The Red Sox walked out of Baltimore with exactly what they needed: a four-game sweep of an American League playoff rival and a little breathing room in the Wild Card race. Now comes the part that can trip up a contender. Boston is back at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon for three games against the Angels, a club with a 54-89 record and very little left except the ability to spoil somebody else’s plans.
That contrast makes this series easy to label as a mismatch, but it also makes it dangerous. The Red Sox have just spent four games grinding through a division opponent, and they enter this set with a six-game edge over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Wild Card race.
They also sit only 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for the top Wild Card spot. New York is off Monday, so Boston has a clean chance to cut into that gap right away.
The opener carries some extra intrigue because of the pitching setup. Interim manager Chad Tracy said it was “likely” Brayan Bello will start Monday’s 1:35 p.m.
ET game, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. Bello could work as a normal starter or serve as the primary bulk arm while Boston tries to give the rest of the rotation another day of rest.
Bello’s season has been a study in two different versions of the same pitcher. Overall, he is 5-7 with a 5.07 ERA in 22 appearances, eight of them starts.
But the right-hander has been much sharper in relief, posting a 2.03 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 62 innings out of the bullpen. His last two longer relief outings have gone sideways, though, with eight runs allowed across 7 1/3 innings, so Monday gives him a chance to settle back into the role that has helped Boston so much.
He is expected to face Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who comes in at 4-6 with a 6.03 ERA.
Boston already handled Los Angeles once this season, sweeping a three-game set in Anaheim by scores of 5-2, 8-1 and 7-5. Through those first three meetings, the Red Sox have outscored the Angels 20-8. The Angels are also 24-45 on the road and have dropped eight of their last 10.
The rest of the series lines up with Jake Bennett on the mound Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. ET against Reid Detmers, then Ranger Suárez on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.
ET against Ryan Johnson. Bennett is 9-6 with a 3.34 ERA, while Detmers is 4-8 with a 3.44 ERA.
Suárez is 6-4 with a 3.44 ERA after his strong outing against Baltimore, and Johnson is 3-8 with a 5.17 ERA.
Boston’s pitching carried the weekend in Baltimore, where the Red Sox survived a 6-5 opener before allowing just one run over the final three games. They followed with 1-0 and 5-0 shutouts and finished the sweep with a 3-1 win on Sunday. That run has the Red Sox in strong shape, but with 18 games left, there is still plenty to chase.
The other issue is offense. Boston has been doing enough lately, but Ceddanne Rafaela is now on the injured list with a right quadriceps strain, and the lineup cannot afford to lean too heavily on the staff to keep bailing it out. The pitching covered for a quiet attack in Baltimore, but that formula gets risky in a hurry.
So the assignment is clear: avoid a letdown, keep pressure on the Yankees, and bank the kind of wins that can shape October. The Angels have already been swept by Boston once. Doing it again would keep the Red Sox moving toward a higher Wild Card spot and, potentially, postseason games at Fenway Park.
In Other News...
Red Sox Prospect Is Easing One Big Adley Rutschman Trade Fear
Hayden Mullins has been one of the quieter bright spots in the aftermath of Bostons Aug. 3 deal for Adley Rutschman, and the pitching prospect is doing his part to ease some of the early anxiety that followed the move. Mullins has continued piling up solid outings, trimming his season ERA and giving the Red Sox a better-looking strikeout-to-walk ratio as he settles into the stretch run.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Mullins has not just been serviceable, he has been consistently effective, which matters when a trade of that size invites instant second-guessing. The other side of the equation has been encouraging too, since the players Boston received in the swap have also turned in strong work in Baltimores system, leaving the deal in a place where both clubs can point to early returns and still wonder how it will age. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Tough Ranger Suarez Decision At The Worst Time
Bostons rotation has started to show the strain that tends to surface in September, with a few starters wobbling in recent outings and the group lacking the crispness it had earlier in the year. That is what makes the conversation around Ranger Suarez so tricky. The Red Sox need stability, but they also need to decide how much weight to give a pitchers recent form versus the kind of track record that can matter most once the games tighten up.
Jonathan Papelbon has already made clear where he stands, saying he would leave Suarez out of a playoff rotation because of the way things have gone lately. Still, Suarez brings something Boston cannot ignore if the club is building a postseason plan for October: he has been effective in the playoffs before, with a strong ERA and WHIP that suggest a starter who can handle pressure when it matters most. The Red Sox are being asked to choose between what they have seen recently and what Suarez has shown in bigger moments, and that is not an easy call this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Bullpen Just Took A Late-Season Turn Fans Feared
Justin Slaten had only just started to throw again in his recovery before the right elbow inflammation symptoms flared up and shut him back down. For a Red Sox bullpen that has managed to keep its performance in a strong place, the setback is a reminder that late-season stability can change quickly, especially when one of the relievers the club hoped to count on is not able to build any momentum.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Tanner Houck and Garrett Crochet are both moving ahead in rehab assignments, giving the staff at least a chance to get reinforcements later on. Slatens return, though, is now far less certain than it was even a short time ago, and for a bullpen that has been one of the teams quiet strengths, his situation is becoming one of the more important health stories to watch. [Read more 🡒]