Red Sox Week in Review: The Skid is On

[Alex Mayes]

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot

Record Last Week: 2-5

Runs Scored Last Week: 26

Runs Surrendered Last Week: 29

Standings

3rd in AL East

8.5 GB First Place

2nd in AL Wild Card

3 GB First Place

Transactions

08/11/26: Boston Red Sox transferred 2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

08/11/26: Boston Red Sox activated C Adley Rutschman from the 10-day injured list.

08/11/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent RHP Aaron Nixon to a minor league contract

08/11/26: Boston Red Sox designated C Jake Rogers for assignment.

08/12/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester Red Sox.

08/12/26: Boston Red Sox traded CF Harold Rivas to Baltimore Orioles. Player to be named later from the 8/3 Adley Rutschman trade.

08/12/26: Boston Red Sox designated RHP Seth Martinez for assignment.

08/12/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent RHP Morgan McSweeney to a minor league contract.

08/13/26: Boston Red Sox recalled RHP Greg Weissert from Worcester Red Sox.

08/13/26: Boston Red Sox placed RHP Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 10, 2026. Right elbow inflammation.

08/14/26: Boston Red Sox sent RHP Seth Martinez outright to Worcester Red Sox.

08/14/26: Chicago White Sox claimed C Jake Rogers off waivers from Boston Red Sox.

08/16/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Raymond Burgos from Worcester Red Sox.

08/16/26: Boston Red Sox recalled C Mickey Gasper from Worcester Red Sox.

08/16/26: Boston Red Sox placed RHP Justin Slaten on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 13, 2026. Right elbow inflammation.

08/16/26: Boston Red Sox placed DH Masataka Yoshida on the 10-day injured list. Left hamstring strain

Scores

Game 118: BOS 1, TOR 2

Game 119: BOS 3, TOR 5

Game 120: BOS 4, TOR 6

Game 121: BOS 7, TOR 0

Game 122: BOS 4, PIT 8

Game 123: BOS 4, PIT 0

Game 124: BOS 3, PIT 8

Series Breakdown/Highlights

Blue Jays Series: The Red Sox looked to reverse their season-long misfortune against the Blue Jays but they just couldn’t get it going. In game one, Sonny Gray tossed six innings of two-run baseball while striking out four and walking one. He was charged with the loss while Jovani Moran appeared in relief and threw two shutout innings. The lone RBI on the night came off the bat of Ceddanne Rafaela, who is still producing but starting to show worrying signs of swinging at everything that’s thrown at him.

Game two was started by Patrick Sandoval, who tossed six innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out four. Tyron Guerrero and Seth Martinez both came in out of the bullpen. Guerrero worked a clean inning while Martinez allowed two hits and one earned run. On offense, Wilyer Abreu socked a solo home run while Rafaela hit a two-run dinger over the wall for all the offense the team could produce. What’s most frustrating about this game is the team played really well against Cy Young favorite Dylan Cease after he had just pitched a complete, one-hit game against them last time out. 

In game three, Ranger Suarez pitched through five complete innings for the first time since returning from the injured list. He allowed six hits, one earned run, and struck out two on the night. Justin Slaten, Erik Miller, and Alec Gamboa all worked clean innings, combining for three strikeouts. The leak in the bullpen for this game came through Guerrero who allowed four earned runs on two walks and three hits. Offensively, Willson Contreras got going with a home run while Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Jarren Duran all contributed one RBI each. 

The finale was the time the bats began to wake up, but the story of the game belonged to Payton Tolle again. While he only struck out four during this start, he was utterly dominant. He tossed eight innings while only allowing two hits and zero earned runs. He’s turning into an ace right before our eyes. Offensively, this was the Caleb Durbin show. He hit his second grand slam this season while driving in five total runs while Contreras and Masataka Yoshida also contributed one RBI each. 

Pirates Series: The Red Sox looked to stop their series losing skid but the Pirates had something to say about that. In game one, Jake Bennett turned in another start that left quite a bit to be desired. He turned in four innings of five-hit, four-earned-run baseball while striking out six. Moran allowed three more earned runs out of the bullpen while Gamboa stopped the bleeding over the final three innings. Offensively, Monasterio, Yoshida, and Nick Sogard contributed the four RBIs. 

In game two, Sonny Gray turned in another incredible start by tossing seven shutout innings while striking out seven. Miller and Aroldis Chapman both threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Wilyer Abreu tagged Jared Jones for a home run in the second inning while Monasterio and Jahmai Jones also drove in runs to spark the offense late and secure the win for the Sox.

Game three went horribly for Patrick Sandoval, who struggled from the first pitch of the game. He allowed nine hits and seven earned runs over just four innings of work. He did manage to strike out six, but the damage was already done. Recently recalled Burgos worked two innings of relief before the skies opened up and delayed the game for two and a half hours. Impressively, he returned to the mound after the delay. While he won’t stick on the roster, he was given his flowers by Chad Tracy afterwards for his gutsy performances every time the Sox have needed him. Offensively, Connor Wong was the star of the game with his three-run home run. The Red Sox look to turn the page as two National League West teams come to town for the week while old friends Rafael Devers and Marcelo Mayer make their much-anticipated returns to Fenway Park.

Website Highlights

Payton Tolle’s Learned How to Kill Reaction Time in Dominant Start Against Athletics by Yirsandy Rodriguez 

Kristian Campbell’s Fantastic Summer is Changing His Narrative Again by Nick John

Patrick Sandoval is Walking a Fine Line with Red Sox After Two-Year Hiatus by Gottie Chavez

Wilyer Abreu’s August Breakthrough is Proof Minor Adjustments Can Yield Major Results by Alex Mayes

Looking Ahead

08/17/26: Diamondbacks (Mitch Bratt) @ Red Sox (TBD): 7:10 PM EDT

08/18/26: Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly) @ Red Sox (Ranger Suarez): 7:10 PM EDT

08/19/26: Diamondbacks (Brandon Pfaadt) @ Red Sox (Payton Tolle): 4:10 PM EDT

08/20/26: Off Day

08/21/26: Giants @ Red Sox: 7:10 PM EDT

08/22/26: Giants @ Red Sox: 7:15 PM EDT

08/23:26: Giants @ Red Sox: 3:10 PM EDT

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