I can’t explain this. Sorry. Look elsewhere. Talk to a priest. Read some tea leaves. Walk the Himalayan foothills and hope the universe reveals its secrets.
The Red Sox won their eighth straight game today. They did this behind a minor league reliever making his second big league appearance. They did this with a quad-A lineup loaded with five players carrying an OPS below .700. They did this on the strength of two two-run home runs, one by a player who has essentially been deemed useless by the entire
baseball world.
Is this a mirage or are the Red Sox actually back in the race? It’s hard to say. To the extent that they’re doing this via multi-hit games from Andruw Monasterio and shutout outings by Eduardo Rivera and four relievers, then it sure looks like a mirage to me. And let’s not pretend that the Mets are any kind of true test. But the wins are real. They count. And the trash pile that is the American League in 2026 is real. And, today, the 2026 Red Sox, one of the weirdest and most disappointing Red Sox teams of my lifetime, sit just a half game out of the third Wild Card spot.
Studs
Eduardo Rivera: Eduardo, welcome to the realm of random Red Sox players whose weird outlier performances ensure they’re remembered for years to come. Making the second appearance of his big league career — both of which came as openers — Rivera once again held the opposition scoreless into the fourth inning. He’s had trouble finding the strike zone in AAA, but he throws hard and kept the Mets off balance tonight.
Andruw Monasterio: He got the two hardest parts of a cycle and missed out on the easy parts! What are you thinking, Andruw?!?!
Masataka Yoshida: On an afternoon when the bullpen was missing two of its key arms, his 8th inning homer to give the Sox sorely needed insurance was massive.
Dud
Jarren Duran: He goes 0-4 every day now. That’s just how it is. Accept it and it will bring you peace.
Play of the Game
Game winning home run in the fourth inning? Game wiinning home run in the fourth inning.
