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Devers, Sox Upset Blue Jays

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TORONTO – Boston’s 3B Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs in a three-hit game as the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6. Boston’s Justin Turner added a solo homer and an RBI double for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series. Boston is 6-0 against Toronto this season.

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Matt Chapman had a two-run homer for the Blue Jays while George Springer and Bo Bichette added solo home runs.

The game ended when Bichette was thrown out at home by right fielder Alex Verdugo. Bichette was trying to score the tying run on Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s single, which had already plated Springer.

Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (7-3) allowed five runs, seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Springer led off the home half of the first with his 12th home run of the season.

Boston scored twice in the third. Turner singled with one out and Devers hit a 3-2 fastball to left center for his 20th homer of the season.

Bichette tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third with his 15th homer of the season.

Boston regained the lead in the fifth. Rob Refsnyder led off with a single and scored on Turner’s double. Devers followed with an RBI single and took second on the throw home. Trevor Richards replaced Kikuchi and allowed Masataka Yoshida’s run-scoring single.

Christian Arroyo led off the Boston sixth with a single, took third on Refsnyder’s double and scored on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly. Nate Pearson then replaced Richards.

Josh Winckowski allowed Chapman’s leadoff double in the Toronto seventh before Danny Jansen hit an infield single. With runners at second and third and two outs, Winckowski’s errant pickoff throw to second resulted in a run.

Winckowski walked Guerrero with two outs in the eighth and allowed Chapman’s 11th homer of the season, which pulled the Blue Jays within 6-5.

Turner led off the ninth with his 13th homer of the season. It came against Erik Swanson.

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen allowed Springer’s single and Bichette’s double ahead of Guerrero’s single that nearly tied the game until Verdugo’s pinpoint throw finished off the Jays.

–Field Level Media

Paxton Leads Red Sox, Shuts Down Jays

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston left-hander James Paxton pitched into the eighth inning and was supported by three home runs as the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0.

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Jarren Duran hir a two-run home run for the Red Sox and also made a good catch at the center-field wall. Justin Turner and Masataka Yoshida added solo home runs.

In winning the opener of the three-game series, the Red Sox ended a five-game losing streak.

They have defeated the Blue Jays in all five meeting between the teams this season.

The Red Sox swept the Blue Jays in a four-game series at Boston May 1-4.

Paxton (4-1) allowed three hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings. The native of Ladner, B.C., struck out seven.

Toronto right-hander Jose Berrios (8-6) allowed four runs and five hits while striking out eight in six innings.

Turner led off the fifth with his 12th home run of the season, a drive to left on a 3-2 pitch. Berrios had retired the previous 10 batters in a row after a first-inning single.

Paxton, who retired his first eight batters of the game before allowing a third-inning single, set the Blue Jays down in order in the home fifth. He also allowed a walk in the fourth that was erased on a double play.

Bello Shines But Marlins Sweep Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Despite Boston Red Sox starter Brayan Bello flirting with a no-hitter, the visiting Miami Marlins rallied late and completed a three-game series sweep with Thursday night’s 2-0 win.

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The Marlins ended Bello’s no-hit bid and later took the lead — thanks to Jon Berti’s RBI single to center — during an eighth-inning rally.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled the Miami lead with his second home run in as many games to straightaway center in the ninth. He has nine blasts.

Joey Wendle went 2-for-4 and starter Jesus Luzardo allowed just three hits and struck out nine over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk pitched two combined innings of one-hit ball following winning reliever Andrew Nardi (6-1). Puk logged his 13th save.

Jean Segura led off the eighth with Miami’s first hit — an single up the middle that diving Red Sox shortstop Enrique Hernandez knocked down behind second base.

After Wendle’s single to right moved Segura to third, Berti knocked an RBI single to center against reliever Chris Martin. A 5-2-3 double play ball and a strikeout of Jorge Soler ended the inning without any further damage.

Bello (5-5) struck out five and was charged with one run on two hits and one walk over seven-plus innings.

Marlins Go for 3-Game Sweep Over Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After winning the first two games by a combined 16-3 score, the Miami Marlins aim for a road series sweep of the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

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Miami has won four straight and 10 of its past 13 games, including a 6-2 win on Wednesday to set up the opportunity for the sweep.

“This is my fourth year here and I’m not gonna lie, this is probably the most fun I’ve ever had in the big leagues playing baseball,” Miami center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “I always try to have as much fun as I can, but this is a different level of fun with these guys in there.”

The Marlins are also 11-3 in their past 14 road games, having won six straight outside of Miami, and they sit 13 games over .500 for the first time since 2009.

Reinforcements have helped the team’s recent success in Boston, as Chisholm and third baseman Jean Segura have just returned from injuries.

Chisholm, out since May 14 due to turf toe, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in Tuesday’s series opener in his first game back, then hit an eighth-inning home run on Wednesday.

Segura, sidelined for nearly two weeks because of a hamstring strain, homered on Tuesday in his return. He added a two-run single on Wednesday.

“They’ve had a lot of time off and probably watching the team doing really well without them and wanting to be part of this thing,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said on Tuesday. “I think the pressure (was) a little bit off of them, too, because they don’t have to come back feeling like they have to be the hero. Just (being) who they are is good enough for us.”

The Marlins will finish the series with a second straight left-hander on the mound. Jesus Luzardo (6-5, 3.77 ERA) is set to oppose Boston for the first time.

Luzardo, 25, leads the Miami staff with 103 strikeouts through 16 starts. He fanned nine batters — his second-highest total of the season — across seven shutout, two-hit innings on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his eighth quality start.

The Red Sox, who are on a four-game skid and have a 2-12 home record against National League teams this season, will attempt to salvage the series finale.

Alex Verdugo had a 13-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday.

The emergence of Brayan Bello (5-4, 3.27 ERA) as a consistent starter has been a major bright spot of Boston’s season to this point. The 24-year-old right-hander will attempt to continue his success on Thursday.

Bello has worked at least six innings in each of his past four starts and five of his past six, which includes back-to-back, seven-inning outings against the New York Yankees earlier this month.

In his most recent start, Bello worked 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball to beat the host Chicago White Sox on Friday.

“My goal is always (to) try to go deep into the game so I can help the bullpen, and that has been my mentality since I came up here,” Bello said. “I’m trying to get quick outs. I’m not trying to strike out anybody, and that’s been the key to go deep into the game.”

Prior to Bello, the most recent Red Sox pitchers to post a sub-2.50 ERA in a 10-start span before turning 25 years old were Jon Lester, Aaron Sele, Roger Clemens and Dennis Eckersley.

Bello’s work ethic has been impressive.

“He’s very hungry,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He understands that he’s good, but obviously there’s a lot of work that we have to do for him to get to where we want to.”

Bello will be making his first career appearance against Miami.

–Field Level Media

Miami: 10 Runs, 19 Hits vs Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Following a 10-1, series-opening triumph on Tuesday, the Miami Marlins will look to keep up their winning ways when a three-game series against the Red Sox continues in Boston on Wednesday.

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Miami has won three straight games and nine of 12, and the Marlins remain in a National League playoff position at nearly the halfway mark of the season.

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who got the win on Tuesday in one of his best outings of the season, said, “Everybody’s happy. Everybody’s supporting each other. But what we are doing this year is something that people will know (about), because we surprised a lot of people this year, and we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Braxton Garrett (3-2, 3.64 ERA) takes the ball for Miami in the second of three games against Boston. It will be the 25-year-old’s first career start against the Red Sox.

While the Marlins’ rotation also includes reigning Cy Young Award winner Alcantara and star rookie Eury Perez, Garrett is in the midst of an strong run of his own. The left-hander has allowed just two earned runs — one in each of his two most recent starts — over his past 18 1/3 innings.

Despite taking a no-decision on Thursday in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Garrett became the first left-hander in Marlins history to record 13 strikeouts without walking a batter. He allowed just two runs, one earned, on three hits across seven innings.

“This guy can really pitch,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “If you have stuff and pitch, you’ll be an All-Star. He might be an All-Star. He’s pitching like one and putting together some really good outings for us.”

Another exciting piece of Miami’s success is Luis Arraez’s chase for .400. The second baseman went 2-for-5 on Tuesday and has a 10-game hit streak while sitting at .399.

The Marlins’ lineup as a whole banged out 19 hits to tie a season high on Tuesday. Joey Wendle went 4-for-4 with two runs.

The Red Sox did not officially name a Wednesday starter following the Tuesday game, though manager Alex Cora named Kaleb Ort (1-1, 5.79 ERA) as the “most likely” option to get that nod.

Only one of Ort’s 17 appearances this season was a start, when he went 2 1/3 innings to help Boston in its June 18 doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees.

He has since pitched twice in relief, most recently recording the last two outs of the eighth inning on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.

After finishing 26-50 against American League East opponents last season, the Red Sox have taken their lumps during interleague play this year. Boston is 11-16 against the NL — including 2-11 at home, which is the worst mark in the majors.

All in all, Boston is exactly a .500 team for the first time in more than a week and will look to step it up in the dog days of the summer.

“40-40, yep. No more, no less,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Like I said, we’re not great, we’re not bad. We are where we’re at. Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go. (Wednesday) is the halfway game of the season and we just got to be better, man. That’s the bottom line.”

Cora’s club has been held to a single run in back-to-back games for the third time this season. The Red Sox also had a three-game stretch in May when they managed a total of one run.

On Tuesday, Alex Verdugo had two doubles and Triston Casas went 3-for-4 to lead the Boston offense. It wasn’t nearly enough as Garrett Whitlock allowed 11 hits and six runs in 4 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

Sox Back Home for Marlins

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BOSTON – With the MLB All-Star break approaching in two weeks, a crucial stretch of games stands ahead for the Boston Red Sox.

After dropping a three-game set to one of the worst teams in the American League in the Chicago White Sox, Boston returns home for a three-game interleague series with the Miami Marlins beginning tonight.

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The series begins a stretch of nine straight games for Boston against teams currently in playoff position. The Red Sox had won six straight before dropping four of five games, including Sunday’s 4-1 series finale in Chicago.

“It’s just baseball. That’s the way it works,” Boston infielder Justin Turner said. “You can go out there and beat up on really good pitchers and sometimes pitchers that on paper that you’re supposed to beat up pitch really well. … We had a winning streak going but can’t take anything for granted.”

Turner has reached base multiple times in nine of his past 15 games.

In Sunday’s game, the Red Sox managed just two hits after the third inning. Outfielder Adam Duvall had two of the team’s five hits.

“There’s a lot of good teams out there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ve just got to play good baseball.”

The Marlins are one of those strong clubs, entering Monday with the third-best record in the National League. Garrett Whitlock (4-2, 4.50 ERA) will be the first Boston starter to face them in the series.

Whitlock, who has never started against Miami, has worked seven innings in back-to-back starts but took a no-decision after allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out six last Wednesday at Minnesota. His past three decisions dating back a month have been wins.

In the series opener, the Red Sox will be up against a tough starter in reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara (2-6, 5.08).

Alcantara will look to follow up yet another impressive performance by 20-year-old rookie Eury Perez, who struck out nine and extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 21 in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Miami has 16 wins during the month of June, including three of the past four games.

“It’s been a lot of fun. Winning is fun,” Perez said. “So we’ve got to continue winning a lot of games. Our next step is the playoffs. That will be the next step. (I) want to stay healthy so I can continue competing with all my teammates and win more games.”

Leading the way offensively, second baseman Luis Arraez enters the series with a .399 average, falling below the .400 mark after back-to-back one-hit games. He has not struck out since June 14.

Despite Alcantara’s overall struggles, he has pitched at least seven innings in three of his past four outings and six in total this season.

However, he has given up five runs and 10 hits in each of his two most recent games. All five runs in his start against Toronto last Wednesday came in the second inning.

“I’m going to bet on Sandy. Our clubhouse is going to bet on Sandy,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “Obviously, we need him to be that version (from the end of the game) moving forward if we want to get to where we want to get to.”

Alcantara’s only career start against Boston was on Sept. 15, 2020, working six innings of one-run ball.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Lose Series to White Sox

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Luis Robert Jr. hit two home runs to power the Chicago White Sox to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

Robert hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning and a solo homer in the sixth. Both home runs came against Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford (2-4). Robert, who went 3-for-4 in the win, also homered in Chicago’s 5-4 triumph over Boston on Saturday. He has 21 home runs this season.

The victory allowed the White Sox to win the final two games in the three-game series after Boston posted a 3-1 victory on Friday night. Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi, who began his career with the Red Sox, went 2-for-4 Sunday and had seven hits in the series.

Jesse Scholtens (1-2) tossed four innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory. He gave up two hits, struck out three and walked one. Scholtens replaced starter Tanner Banks with two outs in the third inning.

Keynan Middleton pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save.

Crawford gave up four runs on five hits in six innings. He recorded four strikeouts and walked one.

Boston’s Adam Duvall doubled in the third inning and drove in Justin Turner to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead, but the White Sox grabbed the lead when Robert hit the first of his two home runs to make it a 2-1 game in the fourth. Benintendi also scored on the play.

Duvall collected two of Boston’s five hits.

In the fifth inning, Benintendi hit an RBI double that scored Gavin Sheets to increase the lead to 3-1, and Robert’s solo home run in the sixth capped the scoring.

Sunday’s game ended Boston’s seven-game road trip. The Red Sox went 3-4 in those seven contests.

The loss dropped Boston’s record against teams at or below the .500 mark to 12-15.

–Field Level Media

Dalbec Awaits Sox Opportunity

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is dealing with a lineup problem as his team finishes a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but it’s a problem he may be happy to have.

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Bobby Dalbec

The Red Sox recalled hot-hitting corner infielder Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, but they have no obvious place to play him.

Dalbec, 27, was used as a third baseman for much of his minor league career, but he played first base when the Red Sox called him up in 2020. Boston has Rafael Devers at third base and Triston Casas at first. Justin Turner has been the team’s primary backup at both positions.

Based on how Dalbec performed in Triple-A this year, it may behoove the Red Sox to find playing time for him, however. Dalbec batted .296 with 18 home runs and 42 RBIs in 54 games with Worcester and hit .333 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs over his last 36 games.

Dalbec appeared in 133 games for the Red Sox in 2021 and 117 games in 2022. He totaled 37 home runs over those two seasons, 25 of them in 2021.

“Obviously, where we’re at roster-wise, he needs to be patient,” Cora told reporters before Boston’s 3-1 victory over Chicago on Friday night. “And I understand how it works. It’s part of it. While he’s here, he’s going to get chances to contribute. And he’s ready to go. That’s part of being a big-leaguer, a professional baseball player. He sees what’s going on here.

“But at the same time, he belongs to us. He’s with us. And he’s been working hard to get better. In this business, you’re always one injury away from coming up here and contributing. He’s here right now, and hopefully, he’s in the right frame of mind. And whenever he gets a shot, just go ahead and keep doing the things you were doing at Triple-A.”

Devers, Red Sox Blast White Sox

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Brayan Bello turned in another strong start and Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run as the Boston Red Sox ended a two-game losing streak by beating the host Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Friday night.

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It was a 1-1 game until Devers hit his 18th home run of the season in the fourth inning. Masataka Yoshida, who reached on an error, also scored on the blast.

The homer came against Chicago starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (5-5), who allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out 10 in six innings. Giolito surrendered three hits and walked one.

Devers raised his RBI total to 60. Yoshida had two of Boston’s four hits in the win, with Enrique Hernandez collected the Red Sox’s other hit.

Bello (5-4) limited the White Sox to a run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He recorded five strikeouts and walked one. Bello has given up no more than two earned runs in nine of his past 10 starts, and pitching to a 2.45 ERA in that span.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 16th save of the season.

The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, when David Hamilton walked, stole second and scored on a two-base error by second baseman Tim Anderson. The White Sox made it 1-1 in the bottom of the inning on Anderson’s sacrifice fly, which scored Seby Zavala.

Hamilton made his major league debut on Wednesday and made his second start on Friday, going 0-for-2 to leave him 1-for-5 overall. He stole 70 bases for Double-A Portland last season and had 27 thefts with Triple-A Worcester this year.

Eloy Jimenez had three hits for the White Sox, who have lost nine of their last 12 games. Chicago, which finished with eight hits, is 18-20 at home this season.

Boston’s victory came in the opener of a three-game series. It was the first meeting between the Red Sox and White Sox this season.

–Field Level Media

Sox Houck To Undergo Surgery

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck, who suffered a facial fracture after getting struck by a line drive last week, will undergo surgery next week to insert a plate into his face.

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave the update, adding he had no timetable for Houck’s return but said he expects the 26-year-old back this season.

The team placed Houck on the 15-day injured list on Sunday.

Cora did call it a “best-case scenario” for Houck, who was hit below the eye and temple.

“Sounds bad, right? Fracture,” Cora told reporters Tuesday. “But the fact that he knows he’s going to be part of this, it’s good. It’s the best news we can get.”

Houck was struck just under his right eye by a line drive from Kyle Higashioka of the New York Yankees on Friday night.

Houck, 26, is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA through 13 starts this season.

He has a 12-15 record with nine saves and a 3.66 ERA in 66 career games (33 starts) with the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media