Red Sox veterans criticize their manager

For the second straight game, the Boston Red Sox starter pitched four and two-thirds solid innings before being pulled from the mound and replaced by the bullpen. In the first matchup against the New York Yankees, it was Payton Tolle, while in the second, Sonny Gray bore the brunt of manager Chad Tracy's decision.

And in both cases, these were disastrous choices for the Red Sox, as the Yankees crushed the Sox's relievers to cruise to 9-0 and 9-2 victories and secure a spot in the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After last night's (Wednesday) loss in Game 2, Gray spoke to the media and made his feelings about the situation clear.

I wish they had trusted me in that moment. I think I'm the best pitcher in the American League when opposing batters come up to bat for the third time. I think that's a fact. I wish they'd stood by me or let me fail in that moment, but that's just the competitor in me. You can probably ask the guys, and they felt the same way.

Speaking of the other guys, Willson Contreras also had something to add on that subject.

All while making the “zip it” gesture twice.

That's not enough when you have talent, or data, or computers telling you what to do. This is baseball. The data is there to help us, but it takes experience and trusting the guys to win games.

That's a well-deserved jab aimed squarely at the little geniuses in the analytics department. We also saw Manager Tracy's inexperience on full display during this short series.

This second loss in two years at the hands of their longtime rivals will leave its mark on Boston. As proof, Gray has no idea if he'd even want to return to the Red Sox uniform.

That incredible midseason surge turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

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