The Red Sox are lining up a rotation that looks built to keep their momentum rolling once the trip shifts to Miami.
According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Boston will send Ranger Suárez, Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray to the mound for its three-game set against the Marlins. The series opens Monday night at loanDepot park after the Red Sox finish their weekend series against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park.
It’s a strong three-man group for manager Chad Tracy, especially with Boston trying to keep pushing through the next stretch of its playoff chase. Suárez brings the veteran stability, Tolle has turned into one of the more intriguing young starters in the game, and Gray is still squarely in the American League Cy Young Award mix.
Boston entered Sunday’s finale against San Francisco at 70-59 after taking the first two games of the series. Now the Red Sox head to Miami with three of their best available arms ready to go.
Suárez gets the first crack Monday in the opener, which is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
The left-hander has gone 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA, 113 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP across 113 1/3 innings this season. His most recent outing ended with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, even though he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Suarez, Tolle and Gray will start the games in Miami.
- Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) August 23, 2026
Suárez is set to face Sandy Alcantara, giving the opener a pretty compelling pitching matchup. Alcantara came into the weekend at 13-8 with a 3.46 ERA and 131 strikeouts. Boston brought Suárez in on a five-year deal during the offseason with starts like this in mind, and Tracy will be counting on him to steady things as the club moves from a charged home series into another meaningful road test.
Tolle is next, and the 23-year-old lefty will pitch Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m. ET. He has quickly become one of Boston’s most dependable starters, posting an 8-6 record with a 3.08 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 120 innings.
His last seven starts have been even better: 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 54 strikeouts. That kind of run has done more than patch over the rotation. It has given Tracy a pitcher he can lean on when the games start to matter most.
Tolle’s matchup with Alcantara could wind up as the headliner of the series. It also offers another chance to see how the young lefty handles a high-leverage stage, which he’s increasingly looked comfortable doing.
Gray closes things out Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET, giving Boston a veteran finish that could matter plenty if the series hangs in the balance.
The right-hander moved to 16-3 with a 2.79 ERA after helping the Red Sox beat San Francisco 6-4 on Friday. He allowed four runs in six innings, including Rafael Devers’ home run in his return to Fenway Park, but still did enough to keep Boston in front and collect another win.
Miami is expected to answer with right-hander Ryan Gusto in the finale.
Gray’s spot at the back end gives the Red Sox a strong chance to control the series from the mound. If Wednesday turns into a must-have game, Tracy will have one of the American League’s most successful pitchers ready to go. And with Boston’s offense already producing some big late moments lately - including Saturday’s three-run ninth-inning comeback against San Francisco - this rotation setup could help take some of the pressure off the bats.
Suárez, Tolle and Gray give Boston three real chances to shape the series before the offense has to do too much.
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