Red Sox 3, Mariners 4: Hello Bad Defense My Old Friend

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesThe 2024 Boston Red Sox will be a significantly better defensive team than the 2023 version. Trevor Story alone ensures that, before we even consider Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove in center, Tyler O’Neill’s arm in right, and Masataka Yoshida’s butt on the bench during defensive half innings.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still some lingering psychological damage leftover from last year, so you’re forgiven if you suffered some flashbacks in this tough loss to the Mariners.

For the third game in a row, a Red Sox starter went up against one of the American League’s best and matched him pitch for pitch. This time it was Kutter Crawford, leaning heavily on his…