The Red Sox didn’t just stop the bleeding Thursday night - they gave themselves a little breathing room before a series that suddenly matters a lot.
Boston snapped back with a 7-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, a result that kept the club from getting swept in four games by one of its biggest rivals. Now the attention shifts immediately to Pittsburgh, where the Red Sox open a three-game set Friday night against the Pirates.
The timing matters. Boston is 65-56 and sitting in the No.
2 American League Wild Card spot, three games behind the New York Yankees for the top position. That leaves little margin for error, especially with a stretch like this one.
Pittsburgh comes in at 59-64, and on paper this is the kind of series Boston has to handle if it wants to keep pace.
The Red Sox are set to send out a familiar mix of youth and experience over the weekend.
Friday night belongs to Bennett, the rookie who came over this past offseason and has quietly become a real asset for Boston. He’s made 13 starts and owns a 3.17 ERA along with a 55-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 76 2/3 innings.
His most recent outing came Aug. 8 against the Athletics, when he worked 5 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Bubba Chandler.
Saturday brings Gray, the 14-year veteran and three-time All-Star who has put together what looks like the strongest season of his big league career. He enters with a 2.79 ERA and a 110-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 125 2/3 innings.
When Boston has needed a steady veteran presence, Gray has been the one answering the call. He’ll face 25-year-old right-hander Jared Jones.
Sunday’s game has the most intrigue of the series, and it comes from the other side. Sandoval has made six starts for Boston since returning to the mound for the first time since 2024, and he’s been sharp, posting a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings. But the Pirates are lining up three-time All-Star Paul Skenes, which gives the finale a different kind of edge.
In Other News...
Pirates Make A Paul Skenes Decision Fans Will Be Watching Closely
With the Pirates trying to manage Paul Skenes carefully over the stretch, manager Don Kelly announced Friday that the right-handers scheduled start Sunday will be pushed back to Wednesday. The move gives Skenes extra rest, and Kelly made clear it is not tied to any injury concern, a small but important distinction for a club that has every reason to be deliberate with one of baseballs most closely watched young arms.
Lake Bachar will take the ball Sunday against the Red Sox in Skenes place, giving Pittsburgh a different look for a game that had been lined up around its ace. Skenes said he understood the decision and supported it, which only adds to the sense that this is about the bigger picture and not any immediate alarm surrounding his availability. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Outfield Shuffle Puts Spotlight On A Bigger Problem
A day before facing the Red Sox, the Pirates had to reshuffle their outfield again, with Bryan Reynolds sliding into the designated hitter spot and Esmerlyn Valdez moving over to left field. Ronny Simon is set for right field, while Jake Mangum stays in center, a reminder of how much lineup movement Pittsburgh has been asking for as it tries to keep the pieces aligned.
The bigger concern is still the same one that has hovered over this group for weeks: the club is waiting on Oneil Cruz, who is working his way back on a rehab assignment after a hand injury. Until he returns, the Pirates are left to patch together the outfield in ways that can keep the offense afloat, but also underline how much they miss one of their most dynamic players. [Read more 🡒]
Rafael Flores Jr Is Giving Pirates Fans A Reason To Believe
Rafael Flores Jr. has been the kind of midseason spark the Pirates have been hoping to uncover, and the rookie catcher is starting to make himself impossible to ignore. Since arriving from the Yankees, he has flashed the power that made him an intriguing addition while also giving Pittsburgh steady work behind the plate, a combination that can change how a club views its depth chart in a hurry.
His latest burst came over the last two games against the Marlins and Red Sox, when he turned in a string of hard damage that kept the offense moving and helped fuel back-to-back wins. For a Pirates team always looking for young players who can stick, Flores Jr. is giving them a reason to think they may have found one, even if the bigger question is how far this stretch can carry him. [Read more 🡒]