The Red Sox are no strangers to scrutiny, specifically when the losses begin to pile up. As the team wrestles with inconsistency and missed scope, the noise around them has only gotten louder. At the base of it all stands a vital contributor—one who has grown tired of the outside chatter. Paid $3.85 million this season, the outfielder did not just acknowledge the criticism related to the Red Sox’s slump, the star fired back, highlighting the raw feeling behind every at-bat and the fierce need that drives him.
What is more frustrating is the team’s sweep by the Angels and slipping below .500. However, Jarren Duran is not here to nod along or sugarcoat. Instead, the $3.85 million sparkplug decided it was time to fire back. “Maybe I’m 0-for-4 with freakin’ three punchies—you know, that’s part of baseball. But like, I want to win,” Duran said on Underdog MLB with Jared Carrabis.
He also did not stop there and answered the critics in Duran fashion. “All you people saying I crash out all the time—it’s because I want to [expletive] win. I hate to [expletive] lose. I hate to lose more than I like to win.” That raw edge? That is not frustration, it is competitive fire, boiling over. The star’s message was not just focused on critics. It was a defense of his teammates, a reality check for fans and a personal mission statement all in one.
It did not stop there. As concerns swirl related to the team’s inconsistency at the plate—33 strikeouts in just three games against the Angels—Jarren Duran provided much-needed perspective. “So like, when people freak out about it, it’s like, well yeah—I mean like some of these guys haven’t even been in the big leagues for a year yet,” he highlighted. “Triple-A just doesn’t prepare you for this level”, he added. For him, this is not an excuse. It is a reality.
That insight hits harder when paired with what Alex Cora said after the latest loss: “We’ve been striking out since day one.” With 766 Ks on the season, the team ranks third in all of MLB in that department. The offense has not just stalled, it has been gasping for contact and yet, Jarren Duran is not letting the noise define his team’s approach. “It just pisses me off when people think we don’t [expletive] care,” Duran said. “Because we [expletive] care.” In other words? The slumps are real, but so is the hunger to fight out of them.
However, as voices like Duran’s grow louder, the team’s issues are far from limited to the batter’s box.
Red Sox rotation gutted as Kutter Crawford’s season likely ends with surgery
While the hitters take heat, the rotation is quietly unraveling and the news related to Kutter Crawford only deepens the storm. Ahead of the series finale against the Angels, Cora said that Crawford would undergo wrist surgery and is “most likely” out for the rest of the season. It is a brutal setback for the pitcher who had already been grinding his way through knee and wrist issues in the season and just when it looked like the star was turning the corner, a bullpen session last week triggered a setback too severe to ignore.
That sting hits harder when you identify what Crawford meant to the staff. He was not dazzling and Crawford’s 2024 line contained a 4.36 ERA and a 9–16 record—however, the star was reliable, eating innings when some others could. In fact, no one pitched more games and enabled more home runs than him last season. This could not look great, however, it is a sign of how Crawford was relied upon and with a rotation already thin, losing an elite like him now leaves the team. scrambling for answers.
We can not also forget the domino effect. With Tanner Houck still sidelined and other stars battling through to stay consistent, Crawford’s exit further highlights the Red Sox’s most vulnerable area: pitching endurance. The bullpen has already been stretched thin by walk-heavy outings. As the offense is battling, now the pitching staff is being asked to survive without its only innings-eaters.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora watches against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Monday, April 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
All focus could be on the strikeout numbers, but make no mistake—the Red Sox’s rotation woes are just as concerning. And with half a season still to play, the margin for error is getting tighter by the day.
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