The Red Sox dropped four games below .500 after losing a 7-6 decision Monday night to the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park.
Boston dropped to 6-16 in one-run games and 16-15 at home, but despite the record, Jarren Duran feels that being in close games is actually a good thing for Boston.
“Personally, I think it says that we’re a really, really good team, and we’ve been in a lot of games, but we just got to get over that hump,” Duran told reporters after the loss. “I mean, we got a lot of young guys that are just learning to compete at this level.”
Duran was in their cleats, so to speak, not that long ago. He spent his first two seasons in the big leagues in and out of the lineup, making Duran uniquely qualified to offer some outstanding advice to players like Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.
“I know when I first came up with this level, I was scared to death to make a mistake and play,” Duran explained. “So, I’m just trying to pass that on to the younger guys, and be like, ‘Hey, bro, like you’re going to be a big part of this.
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‘Like, just keep going. And if you ever need to talk, I got your back. I will be there for you. But I want you to play fearless. Don’t have any fear because then that’s when you make mistakes or stuff like that happens. I’d rather you make a mistake. I’m an aggressive player or something.’”
Duran continued: “I just know how it was when I was young. Like, I was terrified. And they’re starting every game, which is crazy because they’re that good. I wasn’t that good when I first came up. It’s awesome to see, honestly.
“I know we’re going to hit our stride eventually, where those guys just figure it out because they’re figuring it out at the big league level. … These guys are learning every single day. It’s only a matter of time before it clicks for them. … And it’s going to be awesome to see.”
