Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Red Sox

Sox vs. Blue Jays: Big 3-Game Series

by

TORONTO – (Wire Service Report) – The Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason ticket officially has been punched. Their next goal is to win the American League East as they close out the regular season with a six-game home stand that opens tonight against the Boston Red Sox.

Embed from Getty Images

The Blue Jays (90-66) clinched a playoff berth with an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday that completed a 3-4 road trip.

The win snapped the Blue Jays’ four-game losing streak during which they scored a total of three runs. It also maintained their two-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees, who also won Sunday.

The Red Sox (85-71) are third in the AL East, five games behind Toronto after losing 7-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday night. They will be trying to solidify their hold on a wild-card spot when they complete a six-game road trip with three in Toronto.

The Blue Jays are scheduled to start Kevin Gausman (10-10, 3.38 ERA) on Tuesday. The right-hander is 9-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 32 career games (27 starts) against the Red Sox. In his one start against them this season, he allowed one unearned run in eight innings but did not factor in the decision.

Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.46) is expected to get the assignment for the Red Sox. The right-hander is 3-3 with a 4.63 ERA in 10 career starts against the Blue Jays. In two starts against them this season, he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA.

Toronto leads the season series with Boston 7-3.

The Blue Jays finished last in the division in 2024 after being swept in the wild-card series in each of the previous two seasons. This season, they are considered a surprise team and were the first AL team to clinch a postseason berth.

“I’m so happy for them,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “It is hard at this level for everyone to put their egos aside and play for each other. It is so cool to see these guys genuinely happy for each other when they get the job done, no matter who it is. This is the most fulfilling team I’ve been part of.”

The resurgences of George Springer and Bo Bichette have given the offense a boost this season. Bichette, who was hampered by injuries in 2024, has been out since Sept. 7 with a sprained left knee and he will not return until the postseason.

Finishing first in the AL East and winning the top seed in the AL could be important for the Blue Jays because of the home-field advantages they bring. The Blue Jays have been two different teams this year — 50-25 at home and 40-41 on the road.

Entering Tuesday’s games, the Blue Jays are in the driver’s seat for the AL’s top seed. They have a magic number of four with the Yankees, three with the Mariners, two with the Astros and one with the other three AL teams still mathematically in the playoff chase.

The Red Sox are 39-39 on the road but are 17-10 away from home since July 23.

They missed a chance to sweep the Rays on Sunday when they stranded 10 runners despite going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Taking the series in Tampa was considered a positive step for the Red Sox, who entered Monday sitting in the second wild-card spot. They begin the final week of the regular season one game ahead of Houston and Cleveland, who are tied for the third and final spot entering Tuesday’s action.

“Every game counts,” said Boston manager Alex Cora. “We’re in a good position. I know the season didn’t end (Sunday), but we’re in a good spot.”

Cora likes the way the offense is trending. “I truly believe now, the line is moving,” he said. “There were some tremendous at-bats, guys using the whole field.”

Boston outfielder Wilyer Abreu returned to the lineup on Sunday after being out since Aug. 18 with a strained right calf. He struck out four times as the DH.

–Field Level Media

Boston’s Big Ninth After Error

by

TAMPA – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Trevor Story knocked in the go-ahead run in the club’s three-run ninth inning as the Red Sox crafted their eighth straight win over Tampa Bay, doubling the host Rays 6-3 on Saturday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Tied three-all, Story put Boston ahead by singling in Ceddanne Rafaela, who reached on Junior Caminero’s second fielding error, for a 4-3 lead off reliever Jesse Scholtens (0-1).

Masataka Yoshida (single) and Romy Gonzalez (sacrifice fly) drove in runs for the three-run lead as the Red Sox (85-70) moved to 10-2 against the Rays (75-80).

Gonzalez was 2-for-2 with a run, RBI and stolen base plus a walk and a hit by pitch. Alex Bregman had two hits, and Rafaela scored twice.

Garrett Whitlock (7-3) was credited with the win. Aroldis Chapman notched his 31st save.

In his first start with the Red Sox, Kyle Harrison gave up one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Tampa Bay’s Jake Mangum was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Yandy Diaz was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.

Starter Adrian Houser yielded three runs on five hits in six innings. The right-hander had two strikeouts, three walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches.

The visitors used their speed to go up 1-0 in the third after Jarren Duran’s one-out single. The speedster stole his 24th base then scored when Houser spiked two wild pitches into the dirt and to the backstop.

In the fourth, Mangum doubled to left to score Brandon Lowe, who earlier had singled, to even it, but Bregman made it 2-1 by lining a single to center to send home Rafaela.

Boston took a 3-1 lead in the sixth by manufacturing a run without a hit after leadoff batter Gonzalez was hit by a Houser pitch. He promptly stole second, was bunted to third by Nate Eaton and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathaniel Lowe.

In the seventh with Harrison out, the Rays tied it off relievers Justin Wilson and Justin Slaten on Nick Fortes’ RBI double and Diaz’s run-scoring single.

–Field Level Media

Sox Derailled as A’s Take Series

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief

BOSTON – Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited service from Cleveland’s Lakefront Station to Boston’s South Station is coming down the line. And, today’s 5-3 Red Sox loss to the Travelin’ A’s put the club’s neck on the tracks as Cleveland won its seventh straight game and is now only 1.5 games away from the American League’s third Wild Card slot, a berth Boston seemed sure of holding just weeks ago.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston starter Brayan Bello coughed up four straight hits to start the afternoon game at Fenway Park, two being home runs (Laurence Butler) and (Nick Kurtz) to put the Sox down three before their own train left the station.

Boston has now dropped three of their last four series, dating back to September 5. The Red Sox are 5-8 in their last 13 games, 5-10 in their last 15 games at Fenway. While Boston’s 83-70 record through 153 games in their best  since 2021 (92-70), the grasp on the final AL Wild Card spot and a berth in postseason is now facing an uphill battle.

Boston now heads to the road for three-game sets at AL East rival Tampa and three games at AL East-leading Toronto before coming back to Fenway for the final home series of the 2025 season, three games against AL Central leading Detroit (September 26-28).

Bello only pitched four innings, tying his shortest outing of the season (May 23 vs Baltimore). He had allowed only three earned runs or fewer in 25 of his 28 games this season, but fell apart in possibly his most important start of the campaign. In the four IP, he allowed five hits, four runs, three earned runs, with two walks and three strike-outs. Bello is (11-8) on the season.

A’s starter J.T. Ginn had the tonic working over six innings pitched, allowing five hits, two earned runs with one walk and three strike-outs. David Hamilton’s second inning homer was the blemish and it made the score A’s 3-Boston 2, after two innings, but the club, formerly of Oakland (and Kansas City, way back when) scratched out two more runs (5-2, in middle of the seventh inning) while Boston’s offense was derailing.

Only Trevor Story’s eighth inning home run added a tally and closed out the scoring, (5-3).

After a terrible start to the season when they lost 20-of-21 from May 14 to June 4, the A’s are now an AL-best (30-19) since July 24.

A’s DH Brent Rooker hit his 30th home run of the season and is only the seventh player in franchise history to record three consecutive 30-HR seasons. Story’s homer was his 25th of the season and he joined Jacoby Ellsbury as the only two Red Sox players with 25+ HRs, 30+ Stolen bases and 90+ runs batted in.

A’s reliever Hogan Harris notched his fourth save of the year.

Boston will throw ace Garrett Crochet in the first game of the series vs. Tampa tomorrow night at 7:35 (NESN).

 

A’s Learning to Win Down Stretch

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Athletics are just one loss away from being eliminated from playoff contention, but they could be one heck of a spoiler down the stretch.

Embed from Getty Images

Now winners of five games in a row and an American League-best 29 games since July 24, the A’s (71-80) will look to secure a series win when they visit the Boston Red Sox (82-69) for the middle contest of a three-game set on Wednesday night.

“These games are really important (in Boston’s playoff chase), and the support they’re going to get for these three games, in some way, will represent that type of (playoff) atmosphere,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “For our young guys, this is a good challenge for them, to be able to go into a pretty electric environment.”

It took until the sixth inning for Tyler Soderstrom and Brett Harris to drive in the tying and winning runs on Tuesday, and Mitch Spence and Hogan Harris did the rest over five shutout relief innings as the A’s won 2-1. Jeffrey Springs was the starter, giving up one run (none earned) over four innings.

The result was the team’s third straight road-series-opening win and its second one-run victory over the Red Sox in a seven-day stretch.

Kotsay said he believes fans should get used to watching Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson facing the likes of Boston’s Roman Anthony (though currently injured) and pitchers Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.

“(The Red Sox) have a young, impressive team that’s going to be good for a while,” Kotsay said. “I think our club is very similar. … It should be fun watching these two teams build over the next few years.”

Athletics rookie Mason Barnett (1-1, 8.53 ERA) is set for his fourth career start and will face the Red Sox for the second time. He had not pitched in Triple-A before this season.

The 24-year-old was charged with three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings last Wednesday in his team’s 5-4 win over the Red Sox. This outing came on the heels of striking out eight Los Angeles Angels in five innings to earn his first career win.

The Red Sox on Tuesday managed just one run on eight hits — including three from Trevor Story, who also became just the fourth 30-for-30 base stealer in MLB’s expansion era (since 1961). Boston was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

A bases-loaded, no-out opportunity went to waste, while Nick Sogard was picked off first base as a potential tying run in the eighth inning.

“We just got to make sure we slow it down, (don’t get) caught up on the score and just do your part,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I think, at the end of the day, the job is to get on base. We’ve been doing a better job the last three games … but we have to cash in.”

The return of outfielder Wilyer Abreu (calf strain) from the injured list is needed, and while not expected on Wednesday, it does appear imminent.

“Wily hit (Monday). He was a little bit sore but not tight. I think it’s more about the workload on Sunday,” Cora said. “He walked in today and said he felt better. So we’ll see what’s on the table and see where we’re at.

Boston’s Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.31 ERA) will pitch Wednesday looking to shake off back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The right-hander took a tough-luck defeat Friday against the New York Yankees, allowing just two runs (one earned) and striking out six over the first 5 2/3 innings. The Red Sox lost 4-1.

“It wasn’t good enough. The other guy’s (Luis Gil) throwing zero after zero, I gotta match that for us to have a chance to win,” Giolito said.

Giolito is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three career starts against the Athletics but has not faced them since 2022.

–Field Level Media

Yankees Do More Damage to Sox

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to help lift the visiting Yankees to a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Embed from Getty Images

 

The Yankees (83-65) scored twice in the first inning and never relinquished a 4-0 lead built by the fifth inning, though Jarren Duran‘s pinch-hit solo home run in the eighth brought the hosts back within a run.
Cody Bellinger went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, including a two-out double high off the Green Monster to drive home an important insurance run against Boston reliever Aroldis Chapman, who allowed a run for the second straight outing. Aaron Judge (2-for-3, two runs) singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch to set up the RBI opportunity.

New York starter Max Fried (17-5) earned the win despite allowing nine hits and two walks across 5 1/3 innings. He allowed just two runs and struck out six. David Bednar posted his 24th save to secure New York’s second straight win in the three-game set.

Alex Bregman and Duran both homered for the Red Sox (81-68), while Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard and Connor Wong each had two hits.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After loading the bases with nobody out against Boston starter Brayan Bello (11-7), Bellinger skied a sacrifice fly to deep center to score the first run, then Chisholm’s swinging-bunt single infield to the third base side drove in their second run.
Fried escaped jams in the first two innings. Three straight Red Sox reached to start the second, but Eaton was tagged out while attempting to go first-to-third on Sogard’s single.
After Bello got out of his first-inning trouble with consecutive strikeouts and fanned three in a row spanning into the second inning, Chisholm’s RBI single through the right side in the third upped the New York lead to 3-0.
The fifth inning saw the teams trade two-out solo homers. Chisholm’s towering shot to right made it a 4-0 Yankees lead, and in the bottom half of the frame, Bregman got the hosts on the board when he clanked the right-field pole for his first round-tripper since Aug. 12.
Three straight one-out hits in the sixth — by Eaton, Sogard and Wong — brought the Red Sox within 4-2 and chased Fried. Wong singled in a run, but reliever Luke Weaver struck out back-to-back batters to end the inning.
Bello allowed four runs on five hits across in five innings, breaking his streak of 14 consecutive scoreless frames against New York this season.
–Field Level Media

Yankees Take Sox, Take Charge, Take Game and a Half Advantage

by

BOSTON – (Staff Report) – In mid-September baseball with a postseason berth on the line, lethargic, pathetic, error-filled and one run producing baseball is not the remedy for a win. Not in the opening game, an important game in an important three-game, weekend series for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees – on September 12th.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox game line read: 1 – 2 – 3 … that’s one run, two hits and three errors. The final score? New York 4, Boston 1.

How is it possible to compete while going hitless through six innings at Fenway Park – a bandbox full of run producing delicacies.

Not tonight.

The first glitch was Sox starter Lucas Giolito grooving a 92-mph four seamer down the Mass Turnpike which New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge whacked 468-feet, at the least, for a 1-0 NYY lead in the first inning.

Judge’s homer was his 362 career HR, passing the legendary Joe DiMaggio for the fourth most homers in New York Yankees franchise history. Judge trails only Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536) and Lou Gehrig (493) in NYY franchise home runs.

Judge’s first inning homer also marked the 46th Yankees homer in the opening frame, leading the Majors this season and tying the Cincinnati Reds of 2019 for second-most of any team in the last 75 years. Only the Atlanta Braves are ahead of New York when the Braves concluded the season with 47 in 2023.

Sox bats were asleep at the wheel.

Besides the lackluster effort at the plate, the Red Sox also put a final boxscore in the Elias Sports Bureau records that tallied – let us count the ways – 1). A catcher’s interference error by Carlos Narvaez led directly to NY right-fielder Cody Bellinger’s base hit to allow Judge to score the second run. That was 2-zip, after three.

Fielding and throwing errors?  Sox second baseman David Hamilton scratched out both.

It was all too much to overcome Luis Gil’s no-hit effort through six innings pitched. Gil allowed no hits, no runs while walking four and striking out four. After the six innings and 93 pitches (54 strikes), Gil gave way to RHP Fernando Cruz who lost the team no hitter when Boston right fielder Nate Eaton homered to left field in the seventh inning (3-1, NY).

It all added up to Boston losing the second straight game, losing their seventh game of the last 10 at Fenway Park (since 8-17-25) which comes after winning nine of the previous 10 games in Boston (July 26-to-August 16.

Gil was credited with the win and is (4-1) on the season while Giolito (10-4) took the loss. New York’s reliever, David Bednar, earned his 23rd save of the season.

Interestingly, Giolito is now (5-1) in his last seven home starts, pitching at an incredible 0.80 ERA. He has allowed only one or zero earned runs over 5.2 IP in those seven games. Over his last 17 starts, Giolito is (9-3) with a 2.29 ERA and a .211 opponent batting average.

That wasn’t good enough for tonight and the Red Sox will now rely upon RHP Brayan Bello (11-6) to pitch Saturday and ace LHP Garrett Crochet (15-5) to throw vs. New York on Sunday. The Yankees will counter with ace LHP Max Fried (16-5) on Saturday and RHP Will Warren (8-6) to go Sunday.

The Yankees are now a game and a half ahead of Boston in the AL East standings with the same lead in the American League Wild Card race. Seattle holds the final Wild Card slot and leads the Texas Rangers by 1.5 games.

 

Yanks Invade Fenway for Weekend

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – Two big rivals, one big series this weekend in Boston.

With just a half-game separating them behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings, the New York Yankees (81-65) and Boston Red Sox (81-66) begin their final head-to-head set of the regular season Friday night.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox have missed the playoffs in three straight and five of the last six seasons, meaning that series of this magnitude between the two have been few and far between of late. It didn’t take Boston newcomer Alex Bregman long to figure out the meaning, especially in the midst of a playoff chase.

“It’s so cool playing against those guys,” the third baseman said to USA Today. “Just fun games, pressure-packed, great environment. It was a lot of fun living out that childhood dream, watching those games on TV and watching them play in October.”

Boston’s three-out-of-four series victory in the Bronx last month (Aug. 21-24) marked Bregman’s first taste of the rivalry. He went 7-for-16 after being sidelined for the teams’ first six games against each other back in June.

The Red Sox settled for spitting a six-game road trip following Wednesday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the Athletics. The game ended with closer Aroldis Chapman allowing two hits and his first run since July 23.

“At one point, he was going to give it up,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It just happened that it was (Wednesday). … We’re going home now. Just be ready for Friday.”

Now, right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-3, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound back at home.

Giolito allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits across five innings in last Saturday’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had won his two prior starts, including eight shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 26.

Giolito is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in six career starts against New York.

While the Red Sox had Thursday off, the Yankees blitzed the Detroit Tigers 9-3 to avoid losing three in a row.

Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler pitched six innings of one-run ball.

Aaron Judge (3-for-4, two home runs) and Boston-area youngster Ben Rice (two doubles, RBI) helped support Schlittler’s effort. Judge tied Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the Yankees’ all-time home run list (361).

“Everybody had each other’s back,” Judge said. “We knew we had (Schlittler) on the mound, who wasn’t gonna give up too many runs. Just have to get one or two runs for a guy like that. It was a big day.”

New York banged out 14 hits, including two more from Jose Caballero, who made a second straight start in Anthony Volpe’s place.

Volpe (.206 average) had a cortisone shot in his left shoulder Wednesday, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects him “to be OK in the next couple days.”

“Obviously, we’re down to the end, and as I’ve said, it’s kind of all hands on deck, and do what we think is best, day in, day out,” Boone said.

Meanwhile, New York starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of the team’s last 17 games. Right-hander Luis Gil (3-1, 3.31) looks to keep that streak going for a sixth consecutive start Friday. He is 1-1 with a 1.27 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.

Gil beat Toronto last Saturday by working around four walks to allow just one run over six innings.

“Hopefully, we can just start to build where the command and control is there with the stuff following,” Boone said.

–Field Level Media

A’s Avoid Sweep by Sox

by

SACRAMENTO – (Wire Service Report) – Lawrence Butler’s walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth gave the host Athletics a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in Northern California.

Embed from Getty Images

The Athletics (67-80), who avoided a sweep in the three-game series, got homers from Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz and snapped a three-game losing streak. Brent Rooker was 3-for-5 with two doubles, his 39th and 40th.

The Red Sox (81-66) had their three-game winning streak halted. Nate Eaton was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. The club will fly home to Boston, have a travel day Thursday then open up a weekend series against AL East and Wild Card rival New York.

Boston tied the game 4-4 with two outs in the top of the ninth on Rob Refsnyder’s RBI double off Elvis Alvarado. It scored pinch runner Ceddanne Rafaela from first.

Butler’s game-winning single scored Langeliers, who had doubled, from third.

Both hits came off of loser Aroldis Chapman (4-3), who had not allowed a hit to his previous 50 batters.

Hogan Harris (2-1) got the win.

Kyle Soderstrom’s pinch-hit two-run double with the bases loaded in the fifth gave the Athletics a 4-3 lead. Butler, who was on first, also tried to score but was thrown out at the plate.

Athletics starter Mason Barnett allowed three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

Boston tied it 2-2 on Trevor Story’s run-scoring double in the third. Jerran Duran’s groundout gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

Kurtz’s 30th homer, leading off the second, made it 2-1 Athletics. He drilled opener Payton Tolle’s pitch to the opposite field, down the left-field line and over the wall.

Eaton’s RBI double in the second tied the game 1-1 for Boston. It was a short popup down the right-field line, on which first baseman Nick Kurtz and second baseman Zack Gelof collided as they tried to catch it. The ball actually bounced off of Kurtz’s glove.

Langeliers’ one-out home run in the first gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead. His drive barely eluded a leaping Duran, who lost his glove over the fence, at the left-field wall. It was Langeliers’ 30th homer.

–Field Level Media

Refsnyder Blasts the Long Ball

by

SACRAMENTO – Wire Service Preview) – Major League Baseball veteran Rob Refsnyder is the new owner of the longest homer hit by a Boston Red Sox player this season.

Refsnyder belted a 463-foot homer to fuel Boston’s second straight win in a three-game series against the Athletics, and he will aim to help the Red Sox complete the sweep Wednesday afternoon in the temporary Northern California home of the soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston (81-65) is in a virtual tie for second place with the New York Yankees (80-64) in the American League East, three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays (83-61). The Red Sox and Yankees also share the top two AL wild-card positions.

Refsnyder’s career-long homer was a three-run blast that capped a four-run first inning on Tuesday. It was just the 32th homer the journeyman has hit in 10 major league seasons.

“That’s the furthest ball I’ve ever hit, and it will probably be the furthest I’ll ever hit,” Refsnyder said after Boston’s 6-0 win. “It’s special to be able to do something like that. There’s a really bunch of bad years and stretches where I really couldn’t even hit the ball forward.”

When the subject turned to bragging rights, the reality that his homer was the team’s longest sunk in.

“They all count the same, but it’s bad when a 34-year-old is No. 1, so I will give some crap to some guys,” Refsnyder said.

Boston has had many heroes while outscoring the Athletics 13-0 over the first two games.

Trevor Story and Carlos Narvaez homered in the Red Sox’s 7-0 victory on Monday, and Romy Gonzalez led off Tuesday game with a homer shortly before Refsnyder’s blast.

Gonzalez also hit an RBI double in the second inning but exited with left knee soreness after 1 1/2 frames.

“Left knee kind of locked up on me, nothing too serious,” Gonzalez said. “Hoping I will be ready to go by Friday.”

Gonzalez is batting .455 (20-for-44) during a 12-game hitting streak. Prior to the homer and double on Tuesday, all 18 of the hits were singles.

The Athletics had 10 hits on Tuesday but also struck out 11 times in five innings against Boston left-hander Connelly Early, who was making his big-league debut. On Monday, Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet pitched the first seven innings of a shutout victory.

It marked the first time the A’s have been blanked in consecutive games since facing the Detroit Tigers on June 26 and the New York Yankees one day later.

“To get shut out back-to-back nights is tough,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “Our offense has been great all year.

“We’ve faced tough pitching. We had a lot of chances and we didn’t capitalize. When you have 10 hits and you don’t score any runs, it says a lot about your opportunities with runners in scoring position.”

A’s All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson had three hits to raise his batting average to .319, second best in the majors behind the .321 mark of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

“It’s impressive — his ability to use the whole field the way that he does,” Kotsay said. “It doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down right now.”

Left-hander Payton Tolle (0-1, 7.56 ERA) will make his third start for Boston on Wednesday. His first went well, his second did not.

The 22-year-old struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 29 in his big-league debut. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks.

However, Tolle lasted just three innings and gave up five runs and five hits while losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. He fanned two and walked four.

Right-hander Mason Barnett (1-1, 9.00) will make his third career start for the A’s.

Barnett, 24, struggled in his debut vs. the Texas Rangers on Aug. 30, permitting five runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. He came back to beat the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, when he allowed four runs and three hits over five innings. In the latter contest, he struck out eight and walked five.

–Field Level Media

Early Bird Gets the A’s

by

SACRAMENTO – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s rookie starting pitcher Connelly Early struck out 11 to match the franchise record for a pitcher in his major league debut, tossing five shutout innings as the Red Sox notched a 6-0 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday at the new Northern California home of the A’s.

Embed from Getty Images

The 23-year-old left-hander, promoted from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day, allowed five hits and one walk. Early (1-0) matched the team strikeout record set by Don Aase in his first start for Boston on July 26, 1977.

Boston’s Rob Refsnyder had a three-run homer among two hits and Romy Gonzalez added a homer, a double and two RBIs as the Red Sox recorded their third straight victory.

Boston (81-65) is in a virtual tie for second place with the New York Yankees (80-64) in the American League, three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays (83-61). The Red Sox and Yankees also share the top two AL wild-card positions.

Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 12 games before leaving after the top of the second inning due to left knee soreness. All 18 of his hits during the hitting streak were singles prior to the extra-base hits on Tuesday. He is batting .455 (20-for-44) during the streak.

Early was promoted when right-hander Dustin May (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier Tuesday. Four Boston relievers completed a 10-hit shutout.

Jacob Wilson had three hits and Zach Gelof and Shea Langeliers had two apiece for the Athletics (66-80), who have been blanked in each of the first two games of this series and have dropped eight of their past 11 games.

A’s starter Jeffrey Springs (10-11) served up two first-inning homers and wound up yielding five runs and eight hits over five-plus innings. He struck out six and walked none.

Boston led 4-0 just four hitters into the game.

Gonzalez led off the game by ripping a 2-0 slider from Springs 426 feet over the wall in left-center.

Alex Bregman and Trevor Story followed with singles before Refsnyder jumped on a 1-2 fastball and sent it 463 feet to left-center for a three-run blast.

The Red Sox tacked on one run in the second as Nick Sogard doubled and Gonzalez laced a one-out double to make it 5-0.

Early retired the first eight batters he faced and struck out six over the first three innings. He then raised his strikeout count to nine while working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth.

Nick Kurtz had a leadoff single for the A’s before Early fanned Colby Thomas. Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom followed with singles before Early struck out Darrel Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler to end the frame.

Masataka Yoshida’s infield out in the eighth plated the final Boston run.

–Field Level Media