At this point the Red Sox are no stranger to the injury bug. The club was crushed by injuries each of the last two seasons, and this year it’s starting to feel like the roster is being held together by duct tape and bubble gum.

With Tyler O’Neill, Vaughn Grissom, Romy Gonzalez and now Wilyer Abreu all being placed on the injured list within the past week, and with big bats like Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida previously sidelined, the Red Sox have exhausted their supply of position players on the 40-man roster. The pitching staff hasn’t been spared either, and lately it’s seemed like every day the club’s needed to plug another hole just to stay above water.

Alex Cora has seen his guys sink before, and he’s determined not to let it happen again.

“There’s no excuses, no feeling sorry for the group,” Cora said pregame. “We’ve been through this (expletive) for two years, and we have to turn the page.”

Unfortunately, grit can only get you so far when you’re completely outgunned.

Using a patchwork lineup while facing one of the best teams in baseball, the Red Sox were overwhelmed by the Atlanta Braves in Tuesday’s series opener, losing 8-3 to fall below .500. Ozzie Albies delivered the exclamation mark with his go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the sixth, and Braves starter Max Fried diced the depleted Red Sox up for a career-high 13 strikeouts.

How dire is the state of Boston’s current roster? Bobby Dalbec, who has exclusively played infield throughout his big league career, made his first MLB start at right field. Jamie Westbrook, a journeyman who played 11 seasons in the minors before making his big league debut on Sunday, not only played second in his first MLB start, but was slotted fifth in the lineup.

The lack of cohesion was on display early. In the top of the third Atlanta benefitted from two Red Sox errors, both committed by first baseman Dominic Smith, to score a pair of unearned runs. Both runs scored after former Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall tapped a grounder to second, leading to a botched connection between Westbrook and Smith.

But taking a cue from their manager, the Red Sox didn’t roll over without a fight.

Smith earned a measure of redemption in the bottom of the third when he skied a solo home run to the edge of the Green Monster. Then in the bottom of the fourth the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out against Fried and took a 3-2 lead on a two-run single by Bobby Dalbec.

The lead proved short lived.

Atlanta tied the game with an RBI single by Sean Murphy in the top off the fifth, and in the sixth Albies took Kutter Crawford deep for a three-run home run to put the Braves ahead 6-3. Orlando Arcia tacked on a solo shot of his own off Chase Anderson in the seventh, and after each home run the huge contingent of road fans made their presence felt, with Tomahawk Chop chants breaking out inside Fenway Park following both.

Michael Harris finished the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the ninth.

Fried was dominant as well. Though he allowed three runs, only two were earned and the left-hander otherwise carved up the Red Sox for 13 strikeouts over seven innings. He allowed four hits, walked one and hit a batter.

Crawford, meanwhile, was charged with four earned runs over six innings. It marked the second straight outing a huge home run spoiled what was otherwise a solid start, following the grand slam he surrendered to Gunnar Henderson last time out in Baltimore.

With the loss Boston falls to 30-31, and at this point the sense of deja vu is getting impossible to ignore. In 2022 the Red Sox stood at 32-29 after 61 games and last year they were 31-30. Whatever the extenuating circumstances and no matter the seeming improvements along the way, the on-field product remains stuck in neutral as the Red Sox remain a .500 club.

The good news is help should be on the way. O’Neill is expected back from the IL as soon as Wednesday and Gonzalez and Abreu’s stints aren’t expected to be long ones. Yoshida could start a rehab assignment this weekend and Casas is eligible to come off the IL on June 21.

Those bats will make a world of difference, but for now the Red Sox have no choice but to keep their heads up while they fight against the current.

Sox honor Sale

While he won’t pitch in this week’s two-game series, former Red Sox ace Chris Sale is back at Fenway Park for the first time since being traded this past offseason after seven seasons in Boston. Following the first inning the Red Sox played a tribute to Sale, who received a nice ovation from the fans and responded by tipping his cap to the crowd.

Plagued by injury throughout his last five seasons with the Red Sox, Sale has enjoyed a career renaissance so far in Atlanta. The left-hander is currently 8-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 67.2 innings through his first 11 starts with the Braves.