The Boston Red Sox were sputtering heading into Sunday’s tilt against the Chicago White Sox and needed a stopper. Boston dropped its first two games against the White Sox and needed Garrett Crochet to take the mound and get the team back on track.

Yasmani Grandal signed with the Red Sox in large part because he might have a chance to work with his all-time favorite player, Jason Varitek. But as Alex Cora noted Sunday, a promotion from Triple-A is no guarantee.

The White Sox put the hurt on the Red Sox on Friday night, winning 11-1. Most of the damage, however, was self-inflicted. Visiting a team that entered the series 2-10, on an eight-game losing