The Red Sox entered Sunday’s finale in Texas in the same position as last year’s opening series in Seattle: looking to salvage a series split after winning Opening Day followed by back-to-back losses.

There was no triumphant deja vu on Sunday, however, as they dropped the series with a quiet (and therefore quick) 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

“We believe we have a good team too, and we expected to win the series,” manager Alex Cora told reporters postgame. “We didn’t do it.”

While top prospect Roman Anthony was blasting two home runs in Triple-A Worcester, the big-leaguers continued squandering scoring opportunities. The Boston bats were 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Six times, they had a man in scoring position with two outs and stranded him.

It was a quiet day at the plate overall. The Red Sox managed five hits, the Rangers six. Yet Boston had nearly twice as many runners; whereas their pitching staff didn’t yield a single walk, Texas gifted their guests five, plus a hit-by-pitch (Jarren Duran). And on base, the Red Sox were aggressive; Ceddanne Rafaela, Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu, and Alex Bregman all stole their first bags of the season. The issue, carrying over from the previous games, was that too often, no one could bring them home; they were 1 for 24 RISP with 20 men left on base over the last two games, and finished the series 6 for 41 RISP with 32 left.

“We will hit, we know that,” said Cora. “I’m pleased that we’re moving the line. … We got 24 at-bats with men in scoring position.”

“We just didn’t pick guys up when we were on the bases, and it starts with me,” Bregman told reporters postgame. “Obviously, I had a lot of chances this series, guys did a good job getting on base in front of me, and I gotta be better and come through in those spots, and I will be.”

As the big bats continued going quietly – Rafael Devers is now 0 for 16 with 12 strikeouts to begin the season – Abreu and Kristian Campbell were the bright spots again, driving in and scoring both of their team’s runs. Abreu capped off a stellar long weekend – or as his manager put it, “excellent, excellent” – with a double, run, RBI, stolen base, and three walks, the last one intentional. His seven hits on the season are tied with Toronto’s Bo Bichette for the most in the majors, and he’s batting .700 with a 2.300 OPS.

“We didn’t talk about (Abreu) in spring training because he was sick, but there was a plan in place in the offseason and he executed, and you can see he’s covering different pitches now” Cora said. “He’s always been patient and I think now that he feels really good at the plate, balanced, and able to catch up with the fastball, there’s no panic, right? There’s no chases.”

“I like to stay humble at the plate and look for a pitch that I can do damage with,” said Abreu via translator Carlos Villoria Benitez. (Abreu’s two homers lead the roster, and Campbell is the only other Red Sox player to hit one so far.)

Campbell, who rose from High-A to Triple-A last season and made his major league debut on Opening Day, collected his second double of the series and scored Boston’s other run. His six hits are tied with six players, including Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, for second in the majors.

Another Red Sox rookie also had a strong showing on Sunday. Going up against two-time Cy Young-winner Jacob deGrom, who went five scoreless innings and yielded only two hits, two walks, and struck out six, Richard Fitts went six innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits, with four strikeouts and zero walks.

“He was really good,” Cora said of Fitts. “I think overall, he gave us a chance to win. He’s been doing that for a while. He’s throwing excellent. Like I said before the game, he earned a spot.”

After filling the diamond on three consecutive singles in the second, Fitts retired the next 12 consecutive batters before Wyatt Langford led off the bottom of the sixth with a game-tying homer. The Rangers retook the lead moments later on Adolis García’s one-out round-tripper, and never relinquished it.

Fitts, who doubled his pitch mix from three to six after his late-season debut last fall, exited with his pitch count at 71 pitches, 53 for strikes, feeling like he could’ve kept going.

“I felt great. I felt like it was almost my first inning, felt like I was more comfortable, and felt like I was in a groove, so (I) felt like I could’ve kept going, but I liked where we went, too,” he told reporters.

Of all the wasted opportunities, the eighth inning stood out, as Bregman led off with a single and steal, instantly putting him in scoring position. By then, the Rangers had seen more than enough of Abreu. Former teammate Chris Martin intentionally walked him, putting runners on the corners with two outs, then promptly struck out Wong to end the rally attempt.

The Red Sox had all the makings of a storybook comeback in the ninth when Duran’s two-out double set the stage for Devers to come through and turn both his and the team’s weekend around. Devers patiently worked a seven-pitch walk, but Bregman struck out to end the game.

“The last at-bat was a good one,” Cora said of Devers’ two-out walk.

“Jarren and Raffy had huge at-bats right there in the ninth inning and guys did a really good job earlier – I feel like Willy was on base all series, he was great for us all series so far,” Bregman said. “I think just simplifying a little bit. I feel like hitting is contagious, you know, so feel like we’re all gonna get going here pretty quick and I’m looking forward to that.”

For now, however, the Red Sox are hitting .196 and leading the American League in strikeouts.

“We gotta slow it down,” Cora said. “deGrom today, he used his offspeed pitches more than usual and we expanded with him, sliders down and away, and then there was another at-bat we chased it up. We just gotta make sure we don’t chase. If we stay in the zone and obviously, make contact, we’re gonna be in a good place.”

On the plus side, the bullpen emerged from the series unscathed, their 0.00 ERA intact. Justin Wilson and Justin Slaten pitched an inning apiece to round out the afternoon.

On to Baltimore, where the Red Sox must play three against the hard-hitting Orioles before they can finally come home on Friday.

“I saw a lot of good things overall this series. Obviously not the results that we were looking for, but I have a lot of confidence that we’re going to turn it around here rather quickly,” Bregman said. “I thought we threw the ball pretty well, I thought we played good defense and got on base, I feel like things just weren’t fully clicking offensively yet like I know they will this year.”