Franchy Cordero's three errors sink Red Sox below .500

BOSTON -- Franchy Cordero is not a first baseman. But the Boston Red Sox continue to trot the 27-year-old out to a position that he clearly cannot play, and it continues to cost them games.

The downward spiral continued for the Red Sox on Wednesday, and it's just getting uglier and uglier. This time it was a hat trick of errors by Cordero -- including two on the same play -- that sank the team in a 7-6 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, dropping the Red Sox below .500 on the season.

Cordero's first two miscues came during Cleveland's three-run second inning, leading to a pair of unearned runs for Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi. After Cordero booted a Nolan Jones chopper for a fielding error, he made matters worse by airmailing the ball to first. His throw went nowhere near Eovaldi, who was covering the bag, and allowed Franmil Reyes to score and gave the Guardians runners at second and third with no outs. Two batters later, both runners had crossed the plate and Cleveland owned a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox battled back thanks to a pair of homers by Bobby Dalbec, who has moved across the diamond from first to third to cover for the injured Rafael Devers. Dalbec's second homer -- a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth -- gave Boston a 6-5 lead.

That's the advantage they took into the eighth inning, when Cordero's lack of leather struck again. John Schreiber was on the bump for his second inning of work. Jones led off the frame with another grounder to first, and Cordero initially made the play. Lesson learned, perhaps?

No. Not at all. Cordero carelessly rushed the throw and sent it over Schreiber's head and into the Boston dugout. Jones was given an infield single and advanced to second on Cordero's third error of the night. Jones scored the game-tying run a few batters later on an RBI double by Myles Straw.

"I was trying to make the play but those throws got away from me," Cordero said after the game through his interpreter. "I should have taken more time on the second play."

Bad things tend to happen when you give teams extra outs and free base runners, and that's what happened to Boston on Wednesday night. Again. Giving up two unearned runs in a one-run loss is the kind of sting that the Red Sox have become accustomed to during July.

The Guardians won on a solo homer by Josh Naylor in the top of the ninth, sending Boston to a 7-6 defeat. The Red Sox are now 49-50 on the season, below .500 for the first time since June 4.

"When you don't play good defense, this is what happens," manager Alex Cora said after the loss.  

Cordero came up as an outfielder, but Boston started to work him out at first base last season. He played just seven games at first in the minors and 11 for Boston last season. He has played 299 innings at first base this season, and has been charged with eight errors. 

"He's still learning the position," said Cora. "He hasn't played too much at first base. He's been better than last year, but obviously there's going to be plays that it's the first time it happens or he's going to rush to do it. It's just tough."

Don't blame Franchy. He is not a first baseman. Blame the Red Sox for pretending that Cordero is a first baseman, and for not addressing the position at any point this season. Or last season, or the season before that. (Kyle Schwarber was not a first baseman either, and he too struggled defensively when plugged into the position.)

The trade deadline is less than a week away, and it is abundantly clear that the Red Sox need a first baseman -- a real first baseman -- if they want any shot at getting back into the playoff picture. It is no longer a position that Chaim Bloom can ignore if the goal really is to make a run at the postseason this year.