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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox looks on ahead of game one of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox dropped their second straight game to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at Fenway Park, falling 6-2 to slip to 8-13 on the season. The offense managed just two runs against a Detroit rotation that has owned this series. The bullpen did its job. The problem, again, was the starting pitcher.

Garrett Crochet lasted five innings, gave up five runs on seven hits including two home runs, and watched his ERA climb to 7.88 through five starts. The numbers over his last four outings have been the toughest stretch of his career as a starter, and it is happening at a point in the season when the Red Sox need him most.

After the loss, Crochet stayed with the media longer than he had to. He answered every question. And he made the team’s frustration clear.

What Crochet Said After the Red Sox Loss

The words carried conviction.

“You can’t be out of the playoffs in April,” Crochet said. “There’s still a lot of time for us to start playing our best baseball. If we were doing it right now, that really wouldn’t matter a whole lot either.”

Crochet is not dismissing the hole the Red Sox have dug. He is pushing back against the idea that it cannot be filled. At 8-13, Boston sits well below where anyone expected, but Crochet’s point is simple. April losses hurt. They do not have to define the season.

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 19: Starting pitcher Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox throws in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on April 19, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

What Happened on the Mound

For four innings, Sunday looked like a turning point.

Crochet held Detroit to one run through his first 4⅔ innings, matching his season high with eight strikeouts and showing improved velocity compared to his previous outing. There were real signs of progress.

Then the fifth inning arrived.

Crochet retired the first two batters of the frame before the inning turned against him completely. He got into trouble with Jahmai Jones, falling behind in the count and leaving a pitch over the plate that Jones drove over the wall for a solo homer. Two batters later, Crochet left a pitch over the heart of the plate to Dillon Dingler, who drove it to center field for a three-run homer that put the game out of reach.

The stuff was there. The velocity was up. The strikeouts were there. And yet five runs crossed the plate in a single inning because Crochet could not avoid falling behind in counts when it mattered most.

Every time Boston’s starter has been unable to get through six innings this season, the Red Sox have lost. That record now stands at 0-13.

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 19: Dillon Dingler #13 of the Detroit Tigers hits a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 19, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

What Comes Next for Crochet

The 2024 season offers a reason for perspective.

Crochet went through a similar stretch in his first year as a starter with the Chicago White Sox, posting a bloated ERA through April before finding another gear entirely.

In May of that season, he allowed just three earned runs across five starts, finished as an All-Star, and reminded everyone what he was capable of when it clicked. He has been here before. He found his way out.

Sunday’s performance offered real evidence that the correction is coming. The velocity is trending up. The strikeouts are there. The issue is count leverage, and Crochet knows it.

“I know what needs to happen,” he said. “Just a matter of doing it.”

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 19: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox looks to the dugout from the base paths after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on April 19, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

Final Word for the Red Sox

Crochet stayed with the media after a tough loss and said what needed to be said. The Red Sox are frustrated. He is frustrated. And he is not pretending otherwise.

But frustration and panic are different things. Crochet is choosing the former and rejecting the latter. He has the track record to back it up, and the stuff, when it is working, to remind everyone why Boston made the investment.

April is not October. The Red Sox will look to bounce back in Game 4 of the series.