How Can The Red Sox Turn Things Around With Gabrielle Starr

April 6, 2026·22 min·2 clips

Boston Herald reporter Gabrielle Starr reveals why no one can figure out what's wrong with the struggling Red Sox.

The hosts open by asking Gabrielle Starr for her assessment of a Red Sox team that is underperforming across hitting, pitching, and fielding. Starr identifies the mental challenge of stopping a losing streak from snowballing as the primary concern, noting that Alex Cora has spoken to players about slowing down at-bats, something Trevor Story echoed. Starr describes the tangible mood difference in the clubhouse between win and loss nights, with music playing after wins and complete silence after losses. She notes players are doing early work on the field four or more hours before games, indicating effort is not the problem. On leadership, Starr distinguishes between example-setters like Roldis Chapman, who the team signed partly for his work ethic and its influence on younger players, and vocal accountability figures like Roman Anthony. She calls Anthony's willingness to face reporters and declare the team's performance unacceptable at age 21 with around 80 career games unusual and commendable. She also cites Willier Breu as a player who has grown into his voice in the clubhouse, now conducting interviews in English without a translator. On roster changes, Starr argues for incremental adjustments rather than wholesale changes. She says Story's move down in the order makes sense as a starting point, and that Story himself acknowledged it, noting his batting average was below .120 with a sub-.350 OBP. She expects Garrett Whitlock's return to the bullpen to provide another incremental improvement. On Tristan Casas, Starr relays that Cora told reporters the rib issue is less severe than initially feared, and that Casas will resume swinging off a tee during the week. She notes the team has no urgency to rush him back given the risk of re-injury and the existing roster complexity, with five outfielders and several candidates for the DH role including Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida, and Wilson Contreras.

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