Suárez extends – Ranger Suárez settled in for six innings and pushed Boston’s run of quality starts to 12 straight as the Red Sox closed the game with the kind of quick answer that keeps streaks alive. After James Wood’s 441-foot leadoff shot, Boston struck for four in the fir
BOSTON—The Red Sox didn’t wait to see if the Yankees series letdown would linger. The night James Wood launched a Statcast-projected 441-foot missile to lead off against Ranger Suárez. Boston responded the way contenders do: fast. loud. and with the scoreboard already moving before the momentum could fully settle.
In the half of the first, the Red Sox answered with a four-run outburst. It was the early jolt they needed—then Suárez delivered the steady hand that keeps a streak from slipping away. Boston (37-46) extended its season-high winning streak to five games.
The streak has a clear backbone: pitching that doesn’t blink.
Suárez went six innings, allowing five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out eight. The outing also pushed Boston’s run of quality starts to 12 straight games, the club’s longest such stretch since a franchise-record 14 in a row from April 8-25, 1988.
Across this run. the numbers have stayed in rhythm: Boston’s starters are 7-1 with a 1.75 ERA during the current quality-start streak. For managers on the other side, that steadiness is hard to disrupt. Nationals manager Blake Butera described Suárez as a difficult at-bat from the left side. pointing to the way he mixes speeds. moves the ball around the zone. and rarely leaves too much in the middle. When the pitch does come up over the center of the plate. Butera said it still plays—cutting or sinking—keeping hitters off-balance.
The night’s other story is that Boston’s offense finally stopped waiting for permission.
For much of the season, the Red Sox could post strong pitching efforts that felt wasted because the lineup wasn’t producing. But as the weather has warmed up, so has the batting. Monday marked the ninth time in the last 11 games that interim manager Chad Tracy’s squad scored four or more runs.
Tracy framed it in the everyday language of baseball—bats that stay competitive. at-bats that don’t fold early. and runs that arrive before the game turns into a long fight. “It’s kind of flying under the radar. but we’re finding a way to have very competitive at-bats. and we’re finding a way to get more runs early in the game and play with leads. so that matters too. ” Tracy said. “And we’re hitting some balls out of the ballpark, and we’re driving balls in the gap. It’s a pretty balanced offensive attack right now.”.
That balance showed up in the first inning. When Contreras pummeled his three-run blast, he flipped his bat high into the air, started his trot around the bases, and roared one word to his dugout—an eruption that matched the inning’s early momentum.
Contreras is one of five Venezuelans on the Red Sox. and the game carried a personal note beyond the box score. Suárez. who also played for Venezuela in this spring’s World Baseball Classic. spoke about the difficulty of being away when you want to help. “Obviously. it’s very hard to be here when you want to be out there physically trying to help. ” Suárez said. “But at the end of the day, we’re trying to do our best to try to support them. And also. I just want to send my best wishes forward for my people over there in Venezuela. and to let them know that they’re not alone.”.
By the time Monday was over, Boston’s win streak had grown from a good feeling into something sturdier—built on a starter who stayed in control, a defense of pitching that keeps arriving, and an offense that’s learning how to press early instead of chasing later.
Boston Red Sox Ranger Suárez quality starts James Wood 441-foot home run Chad Tracy Contreras Venezuelans Statcast MLB