into the sixth in either of them,” Crochet said. “I’m surprised I’m letting the team down at the level I am right now. Just continuing to make the bullpen guys get worn out. I think the little things right now are just compounding.”
“Right now, we need to make our own good fortune in order to get the ball moving in the right direction. We’ve got to start pushing it,” he added.
