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Sox Defeat Twins as Trade Winds Blow

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – This is the time of the season when a hug can set off alarm bells.

The Minnesota Twins will try their best to avoid distractions when they face the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon in the teams’ final game before the trade deadline.

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On Tuesday night, Twins closer Jhoan Duran sparked a social-media firestorm when he was spotted giving a hug to the team’s bullpen catcher. Fans quickly speculated that the gesture meant that Duran had been told that he was traded.

Fans’ fears subsided almost as quickly once reports emerged that Duran still was on the Twins and that no trade was imminent.

The Twins hope to produce more runs — and avoid any ominous dugout embraces — when they meet the Red Sox in the decisive contest of a three-game set. Minnesota won the series opener 5-4 on Monday before falling 8-5 on Tuesday.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora hopes that his team’s offensive production will continue. He praised several of his hitters, including Trevor Story, for their recent approach at the plate.

Story will try to stay hot after he went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs on Tuesday night. He has 16 homers and a team-best 64 RBIs on the season.

“Solid season,” Cora said. “It didn’t look that way before we went to Milwaukee, and he turned it around. He’s actually one of the best offensive shortstops in the big leagues right now.”

Jarren Duran has provided a spark, too. The Boston outfielder contributed a double and a homer in the Tuesday win while batting third in the lineup for the third day in a row.

“The last month, if you look at it, I think it’s like .950 OPS (for Jarren Duran),” Cora said. “He’s getting on base. Hitting the ball all over the place.

“He’s in a good spot. We like this lineup, we really do.”

Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (2-2, 4.97 ERA) will try to subdue Boston’s lineup. Matthews is coming off his best start of the season, when he fired six scoreless innings on Friday against the Washington Nationals. He allowed two hits, walked none and struck out seven.

Matthews has made one career start against the Red Sox. He gave up one run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings during a no-decision on Sept. 22, 2024.

Boston will counter with Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA). The 26-year-old right-hander will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat after dropping his past two starts to the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In two career starts against Minnesota, Bello is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He didn’t get a decision vs. Minnesota on May 2 after permitting one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Twins’ lineup will not be at full strength after the team placed All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton on the injured list because of soreness in his left ribcage. Carlos Correa also is uncertain for the series finale after leaving the Tuesday game because he felt light-headed.

Other players including Jhoan Duran, Joe Ryan, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Danny Coulombe will try to avoid distractions with their names mentioned in trade rumors.

Coulombe acknowledged that the next couple days might feature a lot of uncertainty.

“It’s impossible not to (think about it),” the left-handed reliever said. “Your life gets flipped upside down. You’re with a different team, new city, new teammates — not to mention all the logistical parts for wives and families. It’s definitely unsettling.”

–Field Level Media

Twins Weather the Storm, Beat Sox

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Minnesota Twins’ patience paid off after they waited out a big storm. Now, the Twins hope brighter days are ahead.

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Minnesota will face the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night in the second installment of a three-game series in Minneapolis. The Twins are coming off a 5-4 comeback win in the series opener after a ninth-inning rain delay that lasted 90 minutes.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Twins trailed 4-3. They emerged with the victory when Brooks Lee delivered a walk-off, two-run single with the bases loaded. It was a much-needed win for a team that entered the game 3-6 since the All-Star break.

You fight hard for like 2 1/2 hours and you end up in an hour-plus rain delay,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Then you come out and it’s still a great opportunity and a time to make something happen, and our guys came out. They all went up there and had good at-bats, every one of our guys. …

“It’s not that easy to sit around and then just show up and head out there and face a guy throwing 100 mph sinkers (Jordan Hicks) and win the at-bats.”

The Red Sox will try to even the series at one win apiece Tuesday as they look to improve their record in a hard-fought American League East. Boston won back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Dodgers before losing the series opener in Minnesota.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said his team was in a good spot in the ninth, but the delay seemed to change the game’s momentum.

“There’s nothing you can do against Mother Nature,” he said.

Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.97 ERA) is scheduled to make his 16th start of the season on Tuesday. He is coming off a rocky outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, who tagged him for five runs on six hits in four innings on Wednesday in a game Boston won 9-8 in 11 innings.

Giolito, 31, is 8-10 with a 4.25 ERA in 24 career starts against the Twins. He last faced them in 2023, when he went 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA in four starts against them.

The Twins have not announced a starter for Tuesday’s game.

Earlier Monday, Minnesota said goodbye to one of its veteran starting pitchers when it dealt right-hander Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers for 19-year-old Enrique Jimenez, a minor league catcher/first baseman. The Twins also sent right-hander Randy Dobnak to Detroit.

Baldelli said his players were doing a good job at staying focused on the game in front of them while they also had to bid farewell to friends and teammates.

“It’s the time of the year where sometimes there’s movement on the roster and guys can come in or are going (away),” Baldelli said. “To be able to focus and play a really good ballgame, to challenge guys in different spots and watch them come through, you have to kind of want it.

“It’s a challenging day saying goodbye to a guy that you care about that’s done good work for us in ‘Paddy,’ but watching guys step up for us on a day that’s kind of an emotional day is great. It’s really great.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Take Dodgers Series

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Alex Bregman hammered a go-ahead two-run homer to help the Red Sox defeat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Sunday. The Red Sox took the three-game series, 2-1.

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Bregman’s 13th home run of the year came against Los Angeles starting pitcher Dustin May to conclude a three-run fifth inning.

Michael Conforto had three hits — a solo home run and two doubles — for the Dodgers, who also received two hits from Shohei Ohtani.

The Red Sox prevailed twice in the three-game series. Los Angeles won 5-2 Friday, and Boston earned a 4-2 victory Saturday.

Boston starter Walker Buehler pitched against the Dodgers — his former team — for the first time in his career, and was pulled with two outs in the fifth. Buehler gave up three runs on four hits, struck out four and walked five.

Brennan Bernardino (4-2) earned the win for recording the final out of the fifth inning.

Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman left the game with one out in the eighth. He threw 11 pitches in the inning and walked two. Jordan Hicks got the final five outs for Boston for his second save.

May (6-7) pitched the first five innings for Los Angeles. He surrendered four runs on five hits and struck out five without a walk.

The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Roman Anthony was hit by a pitch, took third on Jarren Duran’s single and scored on Trevor Story’s sacrifice fly to center field. It was the second time the Red Sox have scored first in their nine games since the All-Star break.

Boston regained the lead by scoring three times in the fifth. It was 3-2 after Roman Anthony hit an RBI triple that drove in Abraham Toro, and Bregman followed with his two-run home run that put Boston in front.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox, Crochet Prevail vs LA

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Garrett Crochet allowed two solo home runs in the top of the first, but then pitched five shutout innings to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Saturday night.

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Crochet (12-4) limited the Dodgers to two runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out 10 and walked two.

It was the fifth time this season Crochet has recorded 10 or more strikeouts and allowed no more than two earned runs in at least six innings.

Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez each homered against Crochet. Ohtani opened the game by hitting his 38th home run of the season. Two batters later Hernandez hit his 16th home run, which was his second in as many games.

Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran each collected three hits for the Red Sox, who also received two hits from Roman Anthony. Duran had two triples and a double.

Boston overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the second. The key hit in the inning was Duran’s two-run triple.

Hyeseong Kim collected two of the Dodgers’ nine hits.

Mookie Betts was not in the Dodgers starting lineup, but did pinch hit with two outs and a runner on first in the ninth. He struck out looking against Aroldis Chapman for the game’s final out. Chapman earned his 18th save.

Betts did not play in Los Angeles’ 5-2 victory on Friday night because he was in Tennessee taking care of a personal matter.

Los Angeles starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw exited the mound with two outs in the fifth. He gave up four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out two.

The Dodgers grabbed a 2-0 lead on the first-inning home runs from Ohtani and Hernandez, but Boston took the lead by scoring three runs in the second. After Duran tied the game with his two-run triple, Abraham Toro drove in Duran on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Boston added to its lead in the fifth. Bregman reached on a two-out single and scored on Anthony’s double to make it 4-2.

–Field Level Media

Teoscar Winning Performance

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -LA’s Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run home run to help the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

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After Freddie Freeman singled to open the eighth inning, Hernandez homered against Boston reliever Jorge Alcala to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2. It was his 15th home run of the season. Hernandez drove in three of Los Angeles’ five runs.

Freeman, Will Smith and Andy Pages each collected two hits in the victory, but Shohei Ohtani failed to homer for the sixth straight game. Ohtani went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Emmet Sheehan (2-1) pitched the first five innings for Los Angeles. He surrendered two runs on three hits, struck out five and walked two. The Dodgers’ bullpen provided four scoreless innings, including a scoreless ninth from Ben Casparius.

The Red Sox had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth, but Casparius retired Rob Refsnyder on a grounder to second to end the game. It was his first major league save.

Boston starting pitcher Brayan Bello (6-5) was pulled with one out in the sixth. He gave up three runs on six hits, struck out five and walked two.

The Red Sox were limited to five hits: doubles by Connor Wong, Alex Bregman and Trevor Story, and singles by Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida.

The Dodgers grabbed a 3-0 lead by scoring a run in the second and two in the third. Pages made it 1-0 when he scored from third on Tommy Edman’s infield single. It was 2-0 after Ohtani scored when Hernandez drew a bases-loaded walk, and Smith scored on a Pages sacrifice fly to give Los Angeles a 3-0 advantage.

The Red Sox sliced their deficit to 3-2 by scoring twice in the bottom of the third. Wong doubled and scored on a Duran single, and then Bregman drove in Duran with a double.

The teams meet again this evening and Sunday afternoon for the three-game set before the Dodgers travel to Cincinnati and the Red Sox hit the road again for a trip to the Twin Cities.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: “Big Series” vs LA Dodgers

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Los Angeles Dodgers may be without a key piece of their lineup Friday when they begin a nine-game road trip by opening a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

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Following Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said shortstop Mookie Betts could miss Friday’s game while he takes care of a personal matter.

“There might be some things going on that he might not be around, that he’s got to deal with personally,” Roberts said. “Everything is OK with him, but yeah, we’ll see.”

Betts spent the first six seasons of his career in Boston and was the American League MVP in 2018, when he led the Red Sox to a World Series victory over the Dodgers. Betts was traded to the Dodgers in 2020 for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. He’s been an All-Star and earned MVP votes in four of his first five years with Los Angeles.

Betts started a ninth-inning rally in Wednesday’s win with a two-out infield single. After Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked and Esteury Ruiz worked a walk to load the bases, Freddie Freeman hit a game-ending two-run single.

The Dodgers are 2-4 since the All-Star break after going 2-7 before it.

“We needed that one,” said Freeman, who was hitting .210 in July before collecting two hits Wednesday. “That was a huge win for us. Huge series win.”

Boston will likely be short-handed for the weekend series as well, since third baseman Marcelo Mayer left Wednesday’s 9-8 victory over Philadelphia in the fifth inning and was wearing a brace on his right wrist following the game. Mayer said he expects to have an MRI soon.

“I just felt a little tight grab in my wrist when I took a swing in my second at-bat,” Mayer said. “I knew I really couldn’t do anything after that, so I just called it (a day).”

Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning of Wednesday’s win after being called for catcher’s interference against the Phillies on Monday and Tuesday. The Phillies prevailed 3-2 Monday when the interference call came with no outs and the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

“You gotta move forward,” Narvaez said. “You gotta stay on the attack mode.”

Like the Dodgers, the Red Sox are 2-4 since the All-Star break.

Friday’s pitching matchup features a pair of right-handers in Boston’s Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) and Los Angeles’ Emmet Sheehan (1-1. 4.41 ERA).

Bello allowed three runs on five hits in six innings during his only career appearance against the Dodgers last season. Sheehan, who pitched at nearby Boston College, has never faced the Red Sox.

Ohtani enters Friday’s matchup with a home run in each of his last five games. The MLB record for consecutive games with a home run is eight, held by Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993).

“I do know that if he has the same approach that he’s had, that Green Monster is very short, so any fly ball that he hits will be a homer,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who has a pair of long home runs toward left field this week. “So he’s just got to continue to have that same approach when we go to Boston, and then we’ll see what happens.”

–Field Level Media

Nightmare in Philly

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s SP Cristopher Sanchez has emerged as a model of consistency for the Phillies.

After a sizzling finish to the first half of the season, Sanchez takes the mound Tuesday when the Phillies host the Boston Red Sox.

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Sanchez was not chosen for the National League All-Star team despite allowing two runs or fewer in each of his past nine starts. His steadiness in July has been particularly notable, as he has allowed three runs in 21 1/3 innings this month, good for a 1.27 ERA.

“I’m just so proud of (Sanchez) from where he started and where he’s at right now,” manager Rob Thomson said after the lefty gave up one run in 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres in his most recent start on July 13. “Not just stuff, but command, poise and composure.”

The Phillies showed plenty of poise in the 10th inning on Monday, as they plated the winning run without putting a ball in play. Two walks, a wild pitch and a catcher’s-interference call proved to be the decisive formula for Philadelphia against erratic Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks.

Phillies reliever Max Lazar kept his composure in the top of the 10th inning, striking out a pair of Boston hitters (and getting the other to ground out) to keep the game tied, setting up the winning rally.

“He’s been great. I trust him,” Thomson said of Lazar, who emerged with his first major league win. “He’s been really good. And he’s got ice in his veins, too. He’s really cool out there.”

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler allowed two runs and struck out 10 over six innings. Bryce Harper doubled twice and scored a run for the Phillies, who had lost six of their previous nine games.

“You’ve got to win that game. You’ve got to win the series,” Wheeler said. “And hopefully Sanchy can get us that win (Tuesday) to win the series.”

Jarren Duran homered for the Red Sox to open the game against Wheeler, but the visitors managed only one run the rest of the way. The team left eight runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Roman Anthony struck out four times in five at-bats, while Duran, Marcelo Mayer, Carlos Narvaez and Wilyer Abreu all struck out twice.

“We had our chances, we didn’t cash in,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “But shoot, that guy (Wheeler), he’s one of the best — if not the best — in the big leagues.”

On Tuesday, the Red Sox will give the ball to Richard Fitts (1-3, 4.28), who will be making his ninth start of the season. He pitched well in his last appearance, a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on July 7, when he gave up three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

It was the first major league win for Fitts, who said that he planned to frame the lineup card.

“Good velocity, mixing up the off-speed pitches,” said Cora, adding that Fitts has “been good for us — really good. He gives us a chance to win almost every time.”

Fitts will be opposing the Phillies for the first time. Sanchez is 1-0 with a 6.43 ERA in two career starts appearances (one start) vs. Boston.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Roll Into Philly

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston SP Walker Buehler’s season has been quite a grind, but at least he ended the first half with a pair of solid outings.

The veteran right-hander aims to build off those performances Monday when the Boston Red Sox visit the Philadelphia Phillies for the first of three games.

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Buehler (6-6, 6.12 ERA) was an All-Star, a Cy Young Award contender and World Series champion during a long stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he has struggled this season upon signing a one-year, $21 million deal with the Red Sox.

After posting an 11.07 ERA during a difficult June, Buehler has authored a pair of respectable outings this month. He gave up two earned runs in five innings in a win over the Washington Nationals on July 5 and then yielded three runs in six frames in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 10.

“It’s nice to go through a week of prep, the five days or whatever, and not feel like I should just retire,” Buehler said after facing Tampa Bay. “I don’t think I’m going to retire anytime soon, but you get into some really dark places and that’s what happens.”

Buehler will be opposed Monday by Philadelphia ace and fellow righty Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36), who is one of the leading candidates for the NL Cy Young Award. He was extremely consistent during the first half of the season, although he is coming off one of his worst outings of the campaign.

Wheeler allowed four runs and six hits over six innings in a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on July 12. He went on to voluntarily skip the All-Star Game in order to rest up for the second half of the season.

“Baseball is hard, and some days you’re gonna have days like today, and it stinks,” Wheeler said. “But it is baseball at the end of the day, and you’re in the big leagues, so you’ll get hit around a little bit sometimes. And it’s part of it.”

Wheeler has made three career starts against Boston, going 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA. Buehler, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA in four lifetime games (three starts) against Philadelphia.

The Phillies are coming off a series loss against the Los Angeles Angels. The teams split their first two games over the weekend before Philadelphia absorbed an 8-2 defeat on Sunday.

Otto Kemp hit a home run for the Phillies, but the team only managed six hits overall in the series finale.

“I think we just had a lot of weak contact,” the rookie utilityman said.

Boston came out of the All-Star break with a pair of losses against the Cubs in Chicago, but the team recovered to post a 6-1 triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Wilyer Abreu hit a pair of home runs Sunday after going 1-for-12 with six strikeouts over his previous five games.

“He’s got a compact swing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team closed the first half of the season on a 10-game winning streak. “There’s a few things he’s still working on, trying to get better. But we’ll take him every day in the outfield.”

–Field Level Media

Sox: Two Game Losing Streak

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cubs starter Shota Imanaga threw seven scoreless innings, Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker slugged back-to-back home runs in the first, and the Chicago Cubs blanked the visiting Boston, 6-0.  It was the second straight loss for the Red Sox after winning 10 consecutive games before the MLB All-Star break.

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Imanaga (7-3) allowed just five hits, while striking out five and walking one, helping the Cubs take the weekend series and win their fourth straight game. Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ each added solo homers for Chicago, which now holds the majors’ best record (59-39).

Boston starter Brayan Bello (6-4) allowed three runs on six hits in the loss, striking out four and walking one. Masataka Yoshida and Abraham Toro each tallied a pair of hits for Boston, which dropped its second straight game after posting a 10-game winning streak to end the first half.

The Cubs struck quickly in the bottom of the first, as leadoff batter Busch sent the first pitch he saw over the wall for his 20th of the season. Tucker followed up with his 18th of the year to give Chicago an early 2-0 edge.

After Dansby Swanson walked and Nico Hoerner singled to begin the second, Vidal Brujan drove in the Cubs’ third run with a sacrifice fly to left.

Boston threatened to mount a two-out rally in the top of the seventh, as Yoshida singled to right and Toro reached on an infield single, while Yoshida advanced to third on Imanaga’s throwing error. From there it took just one pitch for the Chicago lefty to escape the jam, as Connor Wong was retired on a fly out to second.

Chris Murphy replaced Bello in the seventh, striking out Reese McGuire before allowing rookie Shaw’s third homer of the year with one out.

In relief of Imanaga, Brad Keller struck out the side in the top of the eighth.

Chicago tacked on against Murphy in the bottom of the eighth, as Crow-Armstrong and Happ clubbed consecutive solo home runs to push the Cubs’ lead to 6-0.

–Field Level Media

One Streak Ends Another

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CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – After beginning the second half of the season with an interleague victory, the Chicago Cubs will look to push their winning streak to four games on Saturday night against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Seiya Suzuki — coming off an All-Star snub — propelled the Cubs to a 4-1 win on Friday with a three-run homer in the first inning. Suzuki now leads the National League with 80 RBIs, paired with his team-leading 26 home runs and .555 slugging percentage.

The Cubs’ win ended a 10-game wining streak of the Red Sox.

“Seiya is having a tremendous offensive season,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “You put men on base in front of him and good things seem to happen this year. We’ll keep trying to do that.

“Those guys at the top of the order are all swinging it good and it makes it tough to get through. You have to get through those guys four, five times a night and that’s what makes us a good offense.”

To Counsell’s point, Chicago’s 516 runs and 143 homers each rank second in the NL, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On the mound, Shota Imanaga (6-3, 2.65 ERA) will look to prolong his stellar campaign for the Cubs on Saturday. A left hamstring strain placed the lefty on the injured list for nearly two months, but Imanaga has gone 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts since returning.

He allowed just one run in seven innings in Chicago’s first-half finale against the New York Yankees, a 4-1 Cubs’ win. In his lone career start against the Red Sox, Imanaga surrendered just one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 7-1 win in April 2024.

With the series-opening loss on Friday, Boston shelved its 10-game winning streak come to a close – the longest for the franchise since a 10-game stretch in 2018.

On a day the Red Sox produced little offense, a baserunning mistake by Abraham Toro proved crucial in the club’s first loss since July 2. With Boston trailing by two runs in the fifth, Toro was doubled out at second base by All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to stunt a Red Sox rally.

“That fifth inning, we had a rally going and I’ve got to put the blame on me,” Toro said. “Being thrown out in a double play kills rallies. Just have to learn from it and go again tomorrow.”

Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14) is slated to make his 17th appearance (16th start) for Boston. A winner in three consecutive starts, Bello is 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA in July.

Last time out, the 26-year-old right-hander allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bello has faced the Cubs once in his career, throwing six innings of three-run ball in an 8-3 win in July 2023.

Boston’s pitching staff will look to continue a stretch that’s seen it go 11 straight games of allowing four runs or fewer.

–Field Level Media