#Adam Ottavino’s Yankees problems have followed him to Red Sox

Switching sides in the rivalry hasn’t fixed all of Adam Ottavino’s issues.

Sunday, his struggles contributed to the Red Sox losing out on a sweep of the Angels. It forced closer Matt Barnes into the eighth inning, and he allowed a game-winning two-run shot in the ninth to Shohei Ohtani.

Ottavino, the former Yankee from Brooklyn, threw just nine of 19 pitches for strikes and put two runners on.

“I don’t think Adam was sharp today,” manager Alex Cora told reporters.

Overall, Ottavino’s numbers aren’t bad. He has a 3.86 ERA and has 20 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. But he has walked 12 hitters and has a 1.47 WHIP. In the 17 times this year Ottavino has faced three hitters or more, he has allowed at least one baserunner 82 percent of the time, according to The Boston Globe.

Ottavino said he needs to trust his stuff more, and not try to be so perfect. But Cora remains high on the right-hander.

“His stuff is really good. We’re counting on him to get outs in the seventh and the eighth whenever we need him,” Cora said. “We’re going to keep trusting him. He’s one of the best ones.”

The Yankees traded Ottavino to the Red Sox this offseason as a salary dump after he had a 5.86 ERA last season in The Bronx.