The Red Sox have reached a tricky but promising spot in their August run. After ripping off a 15-game winning streak from July 3-22 and then stacking another nine straight from July 29-August 7, Boston dropped its next five games and suddenly looked a lot more human.
Now comes a chance to steady things against a Pirates team that has fallen hard. Pittsburgh spent much of the year in the mix in the crowded National League Central, but a rough stretch has knocked the club below the Cincinnati Reds and into last place. The Pirates have won just six of their last 21 games.
That said, Boston is not walking into a soft landing at PNC Park. The Red Sox are set to see Paul Skenes on Sunday afternoon, and even with Pittsburgh struggling, that means a real test.
Skenes was dominant last season on the way to the National League Cy Young award, finishing with a 1.97 ERA, 222 ERA+, 0.948 WHIP and 2.36 FIP over 187.2 innings. This year, he has a 3.88 ERA across 25 starts, which still looks solid on paper. But the bigger story is how sharply things have changed since June 20, when he carried a 2.86 ERA.
Since then, Skenes has posted a 5.47 ERA over 52.2 innings. He gave up one run on five hits over five innings on August 11, but Pittsburgh pulled him after 65 pitches. His fastball velocity has also slipped from 98 to 96.4 miles per hour over the season, and some of his pitches have lost movement.
The Pirates have said Skenes is not injured, but the drop in velocity has raised questions about whether he is dealing with fatigue or a mechanical change. Whatever the reason, Boston will want to press the issue.
That’s especially true after the Red Sox’s offense looked closer to its early-season version against the Athletics and Blue Jays, before their August 13 win in Toronto. Early on, Boston had trouble stringing hits together, driving in runs or avoiding damaging baserunning mistakes. Getting to Skenes would offer a useful confidence lift after that brief regression.
Boston’s Wild Card position is still safe for now, but there is no room to coast. The Detroit Tigers have surged into the third Wild Card spot, and six other teams are within 3.5 games of the Red Sox. Against a slumping opponent and a version of Skenes that has not been at his sharpest, Boston has a real opportunity to get back on track.
In Other News...
Rafael Devers Is Putting The Red Sox Trade Back Under Fire
Rafael Devers was supposed to be the kind of star who steadied a franchise, not one who reopened old wounds after a deadline deal. Boston sent him to the San Francisco Giants before the 2025 trade deadline, moving on from a player who had long been one of the Red Soxs most productive bats and was still attached to a long-term contract.
Instead, Devers production has dipped in San Francisco, and the ripple effects are being felt well beyond the Bay Area. The Giants are left sorting through a deal that has not gone the way they hoped, while their general managers mixed comments after the deadline suggested a roster still very much in flux, the sort of uncertainty that can make a trade look different a few months later than it did on the day it was made. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Be Tipping Their Hand With Franklin Arias
Franklin Arias has become one of the more interesting names in the Red Sox conversation as the club sorts out its next move with the young infielder. He is getting work at both second base and shortstop, a detail that suggests Boston is keeping its options open as it looks at how he might fit into the roster picture if the team needs help later this season.
The timing remains unclear, with reports leaving open everything from a debut this year to a longer runway that stretches into 2027. For now, the Red Sox are still evaluating where he could make the most sense down the stretch and, if the club gets there, in October. No official decision has been made on a promotion, which leaves Arias as both a possible answer and a question Boston has not quite settled yet. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Bullpen Shuffle Leaves Seth Martinez In A Strange Spot
Seth Martinezs time on the Boston roster took another turn this week when the Red Sox designated the right-hander for assignment and then moved quickly to bring up Alec Gamboa. The shuffle came as Boston tried to keep its bullpen moving, with the club also dealing with a separate roster hit in the form of Garrett Whitlock landing on the injured list.
Martinez did not get claimed after going on waivers, leaving him in an unusual holding pattern within the organization. He now has the option to elect free agency, but for the moment he remains in the system, a reminder of how quickly a relievers path can change when a team is forced to juggle depth and health at the big-league level. [Read more 🡒]