The Red Sox bats finally roared back to life yesterday against the Blue Jays, clinching their first win since getting blown out by the Athletics on Friday. It took until the 8th inning for the offense to really click, but hey, a win is a win! It’s no coincidence the team went winless while Greg Weissert spent a few days down in Triple A with Worcester, either. Now that Greg is back in the fold, the winning vibes have totally returned.
Red Sox Arms and Pittsburgh’s Opener
On the pitching side, Jake Bennett had a rare off night against the A’s, struggling in a 7-3 loss. The lefty gave up 4 runs over 5.1 innings, which is the most he’s allowed since way back on June 10th. Like a lot of young pitchers this time of year, Bennett is hitting new highs in innings pitched, so managing that workload is huge. Maybe he needs to watch some Payton Tolle highlights for an efficient, deep start. Meanwhile, the Pirates are kicking off their weekend series with right-hander Bubba Chandler. The Bucks have actually managed to win three of Chandler’s last five starts. His outings have been totally all over the map, though, tossing anywhere from 4.0 to 6.1 innings, walking anywhere from zero to four batters, striking out three to six, and giving up two to seven hits. But hey, since the start of June, his ERA has dipped from 5.05 to 4.26, so that’s something. He usually doesn’t throw more than 91 pitches, so running up that count early could be smart.
Pirates’ Pitching Puzzle: Jones and Skenes
Sonny Gray was a tough-luck loser in his last outing, a tight 2-1 game against Toronto. The guy still leads the league with 14 pitcher wins, and while wins aren’t the be-all and end-all like they used to be with bullpens dominating, that number still tells you he’s getting good results. Then you’ve got Jared Jones, another righty, who’s back in the majors after missing all of 2025. His last start was a mess, just 3.0 innings and 8 runs allowed against the Mets. He’s coughed up at least one homer in his last four starts and has given up 10 long balls in 13 starts this season. Eight of those 13 starts haven’t even gone 5.0 innings. The Pirates definitely have some good arms, and Jones might be one of them in 2027, but he’s clearly still rebuilding right now. Patrick Sandoval also struggled against the Jays, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) even though he somehow gutted through 6.0 innings. He never really seemed to be in control, and pushing him to his longest outing of the year might not have been the best call, but the bullpen was gassed and Whitlock was hurting, so they just needed outs.
And then there’s Paul Skenes. He “might be bad now!” The dude who was untouchable back in May, throwing back-to-back 8.0-inning shutouts? He’s allowed runs in every outing since then. His ERA over that stretch is a shaky 5.00, especially compared to his 3.29 FIP. Over those 84.2 innings, he’s struck out 100 and walked 30. Look, “bad for Skenes is still pretty good,” but that drop-off is massive, and it’s got to be a major concern for the Pirates as this season rolls on.
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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