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Consistently … Inconsistent

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A combined eight-run onslaught across the fifth and sixth innings propelled the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

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All nine Pirates hit safely, and three had two RBIs in support of Johan Oviedo (2-0), who allowed two runs on three hits and struck out six across five innings. Pittsburgh now has two straight wins in the series and eight in 10 games.

Jared Triolo and Spencer Horwitz (2-for-4) combined to score five runs, Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzalez each had two-RBI hits and Oniel Cruz hit his 19th home run.

Pittsburgh began breaking the game open after the team scored three runs in the fifth inning before recording an out.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a leadoff infield single, and after Boston starter Dustin May (7-11) hit a batter and walked another, Reynolds stung a two-RBI knock to right to give the Pirates a lead. Pham’s hit to left provided the inning’s third run.

The visitors sent 10 to the plate to score five runs in the sixth, including Cruz depositing the second pitch of the frame into deep center field for a solo homer.

A Joey Bart double and a walk two batters later ended May’s day. Horwitz then recorded an RBI single to center off of Brennan Bernardino to plate Bart, who kicked the ball away as he slid into home on a Ceddanne Rafaela relay to allow a second run to cross on the play.

After Bernardino walked two and struck out Andrew McCutchen, Gonzales snuck a two-out, two-run single up the middle to up Pittsburgh’s lead to 9-2.

Boston got a run back as Gonzalez hit the third of three straight singles against reliever Mike Burrows in the sixth.

A McCutcheon single and Gonzales double started Pittsburgh’s ninth, and a Jordan Hicks wild pitch brought in the 10th run.

Trevor Story and Romy Gonzalez each had two hits, and Carlos Narvaez homered for Boston.

The Pirates grabbed a quick 1-0 lead four batters into the game, loading the bases on an error, a Horwitz single and a walk against May, which led to Pham’s RBI groundout to third base.

Red Sox Entend Chapman

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox agreed to a contract extension with left-hander Aroldis Chapman, per multiple reports. The deal contains $13.3 million in guarantees, according to MassLive. He will be under contract for next season and carry an option for 2027.

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Chapman, an eight-time All-Star, has posted career-lows in ERA (1.04) and WHIP (0.673) in 57 relief appearances this season, his first with Boston, which signed him to a one-year, $10.75 million contract in December. In addition, he has racked up 26 saves and 74 strikeouts with 14 walks in 52 innings.

The 37-year-old has a career 2.53 ERA in 853 appearances.

Chapman is 13th on the all-time career saves list (361); he is only 17 saves away from passing Joe Nathan and moving into the top 10.

The Red Sox are in the midst of a successful regular season. They currently have a 75-62 record and occupy the second wild card spot in the American League.

–Field Level Media

Pirates are Pham-ily, Down Sox

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Fresh off their Cy Young Award candidate Paul Skenes victory in the series opener, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to make it two wins in a row in Boston and eight victories in their last 10 games when they face the playoff-chasing Red Sox again this afternoon.

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The Pirates are seven games deep in the basement of the National League Central, but their bats woke up late in a 4-2 win on Friday. Seven of their 10 hits came after Boston MLB-debuting star Payton Tolle exited through 5 1/3 innings.

Former Red Sox player Tommy Pham hit a game-tying, two-run double in the sixth inning before Andrew McCutchen highlighted his 3-for-3 performance with a deciding RBI double in the next at-bat.

Pham has been a major key of late for Pittsburgh, hitting .300 with a 1.017 OPS and 10 RBIs in his last 12 games. He hit just .170 over the first 28 games.

“People wanted him out, and look what he’s been able to do the second half of the season,” McCutchen said of Pham. “That’s why baseball’s a crazy game. For him to be able to turn his season around like he’s done, it just goes to show you just no excuses, you’ve gotta work.”

Meanwhile, it was McCutchen’s second game with multiple extra-base hits in the last seven. His effort Friday supported Skenes, who overcame a career high-tying seven hits in six innings but gave up only two runs (one earned) and struck out six.

Now, in the second game of a three-game series, Pittsburgh right-hander Johan Oviedo (1-0, 3.60 ERA) is set to make his fourth start since returning from a 2024 season-long absence due to Tommy John surgery.

After lasting just one inning in his Aug. 4 season debut, Oviedo has back-to-back solid starts. He struck out five across four innings of one-run ball Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals, but the Pirates lost 7-6.

“Looked really sharp, you know, and stuff was good,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of that outing. “Fastball was electric, and kept them off balance with the offspeed, and went to the curveball really effectively there in the middle of the outing.”

Oviedo, 27, pitched 4 2/3 innings in his only career start against the Red Sox on April 3, 2023, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits — including three homers.

The Red Sox entered Friday off a four-game sweep in Baltimore but have still won seven of their last nine games. However, they have lost four straight contests at home.

Boston was out-hit 10-9 on Friday, but Roman Anthony hit a solo home run and Romy Gonzalez went 3-for-4.

“I think we put good at-bats,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We had three innings to try to get to the bullpen. It just didn’t work out.”

Right-hander Dustin May (7-10, 4.79 ERA) enters his first career start against Pittsburgh looking to stop back-to-back losses and three in four outings with Boston.

In his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry last Sunday in the Bronx, May allowed three home runs among five hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

May’s start not only comes a day after Tolle’s impressive debut, but also after the Red Sox parted ways with pitcher Walker Buehler before the game.

A week ago, Buehler was demoted from his starting spot and made one relief appearance before his release. Tolle and May are holding down the end of the rotation behind the consistent trio of Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito.

“We’re playing important games and want to give ourselves every opportunity to win as many of those as possible, and we think that Payton and Dustin give us the best chance to do that right now,” said Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer.

–Field Level Media

Story, Refsnyder HR for the Sweep

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BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Trevor Story and Rob Refsnyder homered, and Romy’s Gonzalez’s tiebreaking single in the eighth inning lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 3-2 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles to complete a four-game series sweep Thursday afternoon.

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Roman Anthony had two hits for the Red Sox, who went 7-1 on an eight-game road trip vs. American League East Division rivals. Refsnyder, who rejoined the roster from the IL earlier in the day, homered for the first time in more than a month and ended up with two hits.

Jordan Hicks (2-7) was the winning pitcher with a shutout inning in relief of Garrett Crochet. Steven Matz picked up his second save despite surrendering a double to Dylan Carlson to lead off the ninth.

Alex Jackson homered for the Orioles, who stranded nine runners on base and finished a 1-7 homestand. Jackson Holliday, Emmanuel Rivera and Jeremiah Jackson all had two hits.

Baltimore starter Cade Povich gave up two runs on seven hits in five innings. Shawn Dubin, claimed off waivers from the Astros, threw a shutout top of the ninth in his debut with the Orioles.

Crochet worked six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Three games in the series were decided by one run.

It was also the third time in the series that the Red Sox had a first-inning solo home run. Story homered for the second time this week and for the 22nd time this season.

Alex Jackson hit his fourth homer of the year in the third inning to tie the score.

Refsnyder, who had been out since Aug. 13 because of an oblique strain, regained the lead for Boston in the fourth with his seventh homer. Jeremiah Jackson tied it for Baltimore in the fifth on a double to left that scored Alex Jackson.

With two outs in the eighth, Gonzalez hit a full-count curveball to left to score Anthony from second.

The Red Sox were without first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who went on the paternity list Thursday just 10 days after signing with Boston following his release from the Washington Nationals.

–Field Level Media

Crochet Throws for Sox Sweep

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BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox, seeking a positive finishing act on what has been a rewarding road trip, will go for a four-game series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles today.

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“It’s a different group,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of his team. “We’re winning, which is important, too.”

The Red Sox defeated the Orioles 3-2 on Wednesday night courtesy of Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-run homer in the ninth inning. It was Boston’s second one-run victory in the series.

Boston is 6-1 on the road trip, which began against the New York Yankees. After losing the finale of that series, the Red Sox won the next three nights in Baltimore.

“Let’s take care of business here,” Cora said, “and I truly believe this weekend at home (against the Pittsburgh Pirates) is going to be fun.”

Much of the good times have come with outfielder Roman Anthony providing key production. The top prospect in pro baseball this spring, he has made good use of his promotion to the major leagues. This week, he has led off two games with home runs.

“The one thing lately, he has opened it up a little bit more as a person,” Cora said. “He’s a cool kid.”

The Orioles have lost six of their past seven games. They are still making player transactions in attempts to have the right combinations available despite their last-place standing in the American League East. They brought back infielder Emmanuel Rivera on Wednesday while designating Vimael Machin for assignment.

“I think Emmanuel Rivera is a guy who’s excelled defensively in the big leagues at third base,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I think just trying to get a little more stability at the position for us, knowing that the other corner spot we have a young infielder learning there as well.”

Rivera came off the bench as a defensive replacement on Wednesday and grounded out in his lone at-bat.

Baltimore also promoted Roansy Contreras from Triple-A Norfolk, and he threw 4 1/3 shutout innings Wednesday night. Yaramil Hiraldo was optioned to Norfolk.

After Contreras exited, the Orioles went back to Keegan Akin for his third appearance in four games, and the left-hander gave up the winning home run.

“We felt very comfortable with it,” Mansolino said. “Just didn’t work out.”

The pitching matchup for the finale will involve a pair of left-handers.

Boston’s Garrett Crochet (14-5, 2.38 ERA) continues his bid to be in line for postseason honors. He has allowed one run in each of his past two outings, both covering seven innings. He matched his season-high strikeout total with 11 on Saturday against the Yankees.

Crochet’s first victory of the season came via eight shutout innings at Baltimore on April 2. The 26-year-old is 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA in four career games (two starts) vs. the Orioles.

Cade Povich (2-7, 5.13) goes to the mound for the Orioles, who have lost all four of the games he has pitched this month. On Friday against the visiting Houston Astros, he got the defeat after permitting six runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings.

Povich, who lost to Boston twice last season as a rookie, has allowed four runs in 9 1/3 total innings over two no-decisions against the Red Sox this year.

–Field Level Media

 

Slaughterhouse Nine in Da Bronx

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After another win over the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox were unclear about why they are dominating their longest rival.

The Red Sox hope to field more inquiries about getting another victory over the Yankees on Sunday night when the American League East foes conclude a four-game set in New York.

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The Red Sox will seek a series sweep.

Boston is 8-1 in the season series, and after starting with a 9-6 loss on June 6, the Red Sox have outscored the Yankees 48-22. Three of Boston’s major-league-leading 20 games with at least 10 runs have come against the Yankees, including Saturday’s 12-1 rout.

Trevor Story had three of Boston’s 17 hits with a two-run double and a solo homer in the opening five innings Saturday. Story got his third hit during a seven-run ninth inning and is batting .351 (13-for-37) with two homers and 11 RBIs in the season series.

Carlos Narvaez had three hits, including a two-run homer, as Boston scored its most runs against the Yankees in New York since a 13-9 victory on Sept. 7, 2013. Narvaez is hitting .284 (78-for-275) in its past eight games against the Yankees.

“Just playing good baseball,” Story said. “I don’t know if there’s a certain thing you can pinpoint. Obviously tensions are high, the rivalry and all that, but we’re just playing good baseball I think at the right time.”

Boston’s eight-game winning streak over the Yankees is the longest since from Sept. 20, 2020, to July 16, 2021. The Red Sox last won nine straight over the Yankees Sept. 28, 2008, to June 11, 2009.

The Yankees are trying to avoid getting swept in a four-game series by the Red Sox for the first time since Aug. 2-5, 2018, in Fenway Park.

“We’re definitely angry, especially against your rivals,” New York captain Aaron Judge said Saturday. “We don’t like the showing we’ve had here at home. We just got to step up. That’s it. Everybody in this room has got to play a little bit better, pick up a notch and go out there and take care of business tomorrow.”

Giancarlo Stanton homered, but the Yankees struck out 13 times, and their bottom four hitters of Trent Grisham, Anthony Volpe, Jose Caballero and Austin Wells were a combined 0-for-13.

[Read more…] about Slaughterhouse Nine in Da Bronx

Gem-o-lito

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BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Lucas Giolito pitched eight shutout innings to upstage the return of a Baltimore Orioles pitcher as the visiting Red Sox won 5-0 on Tuesday night.

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Trevor Story and David Hamilton both homered off Kyle Bradish, who pitched in the big leagues for the first time in more than a year.

The Red Sox won for the fifth time in six games, including the second night in a row in this series. Hamilton finished with three runs batted in.

Giolito (9-2) held the Orioles to four hits while striking out eight and issuing his only walk with two outs in the eighth to Jackson Holliday. Giolito’s outing ended with him needing 11 pitches to strike out Jeremiah Jackson. He finished with 104 pitches.

Justin Wilson pitched the ninth to complete the shutout despite allowing two singles.

Bradish (0-1), who had Tommy John surgery in June 2024, struck out 10 batters without a walk in six innings. Two of the four hits he allowed were solo home runs.

Bradish retired 11 of the first 13 batters he faced, with the home runs the exceptions.

The Orioles have dropped five of six games in the homestand, which has two games remaining vs. the Red Sox. Baltimore won both games in a two-game set last week at Boston.

Roman Anthony, Hamilton and Story each had two hits for Boston. Baltimore’s Alex Jackson also contributed two hits.

Story led off the second with his 21st home run of the season, marking his 200th career long ball. The third inning began with Hamilton’s fourth homer.

An RBI fielder’s choice grounder from Carlos Narvaez in the eighth pushed the score to 3-0. Yaramil Hiraldo was charged with that run.

Hiraldo also was responsible for Boston’s two ninth-inning runs when Hamilton doubled off Yennier Cano.

–Field Level Media

Sox Find Way to Beat Yankees

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BRONX, NY – (Wire Service Report) – Even when they struggle to produce the big hit, the Boston Red Sox are finding ways to beat the Yankees. Their latest win was due in large part to three players who had a combined zero hits in their early-season success vs. New York.

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The Red Sox will attempt to grab the first American League wild-card position and earn a seventh straight win over the Yankees when the rivals continue a four-game series Friday night in New York.

Boston leads the season series 6-1 after losing seven of the 13 meetings last season. The Red Sox moved within a half-game of the Yankees for the top AL wild-card position on Thursday when they opened the series with a 6-3 victory.

Boston went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position but got big nights from rookie Roman Anthony, newcomer Nathaniel Lowe and Alex Bregman, who was on the injured list in June during the clubs’ two series in June.

Anthony, who debuted June 9, hit a two-run homer in the ninth and drove in three runs in his Yankee Stadium debut. He produced two of Boston’s hits with runners in scoring position. Anthony is hitting .373 (19-for-51) in that area and has three homers in his past nine games after hitting two in the first 50 games of his career.

“It’s probably what I imagined, and maybe even a little more,” Anthony said of playing in New York. “But it’s exciting. For me, I love playing in that atmosphere. I love getting booed, I love everything about it, so it’s fun.”

Lowe, who joined the Red Sox on Monday, drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and tiebreaking double. He has reached four times in 11 plate appearances for Boston.

Bregman had three hits and a walk, and he is hitting .337 (28-for-83) over his past 23 games.

After tying their season high with five straight wins, the Yankees played one of their sloppiest games in weeks, committing four errors. Paul Goldschmidt and Luis Gil made fielding miscues while Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. made errant throws.

The Yankees but issued nine walks on Thursday, their second-highest total of the season. Rice homered and Goldschmidt and Chisholm hit RBI singles, but New York stranded 10. The Yankees have scored only seven runs in their past four games against Boston.

“Just not a real clean game for us,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, whose team is still 9-4 in the past 13 games. “Obviously a lot of free bases there.”

Max Fried (13-5, 3.26 ERA), who is 2-3 with a 7.20 ERA in his past six outings, will start for the Yankees on Friday. On Saturday in St. Louis, he earned the win despite allowing a season-high seven runs on eight hits in five-plus innings during a 12-8 victory.

“I think stuff-wise, he’s very close to who he’s been all year and who he’s been when he’s been at his very best,” Boone said Thursday afternoon. “So I do feel like it’s something that hopefully can click because he’s probably been searching for a little bit out there and fighting himself a little bit out there.”

Fried is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox. He took the loss June 15 at Boston when he allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings.

Boston’s Friday starter, Brayan Bello (9-6, 3.23 ERA), will attempt to reach double-digit victories for the third straight season. The right-hander last pitched on Saturday, when he allowed two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings to beat the Miami Marlins.

Bello opposed Fried on June 15 and threw seven scoreless innings and surrendered only three hits in seven innings during a 2-0 win. He is 4-3 with a 2.21 ERA in nine career starts against the Yankees.

–Field Level Media

Sox Squander Then Get Swept

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Samuel Basallo hit a go-ahead groundout in the 11th inning as the visiting Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 to sweep a two-game series on Tuesday night.

The Orioles earned their sixth win in seven games despite being out-hit 8-6. Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser had a hit and an RBI.

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Seven Baltimore pitchers held Boston hitless in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Yennier Cano (2-6) tossed a scoreless 10th inning, and Corbin Martin who posted his second save, stranding Nate Eaton on third base in the 11th. Eaton did not try to score on Roman Anthony’s potential sacrifice fly to center for the second out, and Alex Bregman popped out to end the game.

In his first Red Sox start, Nathaniel Lowe hit a game-tying, two-run home run to right in the ninth to force extra innings. However, it was one of three straight frames in which the Red Sox loaded the bases without scoring.

With Boston down 3-1 in the eighth, Connor Wong and Anthony hit back-to-back singles and Bregman walked to fill the bases. Orioles reliever Rico Garcia then entered and struck out the next three batters — Jarren Duran, Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida — to get out of the jam unscathed.

An inning later, after Lowe’s homer, Boston drew three consecutive walks with two outs, but Yaramil Hiraldo got Story to ground into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

In the 10th, Cano induced an inning-ending double play from Abraham Toro.

Anthony, Wong and Romy Gonzalez all had two hits for Boston, which has lost three in a row. Garrett Whitlock (5-3) yielded an unearned run in the 11th.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in unique fashion in the third. After hitting a leadoff single and advancing on an error and Anthony’s fielder’s-choice grounder, Wong baited Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano into a balk by breaking down the third base line toward home plate.

Boston’s Walker Buehler labored through the first four innings, working around six combined baserunners to hold Baltimore scoreless.

In the fifth, Jackson Holliday’s Green Monster-banging double and a Luis Vazquez walk ended the Boston starter’s day. Justin Wilson recorded the first out in relief, but consecutive RBI hits by Mountcastle and Cowser made it 2-1. A wild pitch by Greg Weissert allowed Mountcastle to score a third run.

Buehler wound up charged with two runs in four-plus innings. Sugano permitted just an unearned run in five innings.

–Field Level Media

O’s, Sugano Prove to be Tough for Sox

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – In the first series between the Orioles and Red Sox since late May, Baltimore will look to sweep a two-game set in Boston on Tuesday night.

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After Trevor Rogers pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a series-opening 6-3 win on Monday, the Orioles will hand the ball to 35-year-old rookie Tomoyuki Sugano, who is set to face Boston for the first time in his career.

Sugano (10-5, 4.13 ERA) has not lost since July 2. The right-hander allowed just one run in each of his past two starts, the most recent being a Thursday outing against the Seattle Mariners, when he exited after 5 1/3 innings due to a 2-hour, 18-minute rain delay.

“Throwing strikes, good velocity, good split, good command,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said.

Sugano is the 10th Japanese-born pitcher to win 10 games during his rookie season in the U.S. major leagues.

The Orioles have turned things around following a 3-8 skid, earning five wins in their past six games. Pitching has been a key for Baltimore even longer than that, as the club’s 3.89 ERA is the American League’s fourth-best since the All-Star break. Before the break, the Orioles’ 4.92 ERA ranked next-to-last in the league.

In the series opener, the Orioles supported Rogers and two relievers by producing 12 hits. Gunnar Henderson recorded a triple, a homer, two RBIs and three runs to help lead the way.

The 24-year-old shortstop, who is 24-for-46 with runners in scoring position since the start of June, is being counted on more than ever after the likes of Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn were traded at the deadline.

“It’s hard to just go out there and play good baseball after some of your longtime teammates leave, but … we’re really starting to put it together,” Henderson said. “You try to lean on guys, but we don’t really have that long-tenured veteran. We’re just kind of leaning on each other.”

Meanwhile, the Boston lineup got a pre-series boost with the arrival of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who was signed on Monday after being released by the Washington Nationals.

The left-handed batter was not in the starting lineup against Rogers, a lefty, but he drew a ninth-inning walk as a pinch hitter and scored a run. In that frame, the Red Sox produced four of their six hits for the night and two of their three runs, but they still ended up with their second straight loss.

“Getting plugged into a lineup that’s having great success and being part of making a great postseason push is what it’s all about,” Lowe said.

Boston manager Alex Cora said he expects to platoon the 30-year-old newcomer with switch-hitting Abraham Toro.

“He’s excited to be here,” Cora said of Lowe. “We’ll use him against righties, certain lefties, pinch-hit him late and use him to maximize the roster.”

Boston’s scheduled Tuesday starting pitcher, Walker Buehler (7-7, 5.43 ERA), has had a mixed bag of recent outings. The right-hander served up two homers and four runs in his six-inning outing on Wednesday in a 4-1 loss to Houston after shutting out the San Diego Padres across six frames five days earlier.

“Tough one,” Buehler said of the contest at Houston. “There was a lot of 92 (mph) in there and kinda moving the ball around, but pitching a little bit and making a lot of pitches when I felt like I needed to — and you kinda lose it there in the sixth at the end.”

Buehler is 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA in three career starts against Baltimore, including a May 25 loss in which he gave up two runs on four hits in five innings.

–Field Level Media