Tag: michael wacha

Xander Bogaerts crushes grand slam, drives in 5 runs to power Red Sox to 6-5 win over Twins

The Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Twins on Wednesday night. Boston held on for a 6-5 win over Minnesota at Target Field to end a three-game losing streak and improve to 63-68 on the season.

Matched up against Twins rookie starter Joe Ryan to begin things on Wednesday, the Sox drew first blood in their half of the third inning. Following a pair of back-to-back singles from Kevin Plawecki and Tommy Pham, Alex Verdugo reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases with no outs for Xander Bogaerts.

Bogaerts, who walked in his first plate appearance, took a first-pitch strike from Ryan and then unloaded on a hanging slider by lacing it 392 feet over the left field wall for a grand slam. The ball left his bat at a blistering 113 mph (his hardest-hit ball of 2022) and cleared the fence in just 3.6 second. It was also good for his 12th home run of the season and gave the Red Sox an early 4-0 lead.

After Rafael Devers flew out, J.D. Martinez went deep for the 11th time this year by depositing another slider from Ryan 394 feet into the left field bleachers. Martinez’s second big fly in his last four games made it a 5-0 contest in favor of Boston.

To that point, Michael Wacha had yet to allow a run two innings into his 17th start of the season. That changed in the third, as the veteran right-hander recorded two quick outs before giving up a softly-hit single to No. 9 hitter Sandy Leon. Moments later, Luis Arraeez made Wacha pay for extending the inning by cranking a three-run homer to right that trimmed Boston’s lead down to three runs at 5-2.

Fast forward to the sixth, and the Sox got one of those two runs back. Kevin Plawecki greeted new Twins reliever Jovani Moran by roping a leadoff double to right field. After Pham and Verdugo each struck out, Bogaerts came through yet again with an RBI single that would prove to be more important than it seemed at the time.

Wacha, who ended his night by escaping a jam in which Minnesota had runners at second third with only out, wound up yielding just two earned runs on four hits and one walk to go along with seven strikeouts over six strong innings of work. The 31-year-old hurler threw 98 pitches (64 strikes) and induced eight swings-and-misses en route to picking up his 10th winning decision of the year.

In relief of Wacha, Garrett Whitlock received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Whitlock was not as sharp as he usually is, as he began the seventh inning by giving up a leadoff double to Nick Gordon. Gordon advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Arraez. Whitlock’s struggles extended into the eighth inning, as a pair of singles put runners on the corners with two outs for Gordon.

Gordon proceeded to rip a two-run double to right field that he attempted to extend into a triple. But Verdugo tracked the ball and, with his momentum carrying him towards the field, made a nice throw to gun down Gordon at third base and limit the damage to two runs.

Verdugo’s sixth outfield of the season allowed Matt Barnes to take the mound in the ninth with a 6-5 lead to protect. Barnes, in turn, made things interesting by putting the first two batters he faced on base before retiring Arraez and getting Carlos Correa to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. By doing so, Barnes notched his fourth save of the year while securing a one-run victory.

With the win, the Red Sox finish the month of August with a 12-16 record. Coming into September, they still trail the Blue Jays by eight games for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Bogaerts’ third-inning slam was the first from a Red Sox hitter since May 22nd. It was also the sixth of Bogaerts’ career, which moves him into sole possession of first place for most among shortstops in Red Sox history. He was previously in a three-way tie with Nomar Garciaparra and Vern Stephens, who each hit five over the course of their respective careers.

Plawecki, meanwhile, went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored out of the nine-hole on Wednesday. He is now 11-for-21 (.524) over his last seven games dating back to Aug. 20.

Next up: Back to Boston

The Red Sox will return home and open a four-game weekend series against the Rangers on Thursday night. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill, fresh off striking out a season-high of 11 across seven scoreless innings in his last time out, will start the series opener for Boston. On the opposite side of the spectrum, rookie right-hander Glenn Otto will take the mound for Texas.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: David Berding/Getty Images)

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Kutter Crawford, Ryan Brasier combine to give up 7 runs as Red Sox fall to Twins, 10-5

The Red Sox dropped their second straight to the Twins on Tuesday night. Boston fell to Minnesota by a final score of 10-5 at Target Field despite having a 4-3 lead at one point.

Kutter Crawford, making his 12th start and 21st overall appearance of the season for the Sox, surrendered five runs — four of which were earned — on four hits and four walks to go along with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings of work.

Three of those runs came within the first two innings. Crawford retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the first before issuing a pair of two-out walks to Max Kepler and Jose Miranda. The rookie right-hander then gave up a two-run double to Nick Gordon that got the Twins on the board first.

An inning later, Jake Cave led off the bottom of the second by taking Crawford 400 feet deep to left-center field for just his third home run of the season. Crawford put together his first scoreless frame of the night in the third and did it again in the fourth.

The Red Sox lineup, meanwhile, finally broke through against Twins starter Chris Archer in their half of the fourth. An Alex Verdugo leadoff single and Xander Bogaerts double put runners at second and third with no outs for Rafael Devers. Devers drove in Verdugo with a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 game in favor of Minnesota. J.D. Martinez followed by drawing a six-pitch walk, but Trevor Story grounded into an inning-ending double play to extinguish the threat.

In the fifth, however, the Sox were able to mount a rally. With Enrique Hernandez and Reese McGuire on the corners following a pair of one-out singles, Tommy Pham trimmed Boston’s deficit to one with a run-scoring base hit through the right side of the infield. That knocked Archer out of the game in favor of Caleb Thielbar.

McGuire moved up to third base when Verdugo grounded into a force out at second. With runners at the corners yet again, Bogaerts greeted the new Twins reliever by blooping a 241-foot game-tying single to left field to push across McGuire and move Verdugo to third. Devers then drew a bases-filling walk, prompting another Minnesota pitching change.

Michael Fulmer was dispatched to face Martinez, but he first airmailed a wild pitch to the backstop that allowed Verdugo to score the go-ahead run on a feet-first slide. The Red Sox had a chance to add to their newfound 4-3 lead, but Martinez struck out against his former teammate to leave things there.

Crawford came back out for the fifth and got Luis Arraez to fly out to Pham for the first out of the inning. It appeared as though Crawford was going to get the second out when he got Carlos Correa to lift a 318-foot flyball to Verdugo in right field.

Verdugo failed to make a clean catch, though, as the ball deflected off his glove, allowing Correa to reach first base safely. Correa then issued another walk to Kepler, which is how his night would come to an end as Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the righty for Ryan Brasier.

Brasier, in turn, made a sticky situation even worse by plunking the first batter he faced in Jose Miranda to load the bases. Gordon, already in the midst of a productive evening at the plate, took full advantage of the spot he was in by unloading the bases with a 416-foot grand slam over everything in right field.

Gordon’s sixth homer of the season officially closed the book on Crawford, who finished with a final pitch count of 76 (43 strikes). The 26-year-old hurler managed to induce just seven swings-and-misses while raising his ERA on the season to 5.47 (7.58 ERA in August). He was also hit with his sixth losing decision of the year.

Brasier, on the other hand, was tagged for two runs after getting through the rest of the fifth inning unscathed. The recently-turned 35-year-old has now allowed 14 runs (13 earned) to cross the plate in 14 relief appearances (12 innings) this month. That is good for an ERA of 9.75.

Boston’s bullpen struggled continued into the sixth inning, as Jeurys Familia served up a solo shot to Gary Sanchez. The Red Sox got that run back in the top of the seventh, when Verdugo plated Pham all the way from first base on a 410-foot RBI double to right-center field that would have been a home run in 16 of 30 MLB ballparks.

Verdugo’s second hit of the contest brought the Sox back to within three runs of the Twins at 8-5. Bogaerts moved Verdugo up to third base on a groundout, but Devers stranded him there by striking out.

Following a 1-2-3 seventh inning from Zack Kelly in his second big-league appearance, a resurgent Matt Barnes ran into more trouble in the eighth by walking one and giving up three straight hits to Sanchez, Arraez, and Correa. Arreaz and Correa each drove in runs with their singles, which gave the Twins a commanding 10-5 lead going into the ninth.

Down to their final three outs, Hernandez led off with a walk, but McGuire, Pham, and Verdugo went down quietly against Emilio Pagan to seal another defeat.

With the loss, the seventh in their last nine games, the Red Sox drop to 62-68 on the season. The Blue Jays won on Tuesday, so Boston now sits nine games back of Toronto for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Next up: Wacha vs. Ryan in series finale

The Red Sox will look to salvage something out of this series with the Twins on Wednesday night. Michael Wacha is slated to start for Boston. Fellow right-hander Joe Ryan is expected to do the same for Minnesota.

First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Kutter Crawford: David Berding/Getty Images)

Franchy Cordero and Xander Bogaerts both homer as Red Sox avoid disaster, hold on for 9-8 win over Rays

The Red Sox put an end to their four-game losing streak with a series-opening win over the Rays on Friday night. Boston avoided disaster and defeated Tampa Bay by a final score of 9-8 at Fenway Park to improve to 61-65 on the season.

Michael Wacha, making his 16th start of the year for the Sox, allowed four runs on five hits, one walk, and two hit batsman to go along with six strikeouts over six innings of work. All four of those runs were scored within the first three innings.

The veteran right-hander got his night off to a tough start, as his very first pitch was deposited 411 feet over the Green Monster courtesy of a leadoff home run off the bat of Yandy Diaz.

An inning later, Wacha yielded a one-out double to Jose Siri. After fanning Francisco Mejia, he promptly served up a 431-foot shot to Ji-Man Choi that gave the Rays an early 3-0 lead.

Boston responded in the bottom of the second. Christian Arroyo led off against Ryan Yarbrough by ripping a 105 mph double to left field. He then moved up to third base on an Enrique Hernandez base hit and scored from there on an infield single from Kevin Plawecki that was deflected by Diaz at third base. Tommy Pham drew a two-out walk off Yarbrough to load the bases, but Alex Verdugo popped out to second to end the rally there.

Diaz returned the favor in the third with a leadoff double of his own. Wacha then plunked the next two batters he faced to fill the bases for Harold Ramirez, who brought Tampa Bay’s lead back to three runs with a sacrifice fly to right field. Wacha managed to limit the damage by getting David Peralta to ground into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

Perhaps that sequence helped Wacha settle into a groove, because the righty proceeded to retire nine of the final 11 Rays hitters he faced through the middle of the sixth. The 31-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 93 (63 strikes). He induced 10 swings-and-misses while averaging 93 mph with his four-seam fastball.

The Red Sox lineup, meanwhile, took full advantage of Wacha putting up those zeroes. Franchy Cordero led off the fourth inning by wrapping his seventh home run of the season — and third of the week — 356 feet around Pesky’s Pole to make it a 4-2 game. Hernandez and Plawecki followed with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners for Jarren Duran.

Duran drove in Hernandez on a sacrifice fly to right field. In the fifth, Xander Bogaerts led off with a single and Bobby Dalbec, who was pinch-hitting for Cordero, drew a one-out walk. Following a Tampa Bay pitching change that saw Shawn Armstrong take over for Yarbrough, Hernandez greeted the new reliever by lacing a game-tying single through the left side of the infield. Dalbec advanced to second on the play and scored the go-ahead run on a 104.3 mph RBI double off the bat of Plawecki.

After Verdugo and J.D. Martinez each reached base with no outs in the sixth, Bogaerts broke it open by cranking a no-doubt, 386-foot three-run home run over the Green Monster. Bogaerts’ 11th big fly of the season left his bat at 100.1 mph to give the Red Sox a four-run advantage at 8-4.

Matt Strahm took over for Wacha — who later picked up the winning decision — out of the Boston bullpen in the seventh inning. The left-hander worked his way around a two-out single in an otherwise clean frame of work. The Red Sox then received what would prove to be some much-needed insurance in the latter half of the inning on a run-scoring triple from Verdugo.

Taking a 9-4 lead into the eighth inning, Ryan Brasier nearly let that five-run cushion slip away. Celebrating his 53rd birthday on Friday, Brasier failed to record an out in the process of giving up a leadoff walk, a base hit, an RBI single to Peralta, and a three-run home run to Siri.

Brasier’s meltdown gave the Rays life and forced Red Sox manager Alex Cora to turn to Matt Barnes for the third time in as many days. As has been the case since he returned from the injured list earlier this month, though, Barnes proved reliable yet again by striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning of relief.

That paved the way for Garrett Whitlock to enter in the ninth, and he wasted no time in slamming the door on the Rays to secure the one-run victory and earn his sixth save of the year.

All told, the Red Sox went 7-for-20 with runners in scoring position on Friday. Pham, Verdugo, and Bogaerts each had two hits while Hernandez and Plawecki each had three.

Next up: Hill vs. Springs

The Red Sox will go for a series win over the Rays on Saturday afternoon. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill is slated to start for Boston while fellow southpaw (and old friend) Jeffrey Springs is expected to do the same for Tampa Bay.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox squander plethora of scoring opportunities, fall to Blue Jays, 6-5, in 10 innings

The Red Sox were unable to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays on Thursday night. Boston fell to Toronto by a final score of 6-5 in 10 innings at Fenway Park to drop to 60-65 on the season.

Kutter Crawford, making his 11th start of the year for the Sox, allowed four earned runs on 10 hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work.

Two of those four runs came right away in the first inning. After giving up a one-out single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a two-out walk to Teoscar Hernandez, Crawford surrendered a scalding, 104.7 mph two-run double to Bo Bichette that gave the Jays an early 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox responded with two runs of their own in their half of the second. With Kevin Gausman on the mound for Toronto, Xander Bogaerts and Christian Arroyo led off with back-to-back singles. After Arroyo stole second base and Rob Refsnyder struck out, Reese McGuire got his productive night at the plate started with an RBI single that scored Bogaerts. Bobby Dalbec followed with a single of his own to drive in Arroyo and knot things up at two runs apiece.

In the third, Tommy Pham led off with a single and immediately went from first to home on a 106.7 mph RBI double off the bat of Rafael Devers. That gave the Red Sox their first lead of the night at 3-2, though it did not last long.

Crawford got the first two outs of the fourth inning with the help of a double play. The rookie right-hander then loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, which brought Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the plate in a prime spot. Guerrero Jr. proceeded to lift a pop fly into foul territory that could have ended the inning. But Dalbec, the first baseman, failed to make the tough catch, which further prolonged the inning.

Guerrero Jr. took full advantage of Dalbec’s blunder, as the young slugger promptly roped a two-run single to right field to put the Blue Jays back up by a run at 4-3. Again, the Sox responded in the latter half of the fourth. Following a pair of singles from Refsnyder and McGuire that put runners on the corners with no outs, Dalbec drove in Refsnyder on a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Crawford came back out for the fifth and recorded the first two outs of the inning via strikeout. He then gave up a two-out double to Matt Chapman, which prompted Red Sox manager Alex Cora to hand things over to his bullpen. Crawford finished with a final pitch count of 85 (53 strikes). The 26-year-old hurler induced 11 swings-and-misses while averaging 94.6 mph with his four-seam fastball. His ERA on the season now sits at 5.30.

Matt Strahm was first used in relief of Crawford and officially closed the book on the righty’s night by punching out Raimel Tapia. The lefty then came back out for the sixth and served up a 388-foot solo shot to Danny Jansen that travelled over the Green Monster and put the Blue Jays back up, 5-4.

The Red Sox responded in their half of the sixth. After reaching base and taking second on a two-out throwing error, Dalbec moved up to third on a wild pitch from Blue Jays reliever Trevor Richards. Jarren Duran then plated him from third on an RBI double over the head of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left field.

Duran, however, was stranded at second base, which proved to be the ongoing theme for Boston on Thursday. After Jeurys Familia, who recorded the final two outs of the sixth, struck out the side in the top of the seventh, the Sox had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the bottom half. Franchy Cordero was deployed to pinch-hit for Refsnyder, but he fell victim to Anthony Bass to extinguish the threat and keep things knotted up at 5-5.

Following a scoreless top half of the eighth from Hirokazu Sawamura, McGuire led off the bottom half with his first career triple, which was misplayed by Hernandez in right field. Enrique Hernandez, who came on to run for McGuire, was then stranded at third base, as Adam Cimber punched out Dalbec and Pham and Tim Mayza got Devers got Devers to ground out to first.

More frustration arose in the ninth. After getting another scoreless frame from Matt Barnes, J.D. Martinez led the inning off with a hard-hit single off Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano. Alex Verdugo took over for Martinez and went from first to third on a sharply-hit double from Bogaerts.

With no outs and runners at second and third, the Red Sox were just one hit away from winning this. Toronto elected to intentionally walk Arroyo, which filled the bases for Cordero. Romero, like Bass, fanned Cordero, bringing Hernandez to the plate for the first time. Hernandez proceeded to ground into a back-breaking inning-ending 5-3 double play, sending this one into extras.

John Schreiber allowed the automatic runner at second base — in this case, Cavan Biggio — to advance to third on a Jansen groundout. He then got Springer to hit a soft groundball in the direction of Bogaerts. Bogaerts fielded the ball cleanly, but made an off-balance throw to Kevin Plawecki at home plate.

Biggio beat Plawecki’s tag to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 lead. Romano then picked up where he left off by retiring Dalbec, Duran, and Plawecki, in the bottom half of the 10th to send the Red Sox home losers. All told, they went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position while leaving 12 runners on base as a team.

With the loss, Boston has extended its losing streak to four straight. It is now 3-13 against Toronto this season and 16-35 against divisional opponents.

Next up: Wacha vs. Chargois

Speaking of divisional opponents, the Red Sox will now welcome the Rays into town for a three-game weekend series. Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha is slated to start for Boston while fellow righty J.T. Chargois is expected to serve as an opener for Tampa Bay.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on Apple TV+.

(Picture of Kevin Plawecki: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Kiké Hernández homers, Michael Wacha tosses 5 2/3 scoreless innings as Red Sox hold on for 4-3 win over Orioles

The Red Sox held on for a one-run over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon. Boston defeated Baltimore by a final score of 4-3 to improve to 60-61 on the season.

Michael Wacha, making his 15th start of the season for the Sox, kept the O’s off the scoreboard while scattering four hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 strong innings of work.

There were not too many dramatic moments to be had for Wacha, who retired 11 of the first 14 batters he faced leading into the top half of the fifth inning. To that point in the contest, the Boston bats had been held in check by Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish.

Kevin Plawecki reached base via a one-out single. Christian Arroyo followed with a base hit of his own to put runners on the corners for Alex Verdugo, who promptly roped another single to right field to drive in Plawecki.

An inning later, J.D. Martinez led off against Bradish with a sharply-hit single. After Bobby Dalbec struck out for the first out of the sixth, Enrique Hernandez came through by depositing a 373-foot two-run home run down the left field line.

Hernandez’s fifth home run of the season was the first from any Red Sox hitter since last Sunday. It also gave Boston a 3-0 lead. Wacha, meanwhile, continued to impress before giving up a one-out single to Austin Hays and issuing a two-out walk to Anthony Santander in the bottom of the sixth.

At that point, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opted to turn to his bullpen. John Schreiber came on in relief of Wacha and officially closed the book on the righty’s outing by stranding both of the runners he inherited with a three-pitch strikeout of Ryan Mountcastle.

Wacha finished with a final pitch count of 79 (52 strikes), inducing seven total swings-and-misses while mixing a four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter, sinker, and curveball. The 31-year-old hurler improved to 8-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.28. He has yet to allow a run since returning from the injured list on August 14.

Schreiber came back out for the seventh and immediately surrendered a leadoff single to Ramon Urias. Jorge Mateo followed with another single to right field, but Jarren Duran made a poor throw back to the infield and missed the cutoff man, which allowed both runners to advance an additional 90 feet.

With runners at second and third for the Orioles now, the pinch-hitting Kyle Stowers plated Urias on a groundout to second base. Mateo then scored on a two-out wild pitch to trim Boston’s advantage down to one run at 3-2.

After Garrett Whitlock worked his way around a one-out single in a scoreless eighth inning, Duran was able to redeem himself in the ninth by reaching on a one-out bunt single off Bryan Baker. With the hit-and-run on, Duran went from first to third on a Plawecki single. He then scored from third on Arroyo’s third hit of the day — an 86.7 mph double to left field.

Arroyo’s RBI double would prove to be an important moment in this game. That being the case because Whitlock yielded a one-out triple to Mateo in the bottom of the ninth. Mateo scored on another Stowers groundout, but Whitlock held it down by getting Rougned Odor to line out to center field to end it.

Whitlock picked up his fifth save of the season while the Red Sox secured a 4-3 victory. Arroyo led the way offensively with three hits while Verdugo, Martinez, and Plawecki all enjoyed two-hit games.

Next up: 2022 Little League Classic on deck

The Red Sox and Orioles will wrap up this three-game weekend series in Williamsport, Pa. on Sunday night. In the fifth annual MLB Little League Classic, right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the start for Boston while fellow righty Dean Kremer will do the same for Baltimore.

First pitch from Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Greg Flume/Getty Images)

Michael Wacha tosses 7 scoreless innings in first start since June 28 as Red Sox blank Yankees, 3-0, to earn series victory

The Red Sox won their second straight series against an American League East opponent with a shutout victory over the Yankees on Sunday night. Boston defeated New York by a final score of 3-0 to improve to 57-59 on the season.

Matched up against Jameson Taillon out of the gate, leadoff man Tommy Pham set the tone right away in the first inning. Pham led off by ripping a line-drive double to left-center field. He moved up to third base on a Rafael Devers groundout and scored the game’s first run on an RBI groundout off the bat of Xander Bogaerts.

Michael Wacha took over from there. Making his first start since June 28 after being activated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the afternoon, Wacha showed no signs of rust in his return to the mound. The veteran right-hander kept the Yankees off the scoreboard while scattering two hits and one walk to go along with a season-high nine strikeouts over seven strong innings of work.

After retiring the first 14 batters he faced, Wacha saw his bid for a perfect game come to an end when he gave up a softly-hit two-out single to Miguel Andujar. He then issued his first and only walk of the evening to Isiah Kiner-Filefa before getting Kyle Higashioka to ground out to Devers at third base.

Wacha yielded a one-out single to Andrew Benintendi in the sixth but left him there by fanning Aaron Judge and Josh Donaldson. He ended his night by punching out two more in a scoreless top of the seventh.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 89 (59 strikes), Wacha threw 36 four-seam fastballs, 21 changeups, 19 cutters, eight curveballs, and five sinkers. The 31-year-old hurler induced a game-high 10 swings-and-misses with his changeup and also averaged 93.8 mph with his four-seamer. He picked up his seventh win and lowered his ERA on the season to 2.44.

Moments before Wacha recorded the final out of the seventh, Devers broke out in the latter half of the sixth. After Pham led the inning off with another single, Devers promptly clubbed a 433-foot two-run home run to deep right field off Taillon.

Devers’ 25th homer of the season left his bat at a blistering 110.4 mph. It also gave the Red Sox some breathing room in the form of a 3-0 lead.

In relief of Wacha, Ryan Brasier received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Brasier made quick work of the Yankees in the eighth to pave the way for Garrett Whitlock, who did the same in the ninth to secure the victory and his fourth save of the year.

All told, three Boston pitchers (Wacha, Brasier, and Whitlock) combined to toss nine scoreless innings in which they only gave up two hits and one walk while striking out 11.

Offensively, Pham went 3 for 4 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot while Devers went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Both of Devers’ hits left his bat at more than 110 mph. They were the two hardest-hits of the game, per Baseball Savant.

Also of note, Sunday’s contest took all of two hours and 15 minutes to complete.

Next up: On to Pittsburgh

The Red Sox will enjoy an off day on Monday before traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates on the road for the first time since September 2014. Nick Pivetta is slated to get the ball for Boston in Tuesday’s series opener while fellow right-hander Mitch Keller is expected to do the same for Pittsburgh.

First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Michael Wacha from injured list, option Darwinzon Hernandez to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have activated right-hander Michael Wacha from the 15-day injured list. In a corresponding move, left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced earlier Sunday afternoon.

Wacha returns from the injured list after being sidelined for the last five-plus weeks with right shoulder inflammation. The 31-year-old made two rehab appearances for Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland on August 4 and 9, allowing a total of two runs on four hits, three walks, and 13 strikeouts over nine combined innings with the WooSox and Sea Dogs.

At the big-league level this season, Wacha — who signed a one-year, $7 million deal with Boston last November — has posted a 2.69 ERA and 3.97 FIP to go along with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks over 13 starts spanning 70 1/3 innings of work.

Despite missing as much time as he has to this point in the year, Wacha currently leads all Red Sox pitchers in bWAR (2.2), per Baseball-Reference. Boston is 9-4 in games started by Wacha, who will be getting the ball in Sunday’s series finale against the Yankees at Fenway Park.

Hernandez, meanwhile, has struggled to find his footing out of the Red Sox bullpen so far this season. Since making his 2022 debut one month ago Sunday, the 25-year-old has surrendered 17 runs (16 earned) on 14 hits, eight walks, and nine strikeouts across seven outings and 6 2/3 innings pitched. That is good for an ERA of 21.60.

After failing to make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training, Hernandez tore his right meniscus while with the WooSox in May and missed nearly two weeks of action as a result. In Worcester, the Venezuelan-born southpaw has produced a 4.68 ERA (3.59 FIP) over 14 appearances (seven starts) and 25 innings.

With Hernandez being optioned, Austin Davis is now the only left-handed reliever on the Red Sox’ 26-man roster.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Michael Wacha on 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, recall Connor Seabold from Triple-A Worcester

Before taking on the Yankees at Fenway Park on Friday night, the Red Sox placed right-hander Michael Wacha on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to July 5. In a corresponding move, fellow righty Connor Seabold has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced.

Wacha heads to the injured list after dealing with a “heavy arm” for the last week or so. The 31-year-old was slated to start against the Rays on Monday but was scratched from that outing. The Red Sox were hopeful that Wacha would be able to go against the Yankees on Friday, but the righty did not bounce back as the team hoped he would.

“He hasn’t been able to bounce back from his bullpens or playing catch,” manager Alex Cora said of Wacha on Thursday. “Nothing structural. We actually tested him, an MRI and all that. Everything looks clean. It’s just, right now, he hasn’t been able to bounce back.”

In 13 starts for Boston this season, Wacha has posted a 2.69 ERA and 3.96 FIP with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks over 70 1/3 innings of work. Since his stint on the injured list was backdated by three days, the veteran hurler will be eligible to return to action July 22, which is the Red Sox’ first game after the All-Star break.

Seabold, meanwhile, will make his third start of the season for the Sox on Friday, which will also be his first-ever appearance at Fenway Park. The 26-year-old made two starts on the road last week, allowing a total of eight earned runs on 15 hits, three walks, and 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 combined innings against the Blue Jays and Cubs.

With Wacha out through the All-Star break, Seabold could remain in Boston’s starting rotation for its next series against the Rays in Tampa Bay next week. On Friday, Seabold will be opposed by Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes as he takes the Fenway mound for the first time in his big-league career.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Michael Wacha will not start for Red Sox on Friday, could be headed for injured list as arm issues linger

The Red Sox were hoping that Michael Wacha would be able to start against the Yankees on Friday after he was scratched on July 4 due to a “heavy arm.” That will not happen, as the veteran right-hander is still dealing with arm issues.

“He hasn’t been able to bounce back from bullpens or playing catch,” manager Alex Cora said of Wacha on Thursday. “Nothing structural. We actually tested him. He had an MRI and all that, and everything looks clean. Right now, just hasn’t been able to bounce back.”

Wacha made his 13th start of the season for Boston in Toronto on June 28, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over five innings. Last Sunday, the 31-year-old first began complaining about “a heavy, tired feeling” in his throwing arm. As previously mentioned, he was slated to make his 14th start on Independence Day but was instead scratched in favor of Austin Davis.

While Wacha continues to be plagued by arm fatigue, the Red Sox remain optimistic that he will not require a trip to the injured list. Wacha has proven to be one of Boston’s best starters this season, posting a 2.69 ERA and 3.96 FIP with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks across 70 1/3 innings of work.

With that being said, however, the Sox still need a starter to go up against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. on Friday night. Connor Seabold, who last pitched in Chicago on July 3, would be in line to start on regular rest.

But the Red Sox optioned Seabold to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, meaning the only way they could call him back up on Friday would be if they placed another player on the injured list.

So, it seems likely that Boston will place Wacha on the 15-day injured list and recall Seabold from Worcester to start on Friday. If not, they could lean in the direction of a bullpen game.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox ‘hopeful’ that Michael Wacha (heavy arm) will be able to start against Yankees on Friday

The Red Sox are hopeful that Michael Wacha will be able to start against the Yankees on Friday night, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Rays at Fenway Park.

Wacha was originally slated to make his 14th start of the season for Boston on Monday. But the veteran right-hander was instead scratched the night before due to what the team described as a “heavy arm.” Austin Davis started in his place.

On the heels of his latest outing against the Blue Jays in Toronto on June 28, Wacha first began complaining of “a heavy, tired feeling” in his throwing arm on Sunday. While that feeling resulted in him missing a start, it does not appear as though it will require a stint on the 15-day injured list.

The 31-year-old hurler previously spent 12 days on the injured list back in May due to left intercostal irritation. With the Red Sox this season, he has posted a 2.69 ERA and 3.97 FIP with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks over 70 1/3 innings of work.

If Wacha can indeed go on Friday, he would be opposed by left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. of the Yankees in the second game of a four-game weekend series in Boston.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)