The last time the Boston Red Sox won nine straight games on the road, it was 1977 and their stars were named Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk.
Back in the 2026 playoff hunt going into the All-Star break, Boston will try to not just sweep the weekend series with the New York Mets on Sunday, it will also attempt to polish off a 9-0 road trip. The eight-game win streak started with three-contest sweeps at the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox before arriving in New York.
The Red Sox kept rolling Saturday with a 4-0 win as fill-in starter Eduardo Rivera fired 3 2/3 innings and allowed only one hit. Boston interim manager Chad Tracy opted for a bullpen game instead of starting Brayan Bello, and five relievers teamed for a three-hitter, the team’s ninth shutout of the year.
“It feels good, obviously,” Tracy said of the difference between this stretch and most of the season. “You could feel the vibes at times. We were struggling to score and things didn’t feel good. Now we’re doing a fantastic job.”
As is often the case when teams get on a roll, Boston is receiving contributions up and down the roster. Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each belted two-run homers on Saturday to support the pitching staff’s efforts.
Each homer scored Chad Durbin, who batted cleanup for the first time this year. Durbin normally bats lower but Tracy didn’t make a big deal of moving him up to a glamour spot in the order.
“Just take your at-bats,” he said. “You get on base and try to make it as good as you can.”
Rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA) attempts to help Boston complete the perfect road trip in the series finale. He’s coming off an 8-1 win Tuesday night at the Chicago White Sox, yielding just two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings while fanning six. This will be his first career outing against the Mets.
New York will turn to Zach Thornton (0-1, 4.35) for his third career start. The rookie lefty last pitched on June 26, receiving a no-decision in a 2-1 home loss to Philadelphia despite allowing only five hits and a run in six innings with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Interim manager Andy Green was impressed with how Thornton did not back down from hitters in his two big league starts.
“Most days, he’s gonna fill up the strike zone and he’s gonna attack,” Green said. “He’s unafraid, he’s gonna give you what he’s got, he’s gonna step on the mound and he’s gonna be aggressive.”
Given how little New York has done with the bats in the first two games, Thornton might need to be outstanding. The Mets have managed just two runs, both on Friday, and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday while stranding nine men.
Offense has been an issue for New York. It ranks 26th in the majors in batting average (.234), 28th in on-base percentage (.304) and 27th in slugging (.381). Injuries to projected mainstays like shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Marcus Semien haven’t helped.
Bichette (ankle) was able to serve as a pinch hitter Saturday and drew a walk. He could play Sunday, while Semien (hip) will likely remain out until early August.
–Field Level Media
