Holy cow, you’ve gotta understand the vibe here: the Boston Red Sox have been on an absolute tear, hitting an unbelievable 27-4 in their last 31 games. That’s the kind of streak that makes you think anything is possible. But today, against the Athletics, that magic felt like it hit a wall with a 7-3 loss, offering a template for how those good times might just fizzle out.
The Arms Are Already Barking, Man
The cracks are definitely showing with the pitching staff. Jake Bennett, a rookie who’s been a total surprise in this insane run, hit a new professional career high in innings today. He wasn’t totally horrible, but he clearly didn’t have his best stuff and couldn’t even make it through six innings, leaving the game with the Sox down by just one run. Then came Justin Slaten, who was supposedly “well-rested” because he hadn’t pitched yesterday, but had thrown 17 pitches the day before. What happened? Immediately walked a hitter, then gave up a double, and just like that, the A’s had a three-run lead. Yeah, that was pretty much the ballgame right there. You gotta give it up for Raymond Burgos, though. He threw three or more innings in consecutive days, saving the rest of the bullpen. The dude might not be sticking around on the big league roster long-term, but his contribution today was clutch.
Offense Goes Ghost After Early Spark
Remember that Red Sox offense that’s been straight-up magic for the last six weeks? It flashed in the first inning today, putting up two runs with three stolen bases. Seriously, it felt like old times. But then it just… vanished. They stranded runners on second base in both the fourth and fifth innings and barely even threatened after that. Talk about reverting to pre-streak form. Jarren Duran went 0-4 with three strikeouts, ending the eighth inning with two runners on base. Oof. And Eli White didn’t have the first start he dreamed of, going 0-4 with two strikeouts. On the bright side, Jahmai Jones, a guy who was DFA’d by another team just weeks ago, crushed it with three hits, two doubles, two runs, and two stolen bases. Nick Sogard also snagged two two-baggers.
Dave O’Brien was spot on when he said this surging team saved the summer. But the bill is absolutely coming due for this pitching staff, paid in the currency of tired arms. Can this pitching staff hang on? Today, it totally couldn’t. What happens next is going to tell us everything about this wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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