By Laura Soukkavong –
Rangers Leave Fenway With Series Finale Win as Red Sox Continue Home Struggles
The Texas Rangers avoided a three-game sweep Sunday afternoon, defeating the Boston Red Sox 6-4 at Fenway Park behind a powerful offensive performance and another strong outing from Nathan Eovaldi.
Texas improved to 35-36 on the season and continued its recent surge, winning for the fourth time in seven games and improving to 10-5 since May 29, tied for the best record in Major League Baseball during that span. The Rangers also improved to 14-9 in series finales and 4-2 in games when trying to avoid a sweep.
For Boston, the loss dropped the club to 29-40 overall and 12-22 at home. The Red Sox fell to 8-15 in series finales and continued a troubling trend when opponents generate offense. Boston has now allowed 10 or more hits 29 times this season and is just 4-25 in those contests.
Wyatt Langford gave Texas an immediate spark with a leadoff home run in the first inning. Kyle Higashioka followed with a three-run homer in the second inning, while Willson Contreras delivered the knockout punches with solo home runs in both the second and sixth innings.
Contreras finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two home runs and two RBI. The veteran catcher posted his 16th career multi-home run game and completed a dominant series in which he went 8-for-12 with five runs scored, two doubles, three home runs and four RBI.
Brandon Nimmo continued his strong play, finishing 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Justin Foscue matched a career high with three hits, going 3-for-3 with a run scored.
Nathan Eovaldi worked seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out six. The outing marked his seventh quality start of the season and his seventh start of at least seven innings, tied for the most in Major League Baseball.
Boston received a multi-hit performance from Masataka Yoshida, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double. Wilyer Abreu drove in a run with an eighth-inning single and recorded RBI for the third consecutive game.
Connelly Early took the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Despite the setback, Early recorded the 100th strikeout of his career and became the second-fastest pitcher in Red Sox history to reach the milestone, accomplishing the feat in 18 games.
The Red Sox have now homered in four consecutive games but remain in search of consistency as the season approaches its halfway point.
Around Major League Baseball
The weekend featured several series splits and dramatic offensive performances across Major League Baseball.
The New York Yankees took two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays, winning 3-1 on Saturday before completing the series with an 8-3 victory Sunday.
The Washington Nationals swept the final two games of their series against Seattle, following an 8-3 victory Saturday with a dominant 10-1 win Sunday.
The San Diego Padres completed a successful weekend against Baltimore, defeating the Orioles 9-3 Saturday and 5-2 Sunday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds split their final two games. Cincinnati earned a 2-1 victory Saturday before Arizona responded with a 5-3 win Sunday.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Mets 3-1 on Saturday, but the Mets answered with an 8-1 victory Sunday.
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Saturday before Sunday’s game was postponed.
The Houston Astros edged the Kansas City Royals 8-7 on Saturday, but Kansas City responded with a 4-0 shutout Sunday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox 7-1 Saturday before Chicago bounced back with a 6-4 victory Sunday.
The Philadelphia Phillies outlasted Milwaukee 9-8 on Saturday, while the Brewers returned the favor with a 4-0 shutout Sunday.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated Minnesota 9-6 Saturday before the Twins claimed a 5-4 win Sunday.
One of the most explosive games of the season came Sunday when the Colorado Rockies erupted for a 23-9 victory over the Athletics after losing 7-5 the previous day.
The Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-1 Saturday, but San Francisco earned a 5-1 victory Sunday behind Logan Webb.
The Los Angeles Angels shut out Tampa Bay 8-0 on Saturday before the Rays answered with an 8-3 win Sunday.
The Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates split their final two games, with Pittsburgh winning 3-2 Saturday and Miami taking a 4-2 victory Sunday.
As teams continue pushing toward the midpoint of the season, several contenders are beginning to separate themselves while others continue searching for consistency in an increasingly competitive playoff race.