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Nightmare in Philly

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s SP Cristopher Sanchez has emerged as a model of consistency for the Phillies.

After a sizzling finish to the first half of the season, Sanchez takes the mound Tuesday when the Phillies host the Boston Red Sox.

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Sanchez was not chosen for the National League All-Star team despite allowing two runs or fewer in each of his past nine starts. His steadiness in July has been particularly notable, as he has allowed three runs in 21 1/3 innings this month, good for a 1.27 ERA.

“I’m just so proud of (Sanchez) from where he started and where he’s at right now,” manager Rob Thomson said after the lefty gave up one run in 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres in his most recent start on July 13. “Not just stuff, but command, poise and composure.”

The Phillies showed plenty of poise in the 10th inning on Monday, as they plated the winning run without putting a ball in play. Two walks, a wild pitch and a catcher’s-interference call proved to be the decisive formula for Philadelphia against erratic Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks.

Phillies reliever Max Lazar kept his composure in the top of the 10th inning, striking out a pair of Boston hitters (and getting the other to ground out) to keep the game tied, setting up the winning rally.

“He’s been great. I trust him,” Thomson said of Lazar, who emerged with his first major league win. “He’s been really good. And he’s got ice in his veins, too. He’s really cool out there.”

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler allowed two runs and struck out 10 over six innings. Bryce Harper doubled twice and scored a run for the Phillies, who had lost six of their previous nine games.

“You’ve got to win that game. You’ve got to win the series,” Wheeler said. “And hopefully Sanchy can get us that win (Tuesday) to win the series.”

Jarren Duran homered for the Red Sox to open the game against Wheeler, but the visitors managed only one run the rest of the way. The team left eight runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Roman Anthony struck out four times in five at-bats, while Duran, Marcelo Mayer, Carlos Narvaez and Wilyer Abreu all struck out twice.

“We had our chances, we didn’t cash in,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “But shoot, that guy (Wheeler), he’s one of the best — if not the best — in the big leagues.”

On Tuesday, the Red Sox will give the ball to Richard Fitts (1-3, 4.28), who will be making his ninth start of the season. He pitched well in his last appearance, a 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on July 7, when he gave up three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

It was the first major league win for Fitts, who said that he planned to frame the lineup card.

“Good velocity, mixing up the off-speed pitches,” said Cora, adding that Fitts has “been good for us — really good. He gives us a chance to win almost every time.”

Fitts will be opposing the Phillies for the first time. Sanchez is 1-0 with a 6.43 ERA in two career starts appearances (one start) vs. Boston.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Roll Into Philly

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston SP Walker Buehler’s season has been quite a grind, but at least he ended the first half with a pair of solid outings.

The veteran right-hander aims to build off those performances Monday when the Boston Red Sox visit the Philadelphia Phillies for the first of three games.

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Buehler (6-6, 6.12 ERA) was an All-Star, a Cy Young Award contender and World Series champion during a long stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he has struggled this season upon signing a one-year, $21 million deal with the Red Sox.

After posting an 11.07 ERA during a difficult June, Buehler has authored a pair of respectable outings this month. He gave up two earned runs in five innings in a win over the Washington Nationals on July 5 and then yielded three runs in six frames in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 10.

“It’s nice to go through a week of prep, the five days or whatever, and not feel like I should just retire,” Buehler said after facing Tampa Bay. “I don’t think I’m going to retire anytime soon, but you get into some really dark places and that’s what happens.”

Buehler will be opposed Monday by Philadelphia ace and fellow righty Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36), who is one of the leading candidates for the NL Cy Young Award. He was extremely consistent during the first half of the season, although he is coming off one of his worst outings of the campaign.

Wheeler allowed four runs and six hits over six innings in a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on July 12. He went on to voluntarily skip the All-Star Game in order to rest up for the second half of the season.

“Baseball is hard, and some days you’re gonna have days like today, and it stinks,” Wheeler said. “But it is baseball at the end of the day, and you’re in the big leagues, so you’ll get hit around a little bit sometimes. And it’s part of it.”

Wheeler has made three career starts against Boston, going 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA. Buehler, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA in four lifetime games (three starts) against Philadelphia.

The Phillies are coming off a series loss against the Los Angeles Angels. The teams split their first two games over the weekend before Philadelphia absorbed an 8-2 defeat on Sunday.

Otto Kemp hit a home run for the Phillies, but the team only managed six hits overall in the series finale.

“I think we just had a lot of weak contact,” the rookie utilityman said.

Boston came out of the All-Star break with a pair of losses against the Cubs in Chicago, but the team recovered to post a 6-1 triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Wilyer Abreu hit a pair of home runs Sunday after going 1-for-12 with six strikeouts over his previous five games.

“He’s got a compact swing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team closed the first half of the season on a 10-game winning streak. “There’s a few things he’s still working on, trying to get better. But we’ll take him every day in the outfield.”

–Field Level Media

Sox: Two Game Losing Streak

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cubs starter Shota Imanaga threw seven scoreless innings, Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker slugged back-to-back home runs in the first, and the Chicago Cubs blanked the visiting Boston, 6-0.  It was the second straight loss for the Red Sox after winning 10 consecutive games before the MLB All-Star break.

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Imanaga (7-3) allowed just five hits, while striking out five and walking one, helping the Cubs take the weekend series and win their fourth straight game. Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ each added solo homers for Chicago, which now holds the majors’ best record (59-39).

Boston starter Brayan Bello (6-4) allowed three runs on six hits in the loss, striking out four and walking one. Masataka Yoshida and Abraham Toro each tallied a pair of hits for Boston, which dropped its second straight game after posting a 10-game winning streak to end the first half.

The Cubs struck quickly in the bottom of the first, as leadoff batter Busch sent the first pitch he saw over the wall for his 20th of the season. Tucker followed up with his 18th of the year to give Chicago an early 2-0 edge.

After Dansby Swanson walked and Nico Hoerner singled to begin the second, Vidal Brujan drove in the Cubs’ third run with a sacrifice fly to left.

Boston threatened to mount a two-out rally in the top of the seventh, as Yoshida singled to right and Toro reached on an infield single, while Yoshida advanced to third on Imanaga’s throwing error. From there it took just one pitch for the Chicago lefty to escape the jam, as Connor Wong was retired on a fly out to second.

Chris Murphy replaced Bello in the seventh, striking out Reese McGuire before allowing rookie Shaw’s third homer of the year with one out.

In relief of Imanaga, Brad Keller struck out the side in the top of the eighth.

Chicago tacked on against Murphy in the bottom of the eighth, as Crow-Armstrong and Happ clubbed consecutive solo home runs to push the Cubs’ lead to 6-0.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox, Cubs Anxious to Play Again

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CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – A pair of teams eager to resume play will kick off the second half of the regular season on Friday afternoon, when the Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox.

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Chicago is on pace to finish with its most wins since its 2016 World Series championship season (103) and return to postseason play for the first time since 2020. The Cubs won eight of 12 games entering the All-Star break and sit a half-game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League’s best record.

With a pair of 25-homer sluggers in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki spearheading the powerful lineup, the Cubs appear to be on track for a special end to the summer.

“Our job is to just keep winning. It’s as simple as that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s so much season left. Just keep winning. Stack up wins and we’re going to be in a good position.”

After a six-game road trip capped the first half of the season, Chicago returns to Wrigley Field on Friday, where the club has gone 30-16.

Veteran right-hander Colin Rea (7-3, 3.91 ERA) gets the start and will look to extend his personal winning streak to four games. Since his last loss against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, Rea has allowed just four runs in 18 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old surrendered one run in seven innings last time out in an 8-1 victory over the host Minnesota Twins.

In his only career start against Boston, Rea gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 victory as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers in May 2024.

Nobody in baseball entered the break as hot as the Boston Red Sox, who have won 10 straight games and catapulted themselves into the American League postseason picture.

Following a July 2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Boston swept the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays to pull within three games of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and just a game back of the second-place New York Yankees. A win on Friday would match the ninth-longest winning streak in franchise history, which was last accomplished in September 2016.

“We’ve still got a long way to go,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re happy with this stretch, we’re happy with how we’ve been playing. I think we’ve only had one bad series the last few weeks, so we’re playing well.”

Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36) will make his 14th start of the season for the Red Sox on Friday. Like his counterpart in Rea, Giolito has won three consecutive starts. Since allowing seven runs in less than two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on June 4, Giolito has gone 5-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 37 strikeouts in six starts.

The 31-year-old right-hander will hope to fare better against the Cubs, as he’s 2-3 with a 7.86 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings over five career starts against the club.

–Field Level Media

NL Wins with Schwarber’s Swing-Off

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Field Level Media

Raleigh Cap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–Field Level Media

Gimme a Break, a Good Break

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Ace Crochet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Rays have lost five of their last six games.

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

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

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

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

–Field Level Media

There’s Magic in the Air at Fenway

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Red Hot Sox Beat Rox

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

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

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

“It’s fun to win,” Anthony said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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