Durbin, Sox Drop O's for 15th Straight Win in Game 1 (7/22/26)

2 months ago the Boston Red Sox had won of the worst offenses in franchise history, today they tied the franchise record for most consecutive wins with the 1946 American League Champion Red Sox. A rainout turned today into a double-header and the Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1. Jake Bennett (6-3, 2.58 ERA) tossed 5 2/3 gutty innings holding the Orioles to just 3 runs despite nine hits. The story of the game was the rally in the first inning against Baltimore starter Dean Kremer. Caleb Durbin drove in the first two runs and a Jarren Duran triple drove int he next two. Duran added another rbi and Ceddanne Rafaela belted a home run to put the game out of reach. The Triangle of Terror Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox made it 15 wins in a row with a 6-3 victory in Game 1 over the Orioles at Fenway Park.

                                                  Tex Hughson approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Taylor Ward struck out swinging to start. Pete Alonso grounded out to short but Gunnar Henderson singled past Jake. Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning. Kremer got the ball in the bottom of the first and Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit in the hole at second but Wilyer Abreu lined out to first. Willson Contreras got a base hit to left to load the bases and Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center to score both Yoshida & Rafaela. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Jarren Duran tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                         Run Duran! Run!

Coby Mayo popped up to second to start the top of the second and Leody Taveras lined out to right. Christian Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to center and Jackson Holliday got a base hit to left but Sam Huff struck out swinging to end the inning. Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Yoshida walked. Rafaela flied out to center and Abreu popped up to third to end the inning. 

The O's struck back in the top of the third as Ward lined out to right to start. Alonso hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill doubled to center to score Alonso but Mayo flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 4-1.

                                                            O's get a run back

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Durbin beat out a roller to third, Gonzalez doubled off the Monster and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Durbin. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1

                                                         Duran drives in another run

The Os refused to give up in the top of the fourth as Wong snuffed out a bunt by Taveras to start. Encarnacion-Strand hit his second home run of the series to cut the lead but Holliday grounded out to first. Huff grounded out to third to end the inning with the Os down 5-2.

                                                           Strand again?

The Sox got the run back in the bottom of the fourth as Cheng grounded out to second to start. Yoshida flied out to left but Rafaela launched his 9th home run of the year to increase the lead. Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                        Rafaela jacks one

Ward lined out to Bennett to start the top of the fifth but Alonso got a base hit to center. Henderson flied out to right and Henderson struck out swinging to end the inning. Contreras flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Durbin grounded out to second. Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Bennett ran out of gas in the top of the sixth as Mayo doubled to left to start. Taveras grounded out to first to move Mayo to third and Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to left to score Coby. A wild pitch moved Strand to second but Holliday flied out to left. Johnathan Rodriguez pinch hit for Huff and Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled Bennett. He was game, allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and the O's swapped out Rodriguez with Dylan Beavers. Beavers popped up to third to end the inning with the Os down 6-3.

                                                                Good work Jake

Chadwick Tromp took over behind the plate for the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to first to start. Wong grounded out to second and Cheng lined out to right to end the inning. 

Ward got a base hit to left to start the top of the seventh but Alonso lined out to center. Henderson flied out to right and O'Neill took strike three down the middle to end the inning. Anthony Nunez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to third to start. Rafaela popped up to first and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Colton Cowser pinch hit for Mayo. Cowser flied out to rightt, Taveras grounded out to second and Strand also grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Durbin forced him at second. Gonzalez popped up to first and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Holliday got a base hit to center to start. Tromp banged into a double play but Ward walked. Ward took second on defense indifference but Alonso grounded out to short to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His two run single in the first set the tone for the game

                                                             Hero Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 3 rbis.

Jake Bennett got the win allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits.

Justin Slaten tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 23rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

This is absolutely unbelievable. They were dead in the water, 14 games under .500 and 1 game ahead of the worst team in baseball that just beat them 2 out of 3 games......and one month later they've won 15 in a row and 20 out of 22 to tie a franchise record. Its gotten to the point where one loss will have a certain amount of fans going "Thats it, its all over. Sell the team, sell all the players, fire Breslow and blow up Fenway Park. Its over." The solution is to just not lose. The franchise hasn't won 15 games in a row in 80 years and that team went on to the World Series. Meanwhile this win streak just put them just 4 games over .500. Bennett tired by the end of the sixth and that's the big concern is the rookie wall is going to hit Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Bennett hard. Its important to get Ranger Suarez back physically healthy and Brayan Bello mentally healthy because they're going to need them with Garrett Crochet out. It was good to see Duran contribute big time and the turnaround for Durbin has been Dustin Pedroia 2007-esque. Sox fans still want to trade Chapman but the three headed monster with Chapman, Whitlock and Slaten is as good as anyone in the league. One of the way they've won 15 in a row is by shortening games with lights out relief pitching. The Sox just need to keep doing what they're doing and they'll be right there in the end. Sox GM Craig Breslow might pull some voodoo magic at the trade deadline or he might stand pat and hope Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Garrett Crochet come back. Just enjoy this streak while it lasts. The win improved the Sox to 52-48, no sense posting the standings yet. The Sox look to set an all-time franchise record with their 16th win in a row in Game 2 of the series in a few hours with Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ERA) going for the Sox against Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past O's For 14th Straight Win (7/20/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made a roster move. Outfielder Matt Lloyd was released by the Worcester Red Sox after hitting just .206 with 5 home runs in 30 games. With the incoming crop of draft picks and Dominican kids, not to mention the trade deadline, a lot of guys are going to be coming up. Lloyd hitting just .206 wasn't going to cut it.

                                                                     Bye bye Lloyd

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox came into this game riding a 13 game win streak while the Baltimore Orioles had won 7 in a row themselves. Somebody's O had got to go and luckily for the Red Sox, they hung on to win this one. In what was arguably the best back and forth game of the year the Sox rallied against the Orioles three times after the O's took a 1-0 lead off the bat against Payton Tolle of Boston. The Sox answered in the bottom of the second and scored two more in the third to take the lead. The O's rallied for 3 runs in the top of the sixth but the Sox got one back to tie it in the bottom of the frame. The O's got to Tyron Guerrero for a run in the seventh but Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Tsung-Che Cheng to tie it again. Caleb Durbin then struck the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth and Cheng made a game saving stab in the ninth to save Aroldis Chapman & the streak. The Sox made it 14 straight with a 6-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                               Stephanie McMahon approves of the win

The O's wasted not time getting to Tolle in the top of the first inning as Taylor Ward popped up to first to start. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Gunnar Henderson doubled into the gap in left. Old friend Tyler O'Neill hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Gunnar but Coby Mayo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            It had to be him?

Baz got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Anthony Seigler lined out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Leody Taveras walked to start the top of the second but Jeremiah Jackson struck out swinging. Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out swinging and Sam Huff also went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras got a base hit to center to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right and Contreras moved to third on a fly ball to right by Caleb Durbin. Jarren Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Contreras to tie the game but Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Duran ties it

Ward grounded out to third to start the top of the third and Alonso flied out to right. Henderson doubled to left but O'Neill popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start. Seigler flied out to left but Jackson threw a grounder by Rafaela away for an error. Abreu ripped a double to center to score Rafaela and Henderson's throw home got away to move Wilyer to third. Contreras got a base hit off the glove of Henderson to score Abreu and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        4 errors in this one for Baltimore

Mayo struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Taveras struck out looking. Jackson grounded out to first to end the inning. Durbin flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Duran got a base hit to right. Wong grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The O's fought back in the top of the fifth as Strand hit a home run all the way to Portugal to start. Huff struck out swinging and Ward grounded out to third. Alonso was hit with a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Seiger grounded out to first. Rafaela took strike three to end the inning. 

Henderson grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but O'Neill beat out a roller to third. Mayo struck out swinging but Taveras singled to center. Naturally Jackson singled to left to score O'Neill and Strand got a base hit to center to score Taveras, putting Baltimore on top. That was it for Tolle who once again ran out of gas after 75 pitches, allowing 4 runs off 8 hits and a walk. Tyron Guerrero froze Huff for strike three to end the inning with the O's ahead 4-3.

                                                           Wasn't good enough

The Sox refused to quit in the bottom of the sixth as Baz threw a ball away allowing Abreu to reach second. Contreras doubled to left to score Abreu and took third on a grounder to second by Yoshida. Unfortunately Durbin grounded out to short and Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                     "This is MY house" - Contreras

Naturally the Os rallied in the top of the seventh as Ward doubled to right to start. Alonso got a base hit to center but somehow Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill grounded out to second to score Ward to put the O's up again. Dylan Beavers pinch hit for Mayo and took strike three to end the inning with the Orioles up 5-4.

                                                           He did it again

The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the seventh as Yennier Cano came in to pitch. Wong got a base hit to left but was forced at second by Cheng. Seigler grounded out to second to move Cheng to second Rafaela got a base hit to left. Cheng came around third and Ward threw the ball away to allow Cheng to score & Rafaela to take second. Tyler Wells came in to face Abreu and Wilyer flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                          Sox tie it again

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Taveras struck out swinging to start. Jackson grounded out to second and Jackson Holliday pinch hit for Strand. Holliday grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida did as well. Suddenly Durbin crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-5.

                                                             Durbin puts Boston on top

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with Colton Cowser pinch hitting for Ruff. Naturally Cowser walked after sitting all game but somehow Ward struck out swinging. Alonso struck out swinging but two strikes away from victory, Henderson doubled to left. Naturally O'Neill hit a bullet....RIGHT TO CHENG TO END THE GAME. THE RED SOX WIN 6-5!

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Caleb Durbin. His home run in the 8th inning put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Garrett Whitlock got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4.

Payton Tolle got rocked for 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 8 hits and a walk.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run and made the game saving catch.

Final Thoughts:

Something special might be happening here. Its one thing to go on a win streak, its another thing to run into another red hot team and find a way to win. The O's had won 7 in a row and fought to the bitter end, the Sox just happened to come out on top. The O's looked better on paper by battering the Sox for 11 hits and 5 runs but committing 5 errors and allowing the home run to Durbin was the backbreaker. The Sox got contributions from just about everyone including the unsung Tsung-Che. Fans were asking if Marcelo Mayer or Trevor Story makes that catch and the fact Cheng made it means something's brewing. The Sox have won 14 in a row and 19 out of 21 to claw their way back to respectability. Unfortunately the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays all won so the Sox didn't gain any ground on them, but the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays and the Sox beat the O's to knock both Toronto & Baltimore another game back. The roar of the crowd when Durbin hit the home run was matched by the reaction in the dugout. Every big hit the last 3 weeks has the dugout pouring out for support. Anyone who wants to sell now is an absolute fool. It would be unfair for Sox fans to expect the streak to go any longer but, why not? The win improved the Sox to 51-48, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 15 in a row and match a franchise record tomorrow night against the Orioles when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) comes off the Injured List to face Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Mets in 10 Innings (7/12/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Danny Coulombe was designated for assignment last night and super sleuths discovered that he would have gotten a cash bonus if he made 30 appearances.....and last night was appearance 29. Not that he didn't deserve to be DFA'd, but they couldn't have waited one more game? In his place the Sox called up Brayan Bello from Worcester. The rumor is he's going to piggyback Payton Tolle to save Tolle's bullets for later.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, three weeks ago if the Red Sox were trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning the game was over. They hadn't won a game trailing in the ninth or by multiple runs all season. Now after the Red Sox had won 8 straight games and 13 out of 15, Sox fans thought the Sox had a chance. Turns out they were right. The New York Mets behind rookie Zach Thornton built a 2-0 lead with runs against Payton Tolle and Brayan Bello as Thornton allowed just 2 hits in 7 innings. In the ninth inning Devin Williams came in to lock it down, instead the Sox rallied to load the bases. Andruw Monasterio walked home Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran blooped a base hit to score Tsung-Che Cheng to tie it. In the tenth inning, Anthony Seigler hit a sac fly to score Masataka Yoshida to put the Sox ahead. Garrett Whitlock shut the door in the ninth inning and the Sox not only had swept the Mets, but had won their ninth straight game heading into the all-star break. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 10 innings at Citi Field.

                                                               Tom Kim approves of the win

Thornton got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to short to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. The Mets wasted no time getting to Tolle in the bottom of the first as AJ Ewing doubled over the head of Seigler to start.  A wild pitch moved Ewing to third but Juan Soto struck out swinging. Francisco Lindor doubled to left to score Ewing and a wild pitch moved Lindor to third. Eric Wagaman took strike three and Carson Benge struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                               Mets struck first

Romy Gonzalez walked to start the top of the second and Caleb Durbin dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Andruw Monasterio flied out to right and Jarren Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. Tyrone Taylor walked to start the bottom of the second but Luis Torrens took strike three. Brett Baty struck out swinging and Zach Short flied out to center to end the inning.

Nate Eaton struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Connor Wong popped up to second. Seigler flied out to right to end the inning. Ewing struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Soto flied out to right. Lindor flied out to left to end the inning.

Rafaela flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Abreu lined back to the mound. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Wagaman grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Benge took strike three. Taylor doubled to left and that was it for Tolle. Sox manager Chad Tracy wanted to conserve Tolle's arm for the second half of the season and pulled him after 3 2/3 innings and allowing a run. The much maligned Brayan Bello came in and struck out Torrens swingingh to end the inning.

                                                          Short and sweet for Tolle.

Durbin lined out to center to start the top of the fifth but Monasterio doubled to left. Duran struck out swinging and Eaton grounded out to short to end the inning. Baty grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Short struck out swinging. Ewing struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wong got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth and Seigler flied out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mets struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Soto was retired on a swinging bunt to start. Lindor then hit a home run all the way to Yankee Stadium to increase the lead. Wagaman grounded out to first and Benge grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mets up 2-0.

                                                            Home run Lindor

Gonzalez grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and Durbin struck out swinging. Wagaman dropped a pop up by Monasterio in foul territory for an error allowing Andruw to walk. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Taylor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh but Torrens got a base hit to right. Baty grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Luke Weaver came in for Thornton to start the top of the eighth and Short flied out to left to start. Ewing struck out swinging and Soto flied out to center to end the inning. Bello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Short flied out to left to start. Ewing struck out swinging and Soto flied out to center to end the inning. Bello allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings. If Garrett Crochet comes back, the Tolle/Bello combo might work.

                                                                Good work Bello

Devin Williams came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jared Young taking over at first. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Abreu popped up to second. The game was over when Gonzalez hit a double play ball to Lindor....booted for an error. Given new life, Tsung-Che Cheng ran for Gonzalez and Durbin walked to load the bases. Monasterio walked to score Rafaela and Duran blooped a base hit to right that Benge trapped to score Cheng with the tying run. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Eaton and hit a bullet....right to Short who doubled of Monasterio to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                               The game is tied

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Lindor popped up to second to start. Young got a base hit to right but Benge struck out swinging. Taylor flied out to left to end the inning.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Yoshida starting at second base. To show Alex Cora wasn't around anymore, Wong dropped down a bunt to move Yoshida to third and Seigler hit a sac fly to left to score Yoshida to put the Sox ahead. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                              Seigler puts Boston on top

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Taylor starting at second base. Jorge Polanco pinch hit for Torrens and struck out swinging before Baty flied out to left. Bo Bichette pinch hit for Short and grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 10 innings.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. His RBI single tied the game in the ninth and led the team to victory.

                                                           Hero Duran

The Good:

Tsung-Che Cheng scored a run as a pinch runner.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a crucial sacrifice bunt.

Payton Tolle went 3 2/3 innings allowing 3 hits, a walk and a run.

Brayan Bello allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings of 2 hits.

Aroldis Chapman got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Garrett Whitlock earned the save with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Nate Eaton was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 but drove in the winning run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored 2 runs.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 at the plate but scored the winning run.

Final Thoughts:

3 weeks ago the game was over when they fell behind 2-0 but ironically the two times they rallied in the ninth was against New York teams. First the Yankees and now the Mets. Two years in a row the Sox rallied before the all-star break. Last year it was a ten game win streak, but this year not only was it a nine game win streak but they had won 5 out of 7 beforehand. The Sox have won 14 out of 16 to get back into this thing and not only are they 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead but they're 0.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third wild card. Apart from the Rays and Yankees the rest of the American League is clustered together. If the Sox can get Contreras back on Friday night (he's suspended Game 1) and hopefully get some of their injured guys back healthy like Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony and Triston Casas, they might have a September run in them. Just the fact the Sox went from blow everything up territory after dropping 2 of 3 to the Rockies to winning 14 of 16 is remarkable. Enjoy it while it lasts. The win improved the Sox to 46-48, 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the all-star break and don't come back until the big doubleheader Friday the 17th. Nobody knows who's pitching until then.

Red Sox Edge White Sox For Sweep (7/9/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Ranger Suarez was put on the Injured List with a pulled groin and the Sox activated recently acquired infielder Brett Harris to take his spot. The Sox have just four games left until the all-star break so the Sox are going to limp toward the finish line so to speak. Willson Contreras also started serving his suspension so he's gone for five games.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                         IN

The bad news was without Willson Contreras the Red Sox offense reverted to April/May form scoring just 2 measly runs off 4 hits leaving 5 men on base. The good news was the returning Patrick Sandoval and the Boston bullpen held the Chicago White Sox to one lone run. Caleb Durbin hit a 2 run shot off Chicago starter Anthony Kay and Sandoval was superb through four innings. The White Sox rallied for a run off Sandoval but Tyron Guerrero (1-1, 2.45 ERA) snuffed it out in the fifth. Four relief pitchers shut the door with Aroldis Chapman locking it down in the ninth inning. The Red Sox swept the White Sox out of Chicago with a 2-1 win at Comiskey Park.

                                                     Jada Stevens approves of the win 

Kay got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short but Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center. Romy Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning. Sandoval made his Sox debut in the bottom of the first and Chase Meidroth popped up to short to start. Randal Grichuk popped up to first and Miguel Vargas took strike three to end the inning. 

Caleb Durbin lined out to right to start the top of the second and Andruw Monasterio took strike three. Nate Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning. Colson Montgomery singled to right to start the bottom of the second but Junior Perez struck out swining. Sam Antonacci struck out swinging but Braden Montgomery singled to center. Luisangel Acuna grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Brett Harris made his Sox debut by getting hit with a pitch to start the top of the third. Connor Wong beat out a roller to first and Seigler dropped down a bunt to advance the runners. Unfortunately Rafaela grounded out to short and Abreu lined out to left to end the inning. Drew Romo popped up to second to start the bottom of the third but Meidroth got a base hit to left. Grichuk struck out swinging and Vargas flied out to center to end the inning. 

The BoSox struck first in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez walked to start. Durbin then launched his 9th home run of the season to put Boston ahead. Monasterio grounded out to short but Eaton walked. Harris grounded into a double play to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Durbin goes yard

Colson Montgomery got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Perez went down hacking. Antonacci flied out to center and Braden Montgomery flied out to right to end the inning. 

Wong grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Seigler popped up to short. Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning. Acuna got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Romo popped up the bunt to first. A wild pitch moved Acuna to second and he stole third. Meidroth walked and that was it for Sandoval after just 65 pitches. Ge would be charged with a run in 4 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk. Tyron Guerrero came in amd Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Grichuk. Benintendi beat out a swinging bunt to score Acuna but Vargas flied out to center. Colson Montgomery popped up to third to end the inning with the ChiSox down 2-1.

                                                           Welcome back Sandoval

Abreu grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth but Gonzalez got a base hit to center. That was it for Kay as Jordan Hicks came in to pitch to Durbin. Caleb lined out to left and Monasterio did the same to end the inning. Tristan Peters pinch hit for Perez to start the bottom of the sixth and naturally got a base hit to right. Antonacci flied out to center and Braden Montgomery forced Peters at second. Jacob Gonzalez pinch hit for Acuna and struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jarren Duran pinch hit for Eaton to start the top of the seventh and naturally struck out swinging. Harris grounded out to second and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kyle Teel pinch hit for Romo. Teel took strike three and Meidroth did the same. Benintendi flied out to right to end the inning.

Grant Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Seigler walked to start. Rafaela forced Seigler at second and Abreu lined out to right. Gonzalez forced Rafaela at second to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran made a great sliding catch to rob Vargas of a double. Colson Montgomery grounded out to second and Peters took strike three to end the inning. 

Tyler Davis came in to pitch the top of the ninth ans Durbin popped up to short to start. Monasterio flied out to left but Duran walked. Duran was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Antonacci grounded out to second to start. Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob Braden Montgomery of a double and Gonzalez flied out to left to end the game. The BoSox had won it 2-1.

                                                              Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His 2 run home run was the difference in the game.

                                                                 Hero Durbin

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Nate Eaton walked in 2 plate appearances.

Jarren Duran walked in 2 plate appearances.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Patrick Sandoval allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4.

Brett Harris was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch.

Tyron Guerrero allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

The offense was stagnant but the pitching held the fort. The Sox are going to struggle the next four games with Contreras out but for now, things worked out in their favor. Sandoval was handled with kid gloves but still was only charged with one run. The three headed monster of Slaten, Whitlock and Chapman harken back to the days of Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza of the old New York Yankees. If the Sox can get to those three with the lead, the game is as good as over. Hopefully next time Sandoval can last longer. They're going to need him with 3/5 of the opening day rotation out. Hopefully the offense will be a bit better in the final three games before the break. The New York Yankees beat the the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays were off, so the Sox are technically tied with Toronto for third place. Its a small victory, but better than the alternative. The win improved the Sox to 43-48, 11 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to New York for a three game set against the struggling Mets. Sonny Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) takes on Nolan McLean of the Mets. The game begins at 7:15 at Citi Field.

Red Sox Bash White Sox Late (7/7/26)

Yesterday the Boston Red Sox made a big roster move. Patrick Sandoval was activated from the Injured List to make his long awaited debut for Boston. In his place Alec Gamboa was sent down to Worcester and Jack Anderson was designated for assignment. Anderson was expendable and the Sox desperately need Sandoval now with Ranger Suarez nursing a pulled groin and Connelly Early all but officially needing Tommy John surgery.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, don't look now but the Red Sox have won 9 in a row, a lot of them in impressive fashion. Tonight they showed their strength against the Chicago White Sox and some familiar faces. The BoSox jumped on Chicago starter Noah Schultz in the second inning with home runs from Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela to take a 3-0 lead. A Connor Wong bunt in the fourth made it 4-0 and Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) was up to the task, firing 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits. The White Sox rallied against Danny Coulombe for a run in the seventh but the three headed monster of Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman locked it down. A four run rally in the ninth was a big bonus as the Red Sox ran away with this one 8-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                Erling Haaland approves of the win

Things went south right from the start as Schultz got the ball in the top of the first inning. Anthony Seigler got a base hit to center and Ceddanne Rafaela singled in the hole at first. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center but Willson Contreras walked to load the bases. Naturally Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging and Caleb Durbin lined out to right to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Miguel Vargas walked. Randal Grichuk struck out swinging and Colson Montgomery forced Vargas at second. Old farmhand Chase Meidroth flied out to center to end the inning.

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Andruw Monasterio belted his fourth home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Connor Wong caught Montgomery at third asleep with a bunt single but Seigler flied out to center. Rafaela then pounded his eighth home run of the year to increase the lead. Abreu popped up to second to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 3-0.

                                                            Boston on the board

Sam Antonacci got a base hit in the hole at second to start the bottom of the second but Junior Perez popped up to short. Old farmhand Kyle Teel lined out to short but Antonacci stole second. Luisangel Acuna flied out to center to end the inning. 

Contreras ripped a base hit to right to start the top of the third but Gonzalez took strike three. Durbin flied out to right and Contreras was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Tristan Peters took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Vargas popped up to short. Grichuk popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Duran doubled to left to start. Duran took third on a wild pitch and Monasterio walked. Wong dropped down a bunt and Vargas threw home...away from Teel. Duran scored but Wong overran first and was caught in no man's land. Monasterio took off but he got caught in the rundown for the second out. Seigler popped up to first and Rafaela lined out to right to end the inning with the BoSox up 4-0.

                                                            At least Duran scored

Montgomery grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Meidroth grounded out to third. Antonacci got a base hit to left but Perez flied out to right to end the inning.

Abreu was hit with a pitch to start the top of the fifth but Contreras flied out to left. Abreu was thrown out at second trying to steal but Gonzalez walked. Durbin lined out to center to end the inning. Teel struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Acuna struck out swinging. Peters popped up to third to end the inning.

Seranthony Dominguez came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Antonacci reached over the wall to rob Duran of a home run to start. Monasterio got a base hit to left and immediately stole second. Wong walked but Seigler took strike three. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Tolle returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Vargas took strike three to start. Grichuk struck out swinging and Montgomery flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Tolle who was masterful, tossing 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk.

                                                          Tolle was outstanding

Old pal Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Contreras went down hacking and Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning. Where the hell was that last year? Danny Coulombe came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh as Meidroth walked to start. Antonacci got a base hit to left an Perez beat out a roller to first to load the bases with nobody out. Teel beat out a double play ball to score Meidroth and chase Coulombe. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and Jacob Gonzalez pinch hit for Acuna. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Peters did the same to end the inning with Chicago down 4-1.

                                                    Too bad Boston had to give him up

Brandon Eisert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin lined out to third to start. Duran grounded out to second and Monasterio flied out to right to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Vargas flied out to center to start. Old friend Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Grichuk and grounded out to second. Montgomery lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the ninth as Wong walked to start. Seigler lined out to right and Rafaela flied out to right, but Abreu walked. Contreras doubled to left to score both runners and Gonzalez doubled to right to score Willson. Trevor Richards came in to face Durbin and Caleb walked. Duran lined a base hit up the middle to score Gonzalez but Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning with the BoSox up 8-1.

                                                       Duran is all fired up

Ryan Watson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Meidroth flied out to left to start. Antonacci was finally retired by taking strike three and Perez struck out swinging to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Payton Tolle. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk while striking out six.

                                                          Hero Tolle

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 4 with a walk, home run and stolen base.

Connor Wong was 1 for 1 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Justin Slaten got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Ryan Watson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Danny Coulombe allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Its about time they pulled away late in a close game because it saves wear and tear on All-Star Aroldis Chapman. The offense was a well oiled machine in this one getting clutch hits by just about everyone. I said back in May the Red Sox were mediocre pitching from being the worst team in baseball but simultaneously a good offense from being one of the best. If the offense with Seigler hitting leadoff, Durbin picking it up and Connor Wong not completely useless anymore continues this trend, the Sox might have a run back into contention in them. Tolle shook off his Washington disaster to allow just 3 baserunners but the lone blemish of the night is the current one weakness off the Sox, middle relief. The two losses they had to the Nationals and one of the losses to the Rockies came due to bad middle relief pitching. The good news is reinforcements could be on their way with the return of Patrick Sandoval and Tyler Samaniego is only a bus ride away in Worcester. The Sox can trade a low level prospect for a middle relief pitcher. Back in the day all they needed was to send a brown sack full of money to get Yacksel Rios or Jorge Alcala. They won't have to give up Franklin Arias or Anthony Eyanson to get someone that can get some outs in the 5th and 6th innings when trailing or the starter left early. All in all this was a great win and the best part is the Baltimore Orioles also lost. That means for one day at least the Sox are no longer in last place. The win improved the Sox to 41-48, 12 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it five straight wins and two in a row against Chicago tomorrow night when Jake Bennett (3-3, 3.10 ERA) takes on Chicago's ace Davis Martin. The game begins at 7:40 PM eastern time at Comiskey Park.