Over the years, Alex Cora has established a trusted circle of relievers to lean on in high-leverage spots. Right-hander Greg Weissert has been part of that mix the last two seasons.
But in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Reds, Weissert tested his manager’s trust.
In the sixth inning, Eugenio Suárez delivered a crushing blow, hammering a 0-2 pitch from Weissert for a three-run homer, his first since returning to Cincinnati, flipping a 2-0 Red Sox lead into a 3-2 deficit.
Which turned out to be the final score.
Weissert has struggled out of the gate in 2026. Prior to Suárez’s 431-foot blast, he issued a walk to Sal Stewart, setting the stage for the damage off the right-hander’s bat. Through his first two outings, the right-hander has allowed three runs on three hits, two of them home runs, while walking two and striking out three across just 1 2/3 innings.
“I was trying to make good sinkers, maybe get ‘em on the ground, turn the double play, but (he) just wasn’t biting at them,” said the righty, who’s coming off pitching for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. “I feel fine. My body’s fine, everything, it’s just bad execution. … Bad execution of Elly and another one today.”
Suarez’s swing erased what had been a promising outing from left-hander Connelly Early.
The Sox’ southpaw wasn’t dominant, but was effective, working 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while walking two and striking out five. He threw a career-high 96 pitches, 61 for strikes, with a pair of wild pitches mixed in.
“Sprayed the ball a little bit here or there, but overall executed pretty well,” said Early, who praised his defense behind him for turning two “huge” double plays during his outing on Sunday. “I feel pretty good. Felt a little bit slow today, didn’t have my best feel, but still was able to execute a pretty good clip.”
Early wasn’t surprised when Cora sent him back out for the sixth inning, even after throwing 88 pitches.
“Where we were pitching-wise, we needed that,” Cora said of Early’s career-high 96 pitches (61 for strikes, two wild) following a bullpen that had already covered seven innings in Saturday’s 11-inning loss. “We don’t usually extend guys this early in the season, but he felt strong. He was strong all spring.”
“It wasn’t his stuff,” Cora added. “I think the at-bats were really good. They fouled off a lot of good pitches, but he was able to get out of it, right? And that’s what he does. Last year, he proved that he belongs here.”
The outing placed Early in rare company. He became the youngest Red Sox starter to record at least five strikeouts while allowing no more than one run within the team’s first three games of a season since Babe Ruth accomplished that feat in 1916.
Outside of Early’s outing, the Red Sox offense was carried almost entirely by Wilyer Abreu.
He provided the lone spark, launching his second home run in as many days to give Boston an early 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. It accounted for all of the club’s scoring on the afternoon.
“Similar to last year,” Cora said of Abreu, who homered twice in the first two games of 2025. “But I think this is sustainable. He has a good knowledge of his swing, and what the opposition is trying to do. We’ve just got to keep getting him more at-bats, especially against lefties, and see where it takes us.”
Beyond that swing, the lineup struggled to generate consistent pressure. The Red Sox managed just three hits over five innings against Rhett Lowder and repeatedly failed to capitalize on traffic, leaving runners stranded and missing opportunities to build on their early advantage.
The Red Sox offense never found its footing, finishing with just seven hits on the afternoon while going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine men on base.
“We had traffic, we didn’t cash in,” Cora said. “Just got to regroup and be ready for tomorrow.”
Boston had a prime opportunity in the eighth inning, but it slipped away. Jarren Duran led off the frame with a walk, bringing speed to the basepaths, but was
