The Red Sox lost 3-2 to the Cardinals on Friday night, a one-run defeat that left Boston with little margin after a series win over the Brewers. Trevor Story stole home, but the Red Sox still fell short as they managed just one hit in six chances with runners in scoring position.
Wilyer Abreu went 2 for 4 and collected his seventh multi-hit effort in the first 13 games, but Boston's offense again lacked enough depth. It was the Red Sox's fourth game of the young season with five or fewer hits, and manager Alex Cora said the club had its chances but needed to be better offensively.
The result mattered because Boston entered the day trying to build on early momentum and instead ran into a Cardinals team that was listed at 8-5. Jordan Walker kept rolling for St. Louis, extending his hitting streak to six games after homering in his previous three and four of five before Friday.
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Willson Contreras returned to St. Louis and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, a reminder of how sharply the reunion cut across the trade that sent him to Boston last December. Contreras had been a.261 hitter with 55 home runs across the last three seasons for the Cardinals, and he said he had given everything he had for the team and its fans.
Saturday brings the next test for Boston, with Ranger Suarez listed to start against Kyle Leahy. Suarez was 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA and had allowed four runs over four innings in his previous outing, an 8-6 loss to the Padres. Leahy entered at 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA, leaving the Red Sox to answer the same question that followed them out of Friday night: whether this offense can do enough before the game slips away again.
For fans looking up where to watch red sox vs. st. louis cardinals, the more immediate headline is that Boston has to stop wasting nights like this one.
