Boston’s Opening Day starter struggles in spring finale, but bigger picture remains unchanged
The Red Sox wrapped up another uneven spring performance on Saturday, falling 6-1 to the Atlanta Braves in a matchup that, on paper, looked like a potential Opening Day preview.
Instead, it served as a reminder that spring results don’t always tell a clean story - especially for a pitcher like Garrett Crochet.
Crochet, who is lined up to start on Opening Day later this week, endured his toughest outing of camp in his final tune-up.
The left-hander allowed 6 runs on 6 hits over 5.1 innings, walking two, hitting a batter, and striking out three across 89 pitches. Atlanta’s lineup found a rhythm early and never really let him settle in, with Austin Riley doing the bulk of the damage.
Riley finished 3-for-4 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI, accounting for much of Atlanta’s offensive production. He took Crochet deep in the second inning, added an RBI double in the third, and capped his day with a two-run double in the fifth. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies also contributed RBI hits during a pivotal third inning that helped the Braves seize control.
Across four spring starts, Crochet posted a 7.36 ERA, allowing 12 earned runs over 14.2 innings. But with Opening Day looming, those numbers are more footnote than forecast. The Red Sox will be counting on his stuff - not his Grapefruit League stat line - when the games begin to matter.
On the other side, Chris Sale looked sharp against his former club, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits over six innings.
Boston’s offense, meanwhile, never found much traction, managing just 4 hits (all singles) in a quiet afternoon at the plate.
There were a few positives late, including a clean debut from veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle, who tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning in his first appearance with the club.
Boston now turns the page quickly, with one final spring tune-up on deck before the regular season begins.
Feb 26, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.