The Red Sox lost to the Orioles, 9-7, in an action-packed 105th Fenway Park Opening Day Monday afternoon. The winning runs were scored when Orioles softball-league slugger Chris Davis mashed a 433-foot, three-run homer off new Sox closer Craig Kimbrel into the triangle in Fenway’s center field in the top of the ninth inning.

So now your 2016 Boston Red Sox are 3-3 after six games and you are legitimately left to wonder if we are in for another wasted summer of baseball.

Six games is a small sample. But the Sox have done little to suggest they are back in the mix in 2016. The American League East clearly is a scramble and the 6-0 Orioles are not going to sustain their unbeatable pace, but what are we to make of the Local Nine, who could not win the home opener on a day in which their $217 million ace was staked to a 3-0 lead after two innings?

The Fenway opener suggests that it’s time to pay special attention to the overachieving Celtics on Causeway Street. The star-less Celtics finish their regular season Wednesday, start the playoffs this weekend, and will be playing crucial games at the end of April.

Cool. But what are we to make of the Olde Town Team? What have the 2016 Red Sox done thus far to indicate they deserve your love? Where is the sugggestion that they have found their way and can compete with the playoff Big Boys of the American League?

The final score of Monday’s Fenway opener was not a party-starter for long-suffering Red Sox Nation.

The pregame ceremony started with the playing of John Lennon’s “Imagine’’ — while the big video board played a montage of David Ortiz’s greatest hits. It was clear Dr. Charles Steinberg had been freed from his basement dungeon at Fenway for at least one day. A strong move by the Sox. Additional kudos to the estimable Sarah McKennafor delivering the Gospel of Sox.

Imagine a World Without Big Papi. It’s not easy. Even if you try.

After the kickoff video tribute to Ortiz, master of pregame ceremonies Joe Castiglione (34th year with the Sox) introduced both teams with great gusto while the stands were still filling up. There were a few boos when Pablo Sandoval was introduced, but nothing wildly offensive. Sox manager John Farrell got a robust round of appplause when he trotted out to the first base line.

Moments later, Castiglione introduced, “Our Beloved Big Papi!’’ and fans chanted “Papi, Papi,’’ while Ortiz came out of the dugout and gladhanded the conga line assembled between home plate and first base. It was a festival of cornball. At the end of the intros, we heard, “Warming up in the bullpen, are we glad he’s on our side, No. 24, David Price!!’’

Then came perhaps the best moment of the day when Ortiz’s 15-year-old daughter, Alex, sang the national anthem, A cappella. The kid crushed it the way her dad crushes 84 mile-per-hour fastballs. When Alex’s stirring rendition was over, her proud dad walked over and hugged her while organist Josh Kantor broke into Stevie Wonder’s homage to a baby daughter, “Isn’t She Lovely.’’ Nice touch by the good doctor.

“I was more nervous during that time than during any at-bat I’ve ever had in my career,’’ Ortiz said.

Next up was the parade of legends. Ty Law, Bobby Orr, and Bill Russell were introduced to the crowd before Ortiz was summoned from the dugout for the Boston sports Mount Rushmore first pitch. Russell moves slowly and deliberately these days, so Ortiz took the big center’s left arm and guided him to a spot in front of the mound. After the four tosses were delivered simultaneously, Orr and Law led Russell off the field while Ortiz stayed in front of the mound and greeted former teammates Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, and Jason Varitek for a Four Way Street delivery of “play ball.’’

It was 57 degrees when Price delivered his first pitch at 2:05 p.m.

Ortiz gave the folks what they were looking for when he drilled a ball off the Monster in his first at-bat. It was the fourth straight single for the Sox in that inning and it gave the home team a 2-0 lead in a three-run inning. While Ortiz stood at first base, his talented daughter was answering questions from the media in the fifth-floor press dining room.

David Price? Up 3-0 in the third? Game over, right?

It went downhill from there. Price gave up a three-run homer to Mark Trumbo and surrendered five in the third. The Red Sox tied it with a pair in the fourth and it went back and forth until Davis delivered his slam-dunk game-changer in the ninth — minutes after “Sweet (so good, so good, so good) Caroline.’’

Clay Buchholz (0-0, 11.25 ERA) gets the ball for Boston Tuesday night at Fenway. Anyone feeling good about that?

Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com