Red Sox 11, Diamondbacks 1

 

The team that can't seem to beat teams with losing records - the A's, the Jays, the Pirates - apparently has no problems with teams with winning records - the Rays, the Dodgers, and now the Diamondbacks. The team that once couldn't win in their home park now seems unbeatable in Fenway. Go figure.

Last night, the mighty Boston Red Sox (67-58) walloped the Arizona D'backs, 11-1. Gasper was in at DH in place of the ailing Yoshida and hit a solo homer in the seventh. Contreras homered, too, and every Boston batter had at least one RBI - Abreu and Gasper each had two. Bello went 4⅔ innings with three K's and one run, and the bullpen - Weissert, Moran, and Wyatt Olds in his major-league debut - gave up only one hit in three shutout innings. Olds went three up and three down, including two strikeouts in an impressive first appearence. 

See? That's how you do it. Feels good to win, doesn't it?

To add a touch of intrigue to the proceedings, D'back All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte was a no show for the game. No one knows why. 

Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.25) is going to try to make it two straight tonight. Suarez, a former Cardinals National Leaguer, has struggled with Arizona over the years, with a career 1-4 record against them and a 6.91 ERA, the highest of any team he's faced more than twice. He'll be opposed by Arizona's Merrill Kelly (8-10, 5.11), who has a 2-1 record over the Red Sox and a 2.66 ERA. Back in August 2024, Kelly gave up two home runs in Fenway, but those were to Casas and Devers and, well, they're not going to help us now.