A blown four-run lead and a stadium full of angry chants were bad enough, but then Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony turned the criticism inward.

The Red Sox’s brief resurgence against the Padres fizzled on Sunday, deepening their ongoing slump. Their win in the series opener hinted at a turnaround, but back-to-back losses quickly brought back memories of their rough start. And Roman Anthony isn’t sugarcoating it anymore.

“We need to find a way to just bring more energy and just be better. This is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable to the fans. It’s unacceptable to the standard we set for ourselves,” Anthony said after the game.

The Red Sox continue as the basement dweller in the AL East with a 2-7 record. On Sunday, there were no chances for the Red Sox to get away with a win.

First, they had a 4-run lead till the 3rd inning. Then they tied the score with the Padres 6-6 by the seventh. Still, giving up runs in the 8th and 9th cost Boston the game and the series.

What’s only clicked on Sunday is the Red Sox’s offense.

Contrary to their previous series against the Astros, where the offense couldn’t do anything, five sluggers from the Boston lineup scored runs on Sunday.

Jarren Duran connected on a two-run double, Wilyer Abreu stretched out an RBI triple, and Masataka Yoshida added a two-out, run-scoring single. Anthony also added a run, but just then the pitching staff gave up.

Ranger Suarez started the game but pulled out after 4 innings, allowing 4 runs and just 2 SOs. The bullpen took over, but no one could stop allowing runs.

With names like Garrett Crochet, Suarez, and Bryan Bello, Boston’s rotation should be a strength, but the club has the 27th-ranked starter ERA in the league at 5.19!

Moreover, the Red Sox have scored the third-fewest runs in the league to this point, with just 30.

“The Boston Red Sox fell to a major-league-worst 2-7 on Sunday, tying the weakest start through nine games in the franchise’s long history,” ESPN reported.

Boston isn’t scoring runs or preventing them enough for Anthony to not term it “unacceptable.” Even fans are giving up.

After the Padres won it in the 9th, “Sell the team” chants targeting the owner, John Henry, took over a quiet Fenway Park.

But the blame for their slow start in 2026 goes beyond just pitching and offense.

The Red Sox’s defense is more to blame

While the Red Sox’s offense and pitching are taking all the blame for not doing enough, their defense on the field is not far behind. They’ve committed the fifth-most errors and have the sixth-worst fielding percentage in baseball.

And the worst part is that the veterans are making the errors this year.

Despite a strong spring at the plate, Trevor Story has struggled defensively, committing two errors in the first six games. And with that, the lack of awareness in the game had also cost the Red Sox.

In a 9-2 loss to the Astros, home plate umpire Mark Wegner completely lost track of the count, and so did the Boston players.

Bello induced three consecutive swinging strikes, which should have ended the inning. But despite the clear strikeout, no one on the Red Sox protested, including Bello, catcher Connor Wong, or manager Alex Cora. Cam Smith eventually worked a nine-pitch walk, forcing Bello out of the game earlier than intended.

With the offense, pitching, and fielding all going wrong collectively, the AL East ranking shows just what is expected. But the front office still have faith in the team.

“We still believe very, very strongly in this team,” Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow said on Sunday.

Following their latest loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6, the Boston Red Sox are at a 2-8 record. If anything, the Red Sox nation is definitely hoping for a turnaround at this point.