On Tuesday night, with the Red Sox clinging to a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of a one-run game against the Rays — one of their biggest competitors for a wild card berth — Alex Cora turned to Marcus Walden, Josh Taylor, and Colten Brewer out of the bullpen.
It's not exactly a murderer's row of middle relief, as those three had combined for just 19 major league appearances heading into the 2019 season. Predictably, they combined to give up two runs, and the Sox lost another heartbreaker.
So it's no surprise Dave Dombrowski is trying to upgrade the bullpen, but the question remains: Will he be able to before the 4 p.m. trade deadline?
John Tomase updated the Sox hunt for relief help on the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline Show Wednesday afternoon.
"There is definitely frustration in the Red Sox front office and people I've talked to that it's just been such a slow-moving deadline this year, but that's what they're going to do. They're going to look for a reliever and maybe even two."
While the bullpen hasn't been the only disappointment for the 2019 Red Sox, it might be the most fixable.
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"The issue now is you're stuck with the starters you have," Tomase said. "The one area you can upgrade is your bullpen. I don't think that's going to require a Nomar-level trade to pull off. That's what they're going to be trying to do between now and 4 p.m."
Whatever moves the Sox make (or don't make), NBC Sports will bring you complete coverage from John Tomase and experts from around the country with a Trade Deadline special at 4 p.m. You can live stream it on NBCSportsBoston.com or you can watch it on the MyTeams app.
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