The Red Sox just dropped their third straight series, pulling off a miserable 2-5 road trip and sinking deeper into what feels like an abyss. It’s a rough scene in Boston right now, with both the starters and the offense seriously struggling.
Pitching Woes and What’s Left in the Pen
Injuries aren’t helping one bit, with Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten hitting the IL. You gotta take the small wins where you can, though, and Aroldis Chapman and Erik Miller actually looked good. Now the Arizona Diamondbacks are rolling into Fenway, and honestly, this series feels absolutely massive for them. They were chilling in second behind the Dodgers in the AL West, but a hot Padres squad just blew past them. They’re also currently out of a Wild Card spot, a single game behind both the Padres and the Phillies. Every pitch in this series is going to matter for them.
The D-Backs are bringing out Mitch Bratt, a rookie southpaw with seven starts under his belt. He’s allowed 28 hits, 5 homers, 19 walks, and 14 runs across 33.2 innings, tallying 25 strikeouts. Righties are hitting .214/.353/.369 against him and lefties .263/.300/.553, so it’s not exactly smooth sailing. Brayan Bello and Alex Gamboa are set for Game 1 after an opener, a move to give Jake Bennett some extra rest with the bullpen start and Thursday’s off day. Then there’s Merrill Kelly, who’s back in Arizona after a stint with the Rangers in 2025. His return hasn’t been a fairytale, rocking an ERA north of 5.00 over 22 starts. He did throw a complete game once, but his last two starts saw him give up 6 runs in 5.0 innings and 5 runs in 5.0 innings before that. He’s barely getting past 5.0 innings in his last five appearances, and in the other three he allowed a combined 4 runs. With 82 Ks and 53 BBs across 125 innings, he’s not making it easy on himself.
Who Steps Up?
Kelly will face Ranger Suarez, the Sox’s big free agent grab. Suarez had an OK outing last time against the Jays, hitting 5 innings and allowing just 1 run, but his team still lost 6-4 when the bullpen took over. He hasn’t gone deeper than 5.0 innings since June 29th, battling an injury in July. He’s a veteran, in his 9th major league season, so innings aren’t the issue, but finding that consistent depth and staying healthy has been. Brandon Pfaadt, in his fourth season, is having something of a breakout. He isn’t a strikeout machine, with just 61 in 92.2 innings, but his 24 walks are a solid rate. Left-handed bats are getting a .697 OPS against him, but righties are only managing .581. This series is huge for both teams, and honestly, with how the Red Sox are playing, who knows what happens next.
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.
Leave a Reply