Red Sox Week in Review: AL East Keeps Slipping Away

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Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot

Record Last Week: 2-3

Runs Scored Last Week: 18

Runs Surrendered Last Week: 22

Standings:

5th in AL East

10.5 GB First Place

Transactions:

06/03/26: Boston Red Sox recalled 2B Anthony Seigler from Worcester Red Sox.

06/03/26: Boston Red Sox signed free agent LHP Victor Aracena to a minor league contract.

06/03/26: Boston Red Sox placed 3B Nick Sogard on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 31, 2026. Right oblique strain.

06/04/26: Boston Red Sox selected the contract of RHP Tommy Kahnle from Worcester Red Sox.

06/04/26: Pittsburgh Pirates traded LHP Joe La Sorsa to Boston Red Sox.

06/04/26: Boston Red Sox optioned LHP Tyler Samaniego to Worcester Red Sox.

06/04/26: Boston Red Sox transferred SS Trevor Story from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Sports hernia.

06/05/26: Boston Red Sox selected the contract of LHP Joe La Sorsa from Worcester Red Sox.

06/05/26: Boston Red Sox optioned RHP Brayan Bello to Worcester Red Sox.

06/05/26: Boston Red Sox sent LHP Patrick Sandoval on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox.

06/05/26: Boston Red Sox transferred LHP Garrett Crochet from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Left shoulder inflammation.

06/06/26: Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester Red Sox.

06/06/26: Boston Red Sox placed LHP Jovani Morán on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 5, 2026. Left elbow inflammation.

06/06/26: Boston Red Sox sent RHP Garrett Whitlock on a rehab assignment to Worcester Red Sox.

Scores:

Game 58: BOS 2, BAL 4

Game 59: BOS 8, BAL 1

Game 60: BOS 2, BAL 8

Game 61: BOS 5, NYY 3

Game 62: Postponed to August 29

Game 63: BOS 1, NYY 6

Series Breakdown/Highlights

Orioles Series: The Fenway magic once again couldn’t be found as the Red Sox returned home for a quick, three-game series against the division rival Orioles. Connelly Early wasn’t sharp in game one, throwing just 5.2 innings and surrendering four earned runs. The rookie southpaw has a high ceiling but when he’s not sharp then he can get knocked around. The biggest red flag waving for Early at this point is that he’s being beaten hard with home runs in recent starts. Early isn’t the flamethrower his buddy Payton Tolle is, so he has to rely more on his secondaries to live around the zone. He failed to do so in this particular start and got punished for it.

Game two saw Tolle toss six shutout innings and make an incredibly athletic jump play, all while striking out five. Ryan Watson pitched the closing three innings, surrendering one earned run and striking out two. Wilyer Abreu hit a ball to the moon and Caleb Durbin continued to showcase his new plate approach, going two for four with one RBI.

In the finale, starter Brayan Bello was as advertised, giving up eight earned runs, six in the first inning alone, over five innings of work. His first inning was predictably awful, but he settled in for most of the rest of his start. After the game, Bello was optioned to Triple-A Worcester where he will spend time figuring out how to be a big-league starter again.

Yankees Series: Not all is lost in the series against the Evil Empire, since the second game of the three game series will be made up in a double-header on August 29, but we saw both versions of the Red Sox in this two game sample. In game one, Andruw Monasterio and Willson Contreras delivered huge home runs to help power the Red Sox past the Yankees. Sonny Gray tossed 6.1 innings of three-run ball while striking out three. Aroldis Chapman walked two in the bottom of the ninth inning, but otherwise was his typical dominant self. He’s nursing a hamstring injury that Chad Tracy is trying to navigate to give the team the best possible chance at winning, but the velocity is still there.

In the Sunday game, Ranger Suarez was fantastic on the bump. He tossed 6.1 innings of one-run baseball, only to be let down by Justin Slaten in the eighth. Slaten surrendered a solo home run to Cody Bellinger. Slaten was then replaced by the newly acquired Joseph De La Sorsa who promptly gave up a three-run home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr. A game that had the potential to be a statement game for the Red Sox was wasted by a leaky bullpen once again.