“Coming back home after the trip we just had (6-1), we knew it was going to be electric and that these fans would be going crazy,” Durbin said. “We don’t have a lot of pressure on us to try to hit the long ball, so we take what the game gives us. When we get a good pitch, we’re able to drive it.”
It was a rare night for Boston, which led 6-0 after the first inning and totaled 15 hits, allowing interim manager Chad Tracy to give center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and first baseman Willson Contreras a few innings off and use trade-deadline acquisition Erik Miller with little pressure as a relief pitcher.
“Those [types of games] are hard to come by, but when you get them, you take them,” Tracy said.
Sean Burke will get the ball for the White Sox, who have dropped five straight to Boston. Burke, from Sutton, Mass., went to St. John’s (Shrewsbury) and has one career start against his hometown team, on April 20, 2025.
Here is a preview of tonight’s action.
WHITE SOX (59-53): TBA
Pitching: RHP Sean Burke (7-5, 3.04 ERA)
RED SOX (61-51): TBA
Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray (13-2, 2.93 ERA)
Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
White Sox vs. Gray: Luisangel Acuña 1-4, Joey Bart 1-6, Andrew Benintendi 11-29, Brenton Doyle 1-2, Randal Grichuk 3-7, Miguel Vargas 0-2
Red Sox vs. Burke: Wilyer Abreu 1-3, Willson Contreras 0-2, Jarren Duran 1-3, Caleb Durbin 0-2, Ceddanne Rafaela 0-3, Jake Rogers 0-4
Stat of the day: The Red Sox have won 15 consecutive games against teams that entered Tuesday with a winning record.
Notes: Gray is 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 14 career games (13 starts) against the White Sox. He has not faced them since 2024. … The White Sox have lost six of their last 11. … Chicago inserted two trade-deadline acquisitions — catcher Joey Bart and multiple Gold Glove-winning center fielder Brenton Doyle — into the lineup on Tuesday. … Munetaka Murakami is riding an 11-game hit and 17-game on-base streak. … Burke has strung together seven quality starts in eight outings. … Burke’s 140 strikeouts are tied for sixth in the American League.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.