BOSTON — Sometimes, for all the data, all the intricate number-crunching and the reliance on analytics, we’re reminded that, at its heart, baseball is a remarkably simple game.

It’s all about the starting pitching.

There’s always the odd exception, of course. Occasionally, you can mash your way to success. But far more often than not, that success is fleeting.

Pitch well, however, and you can almost always be successful.

Case in point: the 2026 Red Sox.

At 16-22, the Red Sox haven’t exactly doused themselves in glory. But lately, there have at least been signs of hope.

The Red Sox just swept the Detroit Tigers on the road and they did so on the backs of their starters, who allowed exactly one earned run over 17 innings in the series.

Further, over the last 12 games, during which the Sox are 7-5, the Red Sox have allowed three runs or fewer in nine of them.

The interesting thing is that this uptick in performance from the rotation comes at a time when injuries have sent two key starters — Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray — to the IL, while another — Ranger Suarez — is being given extra time to recover from a strained hamstring before making his next start.

Even matched against an underperforming Tigers team in Detroit, you could squint and see the blueprint Craig Breslow drew up for this season: a consistent and deep starting rotation, backed by solid defense.

• BETTING: For Friday’s contest against the Rays, Red Sox -1.5 runline is listed at +153 on DraftKings. Our complete DraftKings Sportsbook review provides a helpful guide on how to use their app.

(For all the early-season jokes about the Red Sox’ defense, it’s been generally excellent since mid-April, The Sox lead all of baseball in defensive runs saved and are among the leaders in Outs Above Average).

Payton Tolle was superb in between the raindrops, allowing just one unearned run. Sonny Gray was in full command, fresh off the IL, and in between, Brayan Bello figured things out, albeit with the help of the opener.

If the Red Sox get stretches of that kind of starting pitching, there’s hope for them yet. And a healthy Crochet would obviously go a long way toward a sustained run.

For all the optimism provided in Detroit, however, a hard dose of reality awaited the Sox on their return to Fenway Thursday night.

Jake Bennett, making his second big league start, was nicked for four runs over 5.1 innings, the kind of so-so outing that the Red Sox could ordinarily live with. After the Tampa Bay Rays scored three in the second — all while getting the ball in the air to the outfield just once — he settled in nicely and retired eight of the next nine hitters he faced over the next three innings.

The Rays would eventually cruise to an 8-4 win not because they walloped the ball around Fenway, but because they made consistent contact, put the ball in play and excelled at some finer details, including a number of bunts.

That’s the sort of approach the Red Sox are incapable of taking. For the time being, they have the worst of both worlds with their lineup: they lack power and they strike out too much (though Thursday was an exception in that regard, with only a modest six strikeouts recorded).

Simply put, the Red Sox don’t have that kind of game in their bag. They can string together some hits, and when the opponent is guilty of misplays, as the Tigers were repeatedly, the Sox can take advantage. What they can’t do, at least not often, is beat a team by utilizing a thousand cuts, the way the Rays did to them Thursday.

Instead, the Red Sox have to keep the opposition to four runs or fewer, which they’ve succeeded in doing in 15 of their last 20 games. That gives their offense at least a fighting chance.

Even better would be some length. Casting aside Tuesday night when the Sox utilized an opener for the first time this year, they’re 12-1 when their starting pitcher gets through six innings or more.

Is a rotation headed by Crochet, Gray, Bello, Suarez and either Tolle or Connelly Early capable of three runs or fewer and six innings or more? On most nights, yes.

That’s the path out of the darkness for these Red Sox, who for all their struggles over the first six weeks, are just two games in back of the third wild card team.

Even without expected depth options like Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval yet available, they’ve gotten strong contributions from Tolle and Bennett, neither of whom began the year with the parent club, never mind part of the rotation.

Still, Thursday served to remind them, that’s a lot to ask with an offense that appears so one-dimensional.

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BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox' 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday:

1. The Red Sox dropped to 16-22 overall and 6-11 at Fenway Park. Boston fell to 11-18 against right-handed starting pitchers. The Rays improved to 25-12.

2. Red Sox rookie Jake Bennett made his second career major league start. He pitched 5 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs, six hits and two walks while striking out one. He threw 52 of his 86 pitches for strikes (60.5%). He induced only five swings and misses: three with his changeup and two with his four-seam fastball, which averaged 92.1 mph.

3. Red Sox reliever Greg Weissert continues to struggle. He replaced Bennett with one out in the sixth inning and inherited a runner at first base. He allowed a bloop single to right field (59.7 mph off the bat) to Jonny DeLuca and walked Ben Williamson to load the bases. He then gave up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Chandler Simpson, who hit a ground ball through the drawn-in infield into center field.

Weissert has a 5.52 ERA and .311 opponent batting average in 17 outings (14 ⅔ innings).

4. Red Sox rookie left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego still has not allowed a run in 13 ⅔ innings. He entered with runners at first and second base and one out. He got Cedric Mullins to pop out to the catcher and Taylor Walls to fly out to left field.

5. A poor base running decision by Willson Contreras cost the Red Sox in the eighth inning. Jarren Duran led off with a bloop double to right field. Contreras rocketed a single (111.9 mph exit velocity) to left field. As left fielder Chandler Simpson threw home, Contreras attempted to advance to second base. But with Duran holding at third, catcher Hunter Feduccia had time to receive the throw and fire to second base to throw out Contreras.

• BETTING: For Friday’s game featuring the Red Sox and the Rays, the over/under is currently at 8.5 total runs on BetMGM. Our comprehensive BetMGM Sportsbook review provides an in-depth guide on how to sign up and use their app.

Boston ended up scoring one run in the inning when Wilyer Abreu’s one-out sacrifice fly to right field plated Duran, cutting it to 6-4.

6. After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the second inning, the Red Sox tied the game with three runs in the bottom half. It wasn’t a very clean inning for the Rays’ defense. It included an error and two infield hits.

7. Caleb Durbin tied the game 3-3 with an RBI single to right field in the third inning. Hehas gone 4 for 12 in his past three games.

8. Under interim manager Chad Tracy, the Red Sox continue to steal bases. Trevor Story stole second base in Boston’s three-run second inning. Wilyer Abreu stole second base after singling with one out in the third inning.

9. Red Sox reliever Ryan Watson’s ERA increased to 6.46. He gave up an RBI triple to Simpson in the eighth inning and a two-run home run to Junior Caminero in the ninth inning.

10. Rays starter Griffin Jax pitched four innings, allowing three runs (two earned), four hits and one walk while striking out three.

11. The Red Sox and Rays will play the second game of their four-game series at 7:10 p.m. on Friday. Lefty Connelly Early (2-2, 3.79 ERA) will start for Boston opposite Tampa righty Jesse Scholtens (3-1, 3.18 ERA).

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MassLive’s Fenway Insider Sean McAdam hosted a live mailbag Thursday at 12 p.m. and highlighted the latest news from the Boston Red Sox.

Throughout the mailbag, McAdam and Boston sports reporter Lauren Campbell discussed the recent Red Sox slump prior to a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, the pitching issues and options for the potential next manager.

Tune in every week for a live mailbag with McAdam that’s exclusive to Fenway Insider subscribers.

Have a question? Send McAdam an email at fenwayinsider@masslive.com or leave a voicemail at 413-788-1119. Voicemails may be played on the live show.

Check out Thursday’s show in the video below:

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DETROIT — The Red Sox took out their frustrations on Tigers lefty Framber Valdez with a 10-run barrage early in Tuesday’s game. Valdez appeared to show his frustrations by hitting Trevor Story with a pitch — and it led to his ejection as well as the benches and bullpens clearing.

After Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back homers that gave the Red Sox a 10-2 lead in the fourth inning, Valdez drilled Story in the back with a 94 mph first-pitch fastball. Story was immediately held back by home plate umpire Adam Beck as members of the Red Sox dugout poured over the railing. Contreras came out and was particularly animated as players from both clubs spilled onto the field. No punches or pushes were thrown but both teams’ bullpens jogged in from left field.

Valdez was ejected by crew chief Dan Iassogna, who clearly believed the pitch was intentional. It ended a brutal night on the mound for Valdez, who allowed 10 runs (including seven earned runs) on nine hits (three homers) while recording just nine outs.

Both Story and interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said they thought the pitch was intentional, though Valdez denied it after the game, a 10-3 Boston win.

“Yes, I do think so,” said Tracy when asked if he thought the pitch was intentional. “I thought it was weak and I thought everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it. It was weak.”

Added Story: “I was in there ready to hit and it showed up way behind me, off the numbers. I think we all know what’s what... It’s pretty indisputable.”

Valdez did not appear pleased with how Contreras flipped his bat and admired his homer after smoking a pitch 449 feet into the left-field bleachers.

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DETROIT — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (15-21) blow out the Tigers, 10-3, in a game that featured a bludgeoning of Framber Valdez, a strong Brayan Bello performance and a near-brawl at Comerica Park:

1) It wasn’t quite a brawl, but the Red Sox and Tigers found themselves at the brink of fisticuffs in the fourth inning after Valdez — who had just given up back-to-back homers to give the Red Sox 10 runs by the fourth — hit Trevor Story in the upper back with a 94 mph first-pitch fastball. Story clearly thought it was intentional, and so did crew chief Dan Iassogna, who ejected Valdez after the benches cleared.

Boston’s dugout emptied out with agitated agitator Willson Contreras leading the charge against Valdez. The Tigers bench emptied, too, and both teams’ bullpens ran in, but no punches or pushes were thrown. The Red Sox, working with a big lead, never retaliated.

Both Story and interim manager Chad Tracy said after the game that they thought Valdez threw at Story intentionally, with Tracy calling the actions “weak.”

2) The biggest development of the night for the Red Sox? Bello put together a fantastic outing in a somewhat-adjusted role. Pitching in relief of opener Jovani Morán, Bello pitched seven very solid innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven Tigers batters.

It helped some that the Red Sox opened up a massive lead early in the game. But Bello was good before that, needing just seven pitches to record his first three outs. It remains to be seen how the Red Sox will use the righty from here, but he staved off some potential hard conversations by looking like the best version of himself against Detroit.

Bello had allowed 12 earned runs on 19 hits in seven innings over his last two outings. With Tuesday’s performance, his ERA dropped from 9.12 to 7.44.

3) Considering the opponent, Boston’s bats put together perhaps their best performance of the season against Valdez, who had stymied a similar lineup at Fenway on April 19. The lefty pounded the strike zone for his entire outing — and the Red Sox hit him all over the field.

Ceddanne Rafaela’s three-run, opposite-field homer with two outs in the first inning was the salvo fired. Then, after a scoreless second, the Sox’ offense exploded in the third. With one out, the Sox laced five straight singles as Rafaela, Andruw Monasterio, Caleb Durbin and Connor Wong all drove in runs. To lead off the fourth, Willson Contreras pulled a no-doubt homer and Wilyer Abreu hit a left-on-left missile to lead off the inning. The back-to-back shots made it 10-2.

Also of no doubt? The fact Contreras’ demonstrative bat flip played a role in Valdez’s decision to plunk Story.

In all, the usually steady Valdez allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits while getting just nine outs.

4) All around, it was a very good night for the Red Sox, who will have a chance to sweep their first series of the year Wednesday. Quietly, the club is 6-4 in their last 10, which is something considering all of the turmoil and drama — and a difficult schedule.

Before Tuesday, the Red Sox had won the opening game of a series five times — and lost four of those series while tying the other. They are back up to six games under .500 at 15-21.

5) On a night when the Red Sox had many offensive standouts, Rafaela led the way with four RBIs (his third such game in the last two years). Abreu, who homered off a lefty for the first time this year — and just the third time ever — had three hits, like Rafaela. Caleb Durbin had two.

In all, every Red Sox starter had a hit except for the No. 1 (Jarren Duran) and No. 9 (Isiah Kiner-Falefa) hitters. A 5-for-10 (.500) showing with runners in scoring position was welcomed, too, as the club had double-digit hits for the second straight night.

6) At first, the Red Sox’ master plan to have Bello come in after Morán didn’t work out. Pitching with a 3-0 lead, Morán labored through a 37-pitch first inning in which he faced eight Tigers hitters (and allowed two to score). He avoided even worse damage by striking out Zach McKinstry with the bases loaded to end the inning.

7) The win also featured yet another major league debut for a Red Sox pitcher as 29-year-old lefty Alec Gamboa pitched the ninth. Gamboa, who was promoted from Triple-A on Monday, worked a scoreless inning and recorded two strikeouts.

Gamboa became the seventh Red Sox hurler to debut this season, joining Ryan Watson, Tyler Uberstine, Tyler Samaniego, Jack Anderson, Eduardo Rivera and Jake Bennett.

8) The Red Sox will activate righty Sonny Gray (2-1, 4.30 ERA) off the injured list in order to start Wednesday’s series finale at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Tigers will send righty Jack Flaherty (0-2, 5.90 ERA) to the mound as they try to avoid a sweep.

Boston will then fly home after the game and host a seven-game homestand with the Rays and Phillies set to visit Fenway Park.

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