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Red Sox Salvage Series Finale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Rafael Devers collected two hits, including a two-run home run, to help the Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep by beating the visiting San Diego Padres 4-1 Sunday.

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Devers hit his 18th home run of the season in the bottom of the first against Matt Waldron. Wilyer Abreu, who reached on a walk, also scored on the home run. The two-run homer gave Devers 600 career RBIs.

Devers has hit four home runs in his last five games. Abreu and Masataka Yoshida also had two hits for the Red Sox.

Jarren Duran added a solo home run for the Red Sox, who ended a three-game losing streak. It was his ninth home run of the season.

San Diego scored in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Jackson Merrill and Ha-Seong Kim. Merrill had three hits in the loss, which ended San Diego’s five-game winning streak.

Josh Winckowski (2-1) earned the win for tossing five scoreless innings in his second appearance since being recalled from Triple-A. Winckowski allowed four hits, struck out one and didn’t walk a batter.

Waldron (5-7) gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Boston was outscored 20-3 in the first two games of the series. San Diego prevailed 9-2 Friday night and 11-1 Saturday. The Padres entered Sunday’s game with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games and had outscored their opponents by 29 runs during that stretch.

After Devers gave Boston a 2-0 advantage, the Red Sox extended their lead to 3-0 in the third. Abreu singled, took third on a Devers single and scored on a passed ball.

Duran’s home run stretched the lead to 4-0 in the fifth, before the Padres got on the scoreboard in the seventh.

–Field Level Media

Surging Padres Rock Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting San Diego Padres will attempt to extend their winning streak to six games Sunday afternoon when they wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. San Diego outscored Boston 20-3 in the first two games of the series. The Padres won 9-2 Friday night and 11-1 Saturday.

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The Padres hit six home runs in their two victories against the Red Sox. Jackson Merrill has homered in each game, and Manny Machado homered twice in Saturday’s win. San Diego is 9-1 in its last 10 games, with 20 home runs.

The 16 hits the Padres collected in Saturday’s win were the most the Red Sox have given up in a game this season. The victory pushed the Padres five games over the .500 mark (46-41) for the first time this season.

“We’re just looking for continual improvement,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “You get continual improvement, then you get all areas firing together and you get guys working together, communicating together and clearly playing together. A lot of quality at-bats. Manny and some other guys put some big swings on the baseball.

“When you have confidence in your whole roster and guys in the lineup, you don’t feel like you have to carry the proverbial mantle. It’s just a matter of taking your good at-bat, knowing the guy behind you is going to take a good at-bat, and you’re going to do it over and over again.”

The Padres scored nine runs in the fifth inning Friday night, and struck for six runs in the fifth inning Saturday.

Right-hander Matt Waldron (5-6, 3.43 ERA) is San Diego’s scheduled starting pitcher Sunday. Waldron, a knuckleballer, has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last nine starts. He has a 1.95 ERA during that stretch.

Sunday will be Waldron’s first career appearance against the Red Sox. Kyle Higashioka typically catches when Waldron is on the mound.

“The knuckleball is definitely an outlier pitch, because even if you know it’s coming, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get one that’s good to hit,” Higashioka told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s dancing out there like crazy. So regardless of whether you’re looking for it or not, if he throws the good one, it’s very unlikely that somebody’s going to really square it up.”

The Red Sox will go with right-hander Josh Winckowski (1-1, 3.26 ERA) on Sunday. Winckowski has a 1.69 ERA in three starts this season and a 4.12 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He pitched the final three innings to earn the save in a 6-1 victory over San Diego last season. That is his only appearance against the Padres.

The Red Sox have lost their last three games.

“It’s a good lineup, and they’re swinging the bats really, really well — putting up big numbers,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That’s something they’ve been doing the last 10, 15 days. Hopefully tomorrow with (Winckowski), we can hold them down and we can get going offensively.”

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong carries a 15-game hitting streak into Sunday’s matchup.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox Drop Opener to Padres

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will have right-hander Tanner Houck on the mound today when they attempt to end the visiting San Diego Padres’ four-game winning streak.

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Houck (7-5, 2.18 ERA) began the season battling to win the fifth spot in Boston’s rotation but has quickly become the team’s ace. He leads the American League in ERA and has 101 strikeouts and 18 walks in 103 1/3 innings this season.

Houck credited much of his 2024 success to Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who suggested he overhaul his split-finger fastball.

“He came over and kind of gave me a few different grip ideas before camp,” Houck said on a recent NESN game telecast. “I took it and kind of ran with it. I feel incredibly comfortable with that pitch now. It’s something that I’ve known for years I’ve needed to develop and get better with, but ultimately I feel like that’s kind of been my biggest weapon this year that’s taken the most steps forward.”

Houck has pitched at least 5 2/3 innings in each of his 16 starts. Saturday — his 28th birthday — will be the first time he faces the Padres in his career.

Right-hander Michael King (5-5, 3.75 ERA) is San Diego’s scheduled starter. King, who was with the New York Yankees the previous five seasons, is 2-4 with a 5.20 ERA in 12 career appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox. He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in five outings (one start) in Boston.

The Padres opened the three-game series with a 9-2 victory on Friday. San Diego did all of its scoring in the fifth inning, which included a two-run home run from Kyle Higashioka and a three-run home run from Jackson Merrill, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox.

“I don’t usually like to talk about something I do,” Merrill said. “I like talking about the wins and stuff. But that was probably the dopest moment of my baseball career.

“A nine-run inning. You can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Higashioka has three home runs in his past two games and eight home runs in June.

The victory was the eighth in nine games for the Padres, moving them four games above .500 for the first time this season.

X-rays were negative on Padres starting pitcher Randy Vasquez, who took a line drive off his right forearm in the fifth inning.

“A little bit of swelling right now, but hopefully I’ll be able to be out there for my next start,” Vasquez said.

The Red Sox have lost two straight for the first time since dropping the middle two games of a four-game series against the White Sox on June 7-8.

“We have a good baseball team that can do a lot of good things,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “There’s other stuff that we have to get better (at), but at the same time very pleased with the way we went about our business in the first part of the season and the way some guys progressed.

“We’re going to keep working hard to make them better, and we’re going to keep playing good baseball. I truly believe there’s going to be meaningful games here in September.”

–Field Level Media

Jays Outscore Sox with Long Balls

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two doubles and four RBIs while George Springer homered to help the visiting Blue Jays past the Boston Red Sox 9-4 on Tuesday. The Blue Jays scored all nine of their runs over the third and fourth innings, highlighted by an initial seven-run scoring frame that erased an early 2-0 Red Sox lead.

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Blue Jays centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier also posted a three-hit game, scoring two runs and driving in another for Toronto. The support was more than enough for starter Kevin Gausman (6-6), whose six innings of work included five strikeouts and helped Toronto snap a seven-game skid.

Rafael Devers (2-for-4) and Tyler O’Neill each homered for the Red Sox, who were held to five hits while losing for just the second time in the past 10 games.

Brayan Bello (7-5) was roughed up for seven runs on five hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Josh Winckowski covered all but two outs the rest of the way, striking out a career-high eight over six innings of relief.

After a 1-2-3 start against Gausman, the Red Sox struck for a pair of quick runs in the second. Devers opened the scoring with a towering homer out to deep right center, his 16th homer of the season. O’Neill dropped a ball into shallow right over a lunging Guerrero’s glove at first base to continue the inning. Masataka Yoshida then lined a double to right and added to Boston’s lead at 2-0.

The Blue Jays wasted little time tying the game and more, tagging Bello for a seven-run inning in just a span of eight batters. Kiermaier knocked an RBI single off the glove of Enmanuel Valdez at second, and right fielder Wilyer Abreu’s relay throw sailed and led to the second run. After back-to-back walks, Guerrero crushed a go-ahead, two-run double into the centerfield triangle before a Turner grounder and two-run Springer homer into the Red Sox bullpen to bring Toronto in full command at 7-2. It was Springer’s sixth homer of the season.

The Toronto lead ballooned to 9-2 against the bullpen on Guerrero’s two-run double that bounced into the left-field corner and a subsequent throwing error. Devers’ fan-interfered double to center set up another RBI opportunity for Boston in the sixth, and O’Neill crushed a two-run homer out to deep right, his 16th homer of the season.

–Field Level Media

Sox On, Walk Off

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – A night after an exhilarating walk-off victory in the series opener, the Boston Red Sox will look for their fourth consecutive win when they oppose the visiting Toronto Blue Jays tonight.

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Jarren Duran (3-for-5) hit a single on Monday to score Ceddanne Rafaela with the game-winning run for the Red Sox, who trailed 6-2 after seven innings but came back for their eighth win in nine games.

Three of Boston’s wins in that stretch came during a series sweep at Toronto early last week.

Rafael Devers (3-for-4 on Monday) and David Hamilton each homered and Romy Gonzalez hit a game-tying, pinch-hit, two-run single to help the Red Sox prevail with the NBA champion Boston Celtics in attendance.

“It was just amazing,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve never really been a part of something like this, and hopefully we can just keep this thing rolling.”

Duran has hit safely in a career-high 14 consecutive games.

The Tuesday pitching matchup is a rematch from the finale at Toronto last week. Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello (7-4, 4.83 ERA) will oppose Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-6, 4.24).

Bello pitched six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts in Boston’s 7-3 win on Wednesday.

“When you’ve got 97-98 (mph) with movement, a good changeup and a good slider, we want our guys to keep pounding the strike zone and he did,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Bello’s latest outing. “(The starting pitchers) worked hard (last) week just controlling the counts and pounding the strike zone, and he executed the plan.”

Blue Jays Visit Fenway to Face Hot Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox look to get the best of an American League East rival for the second straight week, beginning another three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, who will head to Fenway Park for the first time this season tonight.

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It has been a winning stretch for Boston, which took series from the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees on their last homestand before going 5-1 on a trip through Toronto and Cincinnati.

The Red Sox are 9-2 over their past 11 games after heading home following a 7-4 win over the Reds on Sunday, moving them into the third American League wild-card position.

Boston manager Alex Cora sees a talented team from top to bottom that is “playing with joy.”

“We went from a roster that we had some question marks early on in the season and now it feels like it’s one of the best rosters position-player-wise that we’ve had in a while,” Cora said. “From one to 13, we’re not afraid to play them. We’re in a good spot right now.”

Jarren Duran finished a highlight-filled series with a 3-for-5 performance Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He also stole his 20th base.

“He works so hard and he now understands what he needs to do to play every day, to keep his energy the way he should,” Cora said.

Of course, starting pitching has also been a major strength. Tanner Houck (7-5, 2.14 ERA) is slated to pitch on Monday.

Houck allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday at Toronto. The right-hander had a streak of five straight outings of at least six innings snapped, but the Red Sox were eventual 4-3 winners en route to the series sweep.

Houck, who is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in six career outings (five starts) against Toronto, has still not allowed more than three earned runs in 12 straight starts dating to April 12.

“I’ve always known I can do better,” Houck said recently. “I’ve always known that I had the ability to do it and it was just kind of putting it together.”

The Blue Jays are trending in the opposite direction, having lost six straight and fallen to seven games under .500 after being swept in Cleveland.

On top of the extended skid, Orelvis Martinez — the organization’s star prospect who recorded his first major league hit Friday — received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Home Runs Propel Sox Over Reds

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CINCINNATI – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Boston’s Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder each hit a two-run home run to propel the visiting Red Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

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Wong (No. 7 of the season) homered in the fourth inning, and Refsnyder (No. 3) belted his home run in the sixth. Jarren Duran had three hits and two RBIs for the Red Sox, who took two of three games in the series and have won seven of their last eight.

Wong extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Cincinnati starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (8-3) had won his five most recent starts, but exited the mound with two outs in the fifth. Lodolo allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked four and struck out three over 77 pitches.

Cincinnati manager David Bell was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes. It was the 30th time he has been ejected during his managerial career, which ties him with Sparky Anderson for most ejections by a manager in Reds’ history.

Greg Weissert (3-1), one of eight pitchers Boston used in the game, picked up the win for tossing one scoreless inning. Kenley Jansen recorded his 15th save.

The Red Sox scored four times in the fourth. After Wong’s homer opened the scoring, Boston took a 3-0 lead when Ceddanne Rafaela hit into a fielder’s choice and Romy Gonzalez scored on Jonathan India’s throwing error from second base. Rafaela made it 4-0 by scoring on Duran’s RBI double.

The Reds got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Elly De La Cruz doubled and scored on Jeimer Candelario’s single to left.

Duran’s RBI single drove in David Hamilton to stretch Boston’s lead to 5-1 in the sixth before Refsnyder homered two pitches later.

Cincinnati kept things interesting by scoring three runs in its half of the sixth, which included an RBI double by Tyler Stephenson and RBI singles from Santiago Espinal and Stuart Fairchild.

De La Cruz, India and Fairchild each had two hits in the loss.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Close Road Trip vs Lodolo

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CINCINNATI – (Staff an d Wire Service Report) – The Cincinnati Reds will send one of the National League’s hottest pitchers to the mound Sunday afternoon when they try to win the rubber match of a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

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Left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-2, 2.76 ERA) is listed as Cincinnati’s starter for Sunday’s matchup. Lodolo won his fifth consecutive start Tuesday when he pitched seven innings in a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh. He recorded eight strikeouts, gave up four hits and didn’t walk a batter. Lodolo has limited opponents to seven runs in 30 1/3 innings over his past five outings.

“I thought, overall, I just felt in control,” Lodolo said following Tuesday’s victory. “I just want to go out there and give us a good chance to win. … The goal is for me to go out there and get myself in position to win.

“I’m really just five days at a time. I feel like you start looking ahead, you never know. I just have to stay present and do it again in five days.”

The only run Lodolo allowed against Pittsburgh was a solo home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes with one out in the seventh inning. He retired 11 in a row before giving up the home run.

Lodolo is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in his career against the Red Sox. He’s made one appearance against Boston and allowed three runs on three hits — including two homers — in five innings of a 5-3 setback on Sept. 20, 2022.

Cincinnati opened the three-game series against Boston with a 5-2 victory on Friday. The Reds, however, squandered a three-run lead in a 4-3 loss on Saturday and fell to 2-5 in their past seven games.

Boston has won six of its past seven. Saturday’s win improved the Red Sox to 4-1 on their current road trip.

“Secures a good week, right,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “That’s four (wins) this week. We get a chance tomorrow against a good lefty. He’s really good, so we’ll see what we do. It feels good winning this one.”

“A good team win,” Boston’s Rob Refsnyder said. “Just looking back at it, it feels like everyone contributed.”

The Red Sox are expected to employ a bullpen game Sunday after sending right-handed starting pitcher Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Criswell made 11 starts for the Red Sox after being recalled from Worcester.

Right-hander Zack Kelly (2-1, 1.75) is expected to get the start. Kelly is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career appearances (1 1/3 innings) against Cincinnati.

The Red Sox didn’t play Thursday and have three days off during a 12-day stretch that begins June 27. That could allow Boston to use its top four starters — Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta — until at least early July.

The Reds have hit five home runs in the first two games of the series but had two players thrown out at the plate and another picked off second base Saturday.

“We’re going to be an aggressive baserunning team,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “We have to continue to learn from each thing and get every edge on the bases. It’s going to be a part of our game.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Take the Fifth

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Enmanuel Valdez and Jarren Duran hit solo home runs and visiting Boston defeated the Blue Jays, 7-3. Duran also had an RBI single to help the Red Sox sweep the three-game series and extend their winning streak to five games.

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Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.

Red Sox Keep On Rollin’

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela had three hits, including the go-ahead, two-out single in the eighth inning, and the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday.

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Tyler O’Neill’s home run to center leading off the eighth tied the game for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series and four straight overall.

Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt allowed two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings.

Boston right-hander Tanner Houck gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He fanned five.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the second inning. O’Neill led off with a double to left and scored on Dominic Smith’s two-out bloop single to center.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Justin Turner and Addison Barger began the frame with singles, and both scored on Ernie Clement’s two-out double.

Boston tied the game in the sixth. Rafael Devers doubled to left-center with one out and scored on a two-out single to center by Masataka Yoshida.

Toronto regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Daulton Varsho reached first on an error and stole second. Turner walked. Alejandro Kirk’s one-out grounder to third forced Varsho before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a soft RBI single past first base. Zack Kelly (1-0) replaced Houck, escaped the jam and pitched 1 1/3 innings.

Nate Pearson took over from Bassitt and allowed a double and a single in the seventh before being replaced with two outs by Brendon Little (0-1), who struck out Devers to end the threat.

O’Neill tied the game when he opened the eighth against Little with his 15th homer of the season and his third of the series. Smith singled with two outs, prompting Toronto to replace Little with Chad Green. Pinch runner David Hamilton then stole second and scored on Rafaela’s single to left.

Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 13th save of the season and fourth in seven days.

Toronto put shortstop Bo Bichette (right calf strain) on the injured list Tuesday and recalled infielder Orelvis Martinez from Triple-A Buffalo. Boston reinstated right-hander Chris Martin (anxiety) from the IL and optioned right-hander Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester.

–Field Level Media