Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

MLB

NL Wins with Schwarber’s Swing-Off

by

ATLANTA  – (Wire Service Report) – The National League beat the American League 4-3 in the All-Star Game’s first-ever “swing-off” on Tuesday night.

Embed from Getty Images

The game was tied 6-6 after nine innings, so the teams competed in a three-man Home Run Derby in which AL manager Aaron Boone selected Brent Rooker, Randy Arozarena and Jonathan Aranda, while NL manager Dave Roberts picked Kyle Stowers, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso.

Each player was to receive three swings to hit as many home runs as possible. Rooker launched two, while Stowers went 1-for-3. Arozarena hit one before Schwarber sent all three out to give the NL a 4-3 running lead entering the final round.

Aranda then went 0-for-3, clinching the bizarre National League victory — the league’s second All-Star Game win in three years after dropping the previous nine.

Trailing 6-0, the American League mounted a rally in the seventh, as San Diego’s Adrian Morejon allowed a single to Alejandro Kirk and walked Jonathan Aranda. Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez entered and surrendered Rooker’s three-run homer. Bobby Witt Jr. later drove in the AL’s fourth run on a groundout.

Embed from Getty Images

Byron Buxton and Witt each doubled to pull the AL within one run against San Diego’s Robert Suarez in the ninth. Mets closer Edwin Diaz then entered and retired Jazz Chisholm Jr. before Steven Kwan tied the game with an infield single.

Boston’s Aroldis Chapman retired the side in the bottom of the ninth.

The NL struck first in the home half of the first inning. Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and hometown favorite Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. reached on singles, before Arizona’s Ketel Marte laced a two-run double to right against AL starter Tarik Skubal.

In the sixth, after Fernando Tatis Jr. walked and Brendan Donovan singled, Alonso belted a three-run blast off Kansas City’s Kris Bubic to give the National League a 5-0 advantage.

Casey Mize then replaced Bubic, surrendering a 414-foot solo homer to Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll to extend the margin to six runs.

Making his second All-Star Game start in as many seasons, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes struck out Detroit Tigers Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in the first before inducing Aaron Judge into a groundout in the ace’s lone inning.

– Field Level Media

Raleigh Cap

by

ATLANTA  – Seattle’s Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby on Monday night, besting Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round at Truist Park.

Embed from Getty Images

Raleigh also became the first Mariners player to hoist the trophy since 1999, when Ken Griffey Jr. won his third title. Tampa Bay’s Caminero, who was vying to become the youngest winner in Derby history at 22, fell just short as the Rays’ first contestant since Randy Arozarena lost to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 final.

Raleigh, the major league’s leader in homers with 38, totaled 54 home runs on Monday. All was nearly lost in the opening round, as the Seattle star advanced to the semifinals on a tiebreaker, as his longest home run eclipsed Brent Rooker’s by the narrowest of margins — 470.61 feet to 470.53.

With father Todd Sr. pitching and younger brother Todd Jr. behind the plate, it was a family affair for Cal, who added to his spectacular 2025 campaign.

“It means the world,” Raleigh said after the victory. “I could have hit zero home runs and had just as much fun. I just can’t believe I won, it’s unbelievable. … Honestly (my brother) was hyping me up behind the plate. He was firing me up the whole time. I’d hit one good and he’d be like ‘Lets go!’… I don’t know it, it just got me going and that’s why I think I got in good spurts.”

In the semifinals, Byron Buxton — facing Caminero — followed his 21-homer first round with a seven spot in the second round. Caminero blew past that total, needing just 12 swings to reach eight homers and advance to the final round.

On the other side of the four-man bracket, Raleigh outslugged Oneil Cruz 19-13, despite Cruz mashing a 498-foot shot.

Cruz and Caminero hit 21 home runs in the opening round, with Cruz receiving the top seed based on the longest home run tiebreaker.

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood began the night with 16 home runs, including a 486-foot shot, before Rooker followed with 17.

Rooker, whose night was cut short after suffering as close of a loss as you’ll see, wasn’t thrilled with the fashion in which he learned his outing was over.

“You know, maybe if they have it to the decimal point, they should display that during the Derby and not wait till everyone’s done to bring out that information,” Rooker told reporters after his early exit. “That might be helpful.”

Tampa Bay star Caminero, using a bat with his face on it, then hit 11 of the first 14 pitches he saw over the fence, before totaling 21 in an impressive round.

Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Cruz hit one of his 21 first-round homers 513 feet to right-center field, marking the farthest recorded home run in Truist Park history.

Embed from Getty Images

Buxton of the Minnesota Twins had 20 homers and New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit just three.

“I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed every second of it,” Chisholm said, despite the lowest first round output since Troy Tulowitzki hit two in 2014. “You can’t ask for a better feeling. I’m still an All-Star. I still hit in the Home Run Derby. Who could ask for a better experience than that?”

Raleigh switched from the left-handed batter’s box to the right with just over a minute left on his way to 17.

To cap the first round, Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson recorded only 15 in his home park, leaving Cruz, Caminero, Buxton and Raleigh in the semifinals.

–Field Level Media

Gimme a Break, a Good Break

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Usually, the Major League Baseball All-Star break is greeted by both fans and players with glee. MLB’s 162 game season is a long haul, so it’s usually a welcome time to get some rest, take a quick trip, relax and take a much deserved break, unless you’re one of the chosen few who gets to party with the All-Stars.

Embed from Getty Images

The 2025 MLB All-Star break is coming at a terrible time for the Boston Red Sox, but a really high time for the team as a whole (or on a roll). The team has compiled a 10-game winning streak, and won 12 of their last 13 games. They’re eight games over .500 mark, a 2025 season high. Boston has just swept three consecutive series and has now won as many games in this first half of 2025 (53-45) as they did in the first half of 2024 (53-43), a major feat considering the team was (30-35) and 10.5 games out in the American League East on June 6.

July has been a magical time for Boston, so this is the worst possible time for a break. But, the schedule is the schedule and its time to see if the newly found momentum can be sustained.

The team is relatively healthy, although 3B All-Star and new team leader Alex Bregman could use a few more days of rehab on his injured quad. Only Sox pitchers like Hunter Dobbins (out for season), Liam Hendriks, Zack Kelly, Tanner Houck, and, of course, first baseman Tristan Casas (out for the year) are on the mend.

Starting pitcher Bryan Bello brought the juice again Sunday. In earning his sixth win of the season (6-3), Bello threw 6.1 innings of one run ball, he gave up only six scattered hit and struck out five Tampa batters. After throwing a complete game victory against the Colorado Rockies on July 8 (107 pitches), Bello followed with a 105-pitch gem, only to give way to All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman who made quick work of the Rays by striking out the side in the visitor’s ninth inning and earned his 17th save.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela was the hometown hero in Boston’s 4-1 win on Sunday. His sixth inning two-run home run sealed the 10th straight victory for the Red Sox. It was Rafaela’s fifth home run in the 10-game streak. He’s carrying a career high 10-game hitting streak while batting .421 (16-for-38) with 10 runs scored, six doubles, and 15 RBI.

Since trading their franchise third baseman, Rafael Devers, on June 15 and enduring a six-game losing streak from June 21-to-27, Boston has won 12 of their last 13 games. That includes an 11-1 mark in this magical month of July. It’s only the third time in franchise history (1968 and 1939) that they’ve started July winning 11 of 12.

Shortstop Trevor Story has been another major contributor to the surging Sox. In 38 games since June 1, Story is hitting .319 (46-for-144) with 27 runs scored, ten doubles, eight home runs, and 35 RBI. The 35 RBI ranks a T-3rd in all of MLB since June 1.

Embed from Getty Images

Rookie OF Roman Anthony became the youngest Red Sox player to record a nine-game hitting streak since the great Tony Conigliaro did so in 1964-and 1965. Anthony is only 21 years, 61 days old as MLB takes its break.

Tampa limps into the break, seriously needing a break. The rays have lost four in a row (by way of the Red Sox sweep), but Tampa’s dropped eight of 10 and 12 of their last 16 games, dropping the Bay to (50-47), teeting ever closer to the .500 mark they saw back on May 25th (26-26).

Tampa was swept in a series for the fourth time this season, but the first time being swept in a four-game series, dating back to July 7-10, 2024 by Baltimore.

 

Ace Crochet

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet tossed a complete-game shutout and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to nine games with a 1-0 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Embed from Getty Images

Crochet (10-4) held Tampa Bay to three hits, struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter.

It’s the first time Crochet has pitched a complete game in his MLB career. Prior to Saturday he hadn’t pitched more than 8 1/3 innings in a game.

Tampa Bay’s only hits were singles by Yandy Diaz, Curtis Mead and Taylor Walls.

Crochet, who signed a six-year, $170 million contract extension earlier this year, has recorded at least seven strikeouts in each of his last nine outings. He threw 100 pitches, 72 of which were strikes.

His complete game came at a welcome time since Boston starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins left Friday night’s game in the second inning because of an ACL tear.

Tampa Bay received a strong start from Shane Baz, who held Boston to a run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. Baz (8-5) struck out three and walked two. It was his fourth straight quality start.

The Rays have lost five of their last six games.

Boston scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Roman Anthony hit a one-out double and scored on a Carlos Narvaez single.

Tampa Bay had a chance to tie the game when it had runners on first and third with one out in the sixth, but Boston first baseman Abraham Toro threw out Walls at the plate when Ha-Seong Kim attempted a safety squeeze. The Rays challenged, but the call was upheld.

The Red Sox prevailed even though they were held to five hits and were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

The teams will wrap up the four-game series Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break.

–Field Level Media

There’s Magic in the Air at Fenway

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – For the very first time in the 2025 Major League Baseball season, there was a big game atmosphere as 35,452 fans entered Fenway Park on Friday night. Nearly all of them stayed in their seats when the hometown Red Sox came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning, trailing the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3.

Embed from Getty Images

Much of the buzz in the American League’s oldest ballpark stemmed from the Red Sox entering the game with a seven game winning streak. Since June 4th, Boston’s recorded the third-best record in the Majors.

Friday night, their lineup seemed whole as 3B Alex Bregman was reactivated after a 43-game absence caused by a severe right quad strain, dating back to May 24th. Since that time, there’s been massive changes to the Sox – the trade of their best hitter, Raphael Devers, and the promotion of three promising rookies – 2B Marcelo Mayer, OF Roman Anthony and INF Kristian Campbell, the latter relegated back to Triple A Worcester when RF Wilyer Abreu was reactivated from the 10-day injured list on June 20th.

Changes. Uncertainty. Errors. Poor base-running. A six game winning streak from June 10-to-16 followed by a six game losing streak from June 21-to-27. It all resulted in a rut called fourth place in the American League East with June 6th being the low point of being 10.5 games out of first place.

Tonight was different. There was magic in the air at Fenway and the Red Sox finished the night a half-game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, and in possession of third place in the AL East and keeping pace with the second place New York Yankees who spanked the Chicago Cubs, 11-0, just as the Sox came to bat in the home ninth.

One of the rookies, Mayer, led-off but grounded out. That left Sox Manager Alex Cora an easy decision to pinch hit his other top prospect, Anthony, for first baseman Abraham Toro. The slugger stayed patient at the plate, as Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks brought his 99 mph heat. Four of Fairbanks’ pitches missed the strike zone and Anthony walked to first base.

One out, man on first, trailing 4-3 – and up came the Sox number nine hitter, Ceddanne Rafaela.

The defensive wiz centerfielder came into the game with a seven game hitting streak and he had extended it to eight with an RBI single in the second inning. His hot streak included a .444 batting average, eight runs scored, six doubles, 10 RBI and three home runs.

Fairbanks fired three four-seam fastballs to take a 1-2 count to his advantage. On the fourth pitch, an 86 mph slider, Rafaela took it long – some 406 feet to put an exclamation point on the advertisements atop the famed Green Monster. Sox win, 5-4.

Embed from Getty Images

It was Rafaela’s second career game-winning home run, the last coming as the tides were running high on June 4 out in Anaheim, California when Boston won an 11-9 slugfest. Tonight was different.

Rafaela (2-for-4, one run, one HR and three RBI) has been scoring runs and driving runners in, as well., to the tune of the last seven games to make him only the third Boston Red Sox player at the age of 24 or younger to accomplish that feat. To put it in perspective, Ted Williams (8 game streak in 1942) was another, along with little known Duffy Lewis, back in 1912.

Records and milestones aside, Rafaela – like the rest of his Boston Red Sox teammates – are walking a walk, tossing bats aside and skipping past third base with a resolve to meet-up with an entire roster of confident players.

Embed from Getty Images

It’s now led Boston to an eight game winning streak and the climb past Tampa to third place. The confidence prompted utility man Romy Gonzalez to print up some t-shirts for his teammates with an art deco, pink and Carolina blue script, reading “Tremendously Locked In.”

With Rafaela’s game winning home run in the books, it might be time to print some more t-shirts to be sure the locksmiths are all ready for the final two games of this important July series.

 

Eight Straight? Or Not?

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox are feeling good.

After sweeping back-to-back cellar dwellers in the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies, the Red Sox extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games by rallying past the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. They will look for a second straight win as they continue the four-game AL East series tonight.

“That’s the type of team we are; we never lose hope, and we always battle,” Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela said. “It was a battle (on Thursday) — and we won the battle.”

Embed from Getty Images

Rafaela had two of just four Boston hits in the series opener, including the deciding two-run single during a three-run seventh inning.

The Red Sox had not named a starting pitcher for Friday’s game, but the assignment of reliever Isaiah Campbell to Worcester cleared a spot for Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 4.10 ERA), who is now expected to come off the injured list (right elbow strain) and make the start.

“We’re deeper than other years,” Boston manager Alex Cora said before Thursday’s game. “You feel like in that spot, if something happens, somebody will be here and do the job.”

Dobbins and fellow youngster Richard Fitts — who earned his first career win Monday before returning to Worcester — have both been strong when called upon.

Dobbins’ last start was on June 20, when he allowed four earned runs in a four-inning no-decision at the San Francisco Giants. Friday will mark his first career start against Tampa Bay.

Also due to return is third baseman Alex Bregman, who is expected to forgo a rehab assignment in the minors to play Friday or Saturday. He had a right quad strain.

Embed from Getty Images

“He’ll play two of the games (prior to the All-Star break), let’s put it that way,” Cora said.

The Rays will look to turn things around following their fifth loss out of seven on their 10-game trip. It was their 16th loss in a one-run game this season and came despite a quality start from Taj Bradley.

Manager Kevin Cash entered the series with hope after the Rays acquired reliever Bryan Baker from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Baker is expected to offer major help in a bullpen that had a 7.20 ERA over the past two weeks. Unable to build on Junior Caminero and Ha-Seong Kim homers, Baker took the loss following Boston’s big inning.

“Something that we probably needed. He’s going to add to it,” Cash said. “He’s pitched really well for the Orioles this year, and he’s gotten outs against us. It’ll be nice to be able to hand him the ball and get some outs for us now.”

Cash will now give the ball to right-hander Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.82), who is set to tag-team with Joe Boyle for a third straight appearance. He is still seeing limited action following his third major elbow surgery.

Rasmussen last pitched two innings of one-run ball Sunday in a win over the Minnesota Twins. He threw 24 of his 32 pitches for strikes.

“I think it does two things,” Rasmussen said. “It lets us get the Joe Boyle experience, which is electric. And then also allows me to just stay on routine as well as limit some of the innings for this year.”

The 29-year-old is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox, but Friday will mark his first since 2022.

–Field Level Media

Streaking Red Sox Face Tampa Test

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will try to stretch their winning streak to seven games Thursday night when they open a four-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Boston completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 10-2 victory Wednesday. Masataka Yoshida collected three hits in the win after being activated from the 60-day injury list.

Embed from Getty Images

“Glad to have Masa back,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Yoshida, who had been out with a shoulder injury. “That’s a big bat for us. You saw the difference today, how long the lineup was. We have to figure it out, who’s going to play and all that stuff, but I think it’s the deepest lineup we’ve had in a while here.”

Boston collected 15 hits in the victory, including four home runs. The Red Sox have had at least 11 hits in each of their last seven games. Wednesday’s home runs came from Carlos Narvaez, Wilyer Abreu, Romy Gonzalez and Jarren Duran.

Boston scored 29 runs in the three-game sweep of the Rockies. The Red Sox are 9-2 since a six-game losing streak that included three losses against the Los Angeles Angels.

“We’ve been playing well,” Cora said. “The tough one was Anaheim (the Angels). Besides that, I think we’ve played competitive baseball. We’re in a good spot.”

Right-hander Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.25 ERA) is Boston’s probable starting pitcher for Thursday’s series opener. He is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay is coming off Wednesday’s 7-3 triumph over Detroit. It was only the Rays’ fourth win in their past 12 games and came after back-to-back losses against the Tigers.

“A sweep going into a really tough series in Boston would not have been fun,” said starting pitcher Zack Littell, who gave up three runs over 5 2/3 innings Wednesday before four relievers held Detroit scoreless the rest of the way. “The bullpen … it hasn’t gone our way here lately, so for them to come in there, do it against one of the best lineups in the league and make pitches when we needed to make them and get us a win going into Boston is huge.”

Yoshi Back in Sox Lineup

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Masataka Yoshida is expected to be in the lineup when the Boston Red Sox try to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Embed from Getty Images

Before Boston’s 10-2 triumph over Colorado on Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Yoshida will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list and in the lineup as the team’s designated hitter tonight.

Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder are expected to platoon in Boston’s designated hitter spot, with Yoshida starting against right-handed pitchers.

“Mostly DH, but it’s not like last year where he’s not going to play the outfield,” Cora said. “He’s healthy, he is throwing the ball well and we’ll use him for whatever we need that day.”

Yoshida, 31, has not played for Boston this season. He had offseason shoulder surgery and completed a five-game minor league rehab assignment Monday. He played the first two games with Triple-A Worcester and the next three games with Double-A Portland.

Yoshida’s return creates a logjam in an outfield that includes Jarren Duran, Ceddane Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Rob Refsnyder and Wilyer Abreu.

“I know (Cora) has a plan, and I trust him full tilt,” Duran said. “So whatever he needs me to do, I’m going to do. … He’s a good manager and he’s been doing it, and I trust him for whatever we need to do for the team.”

Boston will be looking to extend its winning streak to six games Wednesday. The Red Sox won Monday’s game against Colorado 9-3.

Colorado’s Kyle Freeland pitched five scoreless innings Tuesday before surrendering three runs in the sixth. The loss dropped his record to 1-10.

“I thought it was one of his better outings of the year,” Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer said. “All of his breaking stuff was working. He was putting the ball where he wanted to. He deserved to get through that sixth inning, I thought. There were two outs and he threw a good pitch to (Trevor Story), but he hit a jam shot out there.”

Boston right-hander Lucas Giolito (5-1, 3.66 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Boston on Wednesday. Giolito is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two career appearances against the Rockies, both starts. He has allowed 12 hits, including three home runs, in 10 innings against Colorado.

Giolito has pitched at least six innings in each of his last five starts. He’s 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA during that five-game stretch.

Boston also has a rested bullpen since Brayan Bello pitched a complete game Tuesday.

“He was on point,” Cora said. “Some swing and misses, was on top of hitters, got ahead, stayed ahead, buried them. He was really good.”

Righty Antonio Senzatela (3-12, 6.57 ERA) is listed as Colorado’s probable starter. It will be Senzatela’s first career appearance against the Red Sox.

Senzatela will be facing a Boston team that has scored 86 runs in its last 10 games. Tuesday’s victory was the 15th time the Red Sox have scored at least 10 runs in a game this season, the most of any team in the American League.

–Field Level Media

Red Hot Sox Beat Rox

by

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox are facing a light portion of their schedule and taking advantage of it.

Alex Cora’s club has scored 76 runs and hit 16 home runs in the past nine games and will try for a fifth win in a row when a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies continues tonight.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston’s recent offensive exploits include a three-hit game for rookie Roman Anthony, who kicked off the team’s three-homer night in the fifth inning. Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez both went deep in the eighth.

“It’s fun to win,” Anthony said.

And Anthony has been fun to watch, hitting .386 with six RBIs in his last 10 games. Six of his last nine have been multi-hit affairs.

“He’s a good player, a good hitter. That’s why he’s playing every day,” Cora said. “We’re going to push him out there, play the outfield … play the top of the lineup.”

The manager’s lineup soon will include reinforcements as the return of both Masataka Yoshida and All-Star Alex Bregman from the injured list is nearing.

Yoshida has been recovering from shoulder surgery all season and could be activated on Wednesday, while Bregman is potentially just days behind as he feels that he is “trending towards a return here really quickly.”

Boston righty Brayan Bello (4-3, 3.42 ERA) is coming off a unique relief appearance in the Wednesday restart of a suspended game against the Cincinnati Reds. Bello threw five innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts en route to a 5-3 Red Sox win.

Excluding his last outing, which came after Richard Fitts threw the first three innings the previous night, Bello has thrown five consecutive quality starts but lost back-to-back.

Embed from Getty Images

The 26-year-old will be making his first career start against Colorado.

The Rockies have now lost three of four. For the season, their 70 losses in their first 91 games are the second-most all-time.

Colorado gives the ball to left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-9, 5.49 ERA), who will be making his third start since returning from the 15-day injured list on June 27. He follows Austin Gomber, who allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings Monday.

“Overall, I thought he pitched well and gave us a chance to win,” Colorado manager Warren Schaefer said. “He was one or two pitches away from getting out of that (big three-run second) inning. Obviously it didn’t work out tonight, but it could have.”

Freeland last pitched on Thursday against the Houston Astros, allowing three runs — including two in the first inning — on six hits in six innings. It was his eighth quality start of the season, despite a meager win-loss record to show for it.

“When you start a game with weak hits, frustration starts to build immediately,” Freeland said. “He struck out two and walked two. “It’s all about how quickly you can wash it, forget about it, and get back to work. I was able to do that, as best I could.”

Freeland has made just one career appearance against Boston, throwing six innings in a May 14, 2019 start. He gave up three solo home runs and received a no-decision.

Ryan McMahon and Tyler Freeman both went 2-for-4 on Monday. Freeman has a 21-game on-base streak, the longest in the majors at present.

 

Buehler and Sox Prep for Nationals

by

WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston right-hander Walker Buehler looks to put a horrid six-start stretch behind him when the Red Sox play the middle game of a three-game series against the host Washington Nationals today

Embed from Getty Images

.The Red Sox beat the Nationals 11-2 in Washington’s traditional Independence Day game.

Buehler (5-6, 6.45 ERA) is 1-4 with a 10.37 ERA in his past six outings. He allowed 38 hits and walked 19 batters while striking out 23 in 26 innings during that span. In his latest start, he allowed four runs on four hits — two of them home runs — in four innings during a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

On Saturday, Buehler could be pitching for his spot in the rotation.

“He’s scheduled to make his next (start),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said earlier this week. “He’s healthy, eager to work and like I said … he feels like he’s getting close to finding it.”

Buehler is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in five career games (four starts) against Washington.

The Nationals will start Mitchell Parker (5-8, 4.63 ERA). The left-hander gave up three runs on six hits in five-plus innings of a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in his most recent start.

Parker has never faced the Red Sox.

Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer, scored three runs and drove in four as Boston pounded out 16 hits on Friday for its fourth win in six games. The Red Sox snapped a five-game road losing streak.

Story tied his career high with four hits and extended his hitting streak to six games.

“Felt good. Kind of a tough 11 a.m. start, but just get the minimal routine (in) and just go compete,” Story said. “I think that was the main message. We have a chance to control our destiny here, so we got to set the tone here on the first game, and I think we did that today. Looking forward to the rest of the series.”

Boston’s Jarren Duran had two hits and three RBIs. Over his past five games, Duran is batting .300 (6-for-20) with a home run, four RBIs and five runs.

Washington trailed 2-0 entering the fifth, but Boston got to Nationals starter Michael Soroka and reliever Zach Brzykcy for seven runs. Soroka was lifted after Story’s base-loaded single made it 5-0.

“We had four guys down in our bullpen,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “We tried to stretch (Soroka) out as long as possible. We tried to have him get out of his own mess a little bit. But once he gave up that base hit with the bases loaded, I figured he was done.”

Daylen Lile extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth-inning RBI double for Washington, which had won three of four. Lile is hitting .326 (14-for-43) during his streak.

Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz went 1-for-3 in his return from the injured list. He had been sidelined since getting hit in the head with a foul ball in the dugout and sustaining a concussion on June 24.

Washington placed starting pitcher Trevor Williams on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow strain. Williams allowed seven runs on nine hits in three innings in a loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

–Field Level Media