Red Sox sweep Rockies as Masataka Yoshida collects 3 hits in season debut

New York Times

4 days ago

BOSTON — It was a point in the schedule the Boston Red Sox had to dominate to stay afloat in the American League wild-card race as the trade deadline nears.
They took care of business.
The Red Sox poured on five runs in the eighth inning as rain fell at Fenway Park for a 10-2 win over the Colorado Rockies and their second straight series sweep. They swept the Washington Nationals over the weekend. The Rockies and Nationals have struggled mightily this season, but the Red Sox can't afford to lose winnable games, making it six straight wins and eight of their last nine.
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'Early in the season, we didn't do a good job against certain teams, and we actually talked about it before Washington,' manager Alex Cora said. 'We've been playing well (of late). Now, obviously we've got Tampa Bay (coming up).'
In his season debut, Masataka Yoshida posted a 3-for-4 night as designated hitter with an RBI single in the fourth, making it a 2-0. He added a double in the eighth. Yoshida had missed the first 93 games of the season following offseason shoulder surgery, but his bat brings more depth to the Red Sox lineup.
Macho Man working! 💪 pic.twitter.com/OKN8aONAOo
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 10, 2025
'Happy to have Masa back,' Cora said. 'That's a big at-bat for us. You saw the difference today, how long the lineup was, and that's without Ceddanne (Rafaela) in the lineup. We have to figure out who is gonna play and all that stuff, but I think it's the deepest lineup we have in a while here.'
Yoshida has had a long road to recovery since surgery. Though he'd been hitting since the spring, his throwing shoulder hadn't gained enough strength to play the outfield, and until the Red Sox traded designated hitter Rafael Devers nearly a month ago, Yoshida had no avenue to join the team. With Devers gone, Yoshida returned and will DH against right-handers with Rob Refsnyder facing left-handers. Cora will mix and match the rest of the outfield now that Roman Anthony, who'd spent time at DH following the Devers trade, will be playing more in the outfield.
'I think we can actually make this work and keep them fresh,' Cora said of his rotating roster, joking he'd pick a name from a hat each night on who to sit. 'They could keep doing that (offensively) and make it harder on me.'
Yoshida may also see time in the outfield on an 'as needed' basis, Cora said. He's taken grounders at first base, too, including before Wednesday's game. But Cora also noted Yoshida would only play first in an emergency.
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Nevertheless, Yoshida's bat-to-ball approach strengthens the lineup at a time when the group has been rolling, scoring 10 or more runs in six of its last 11 games. And the Red Sox will be getting another bat back soon, too. Before the game, Cora said Alex Bregman would be activated this weekend for the Rays series, likely on Friday or Saturday.
Since Bregman is skipping a rehab assignment following his quad injury on May 23, it's expected he won't play every day once he returns as he builds up volume in the field. Still, having yet another veteran bat, one who hit .299 with a .938 OPS in 51 games before the injury, will only add more to the offense.
'If you look at who we have and who's on the bench and what we can do, it's very versatile,' Cora said of his club. 'And we're about to get deeper in a few days.'
Wednesday's win was all about the offense with homers from Carlos Narvaez, Wilyer Abreu, Romy Gonzalez and Jarren Duran, but starter Lucas Giolito continued to roll as well. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six. He didn't issue a walk.
Jarren makes it a 10-run game!!! 😤 pic.twitter.com/rMVuWAABWa
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 10, 2025
He became the first Red Sox pitcher since David Price in 2018 to have six straight outings of six innings or more with two or fewer earned runs allowed. In his last six starts dating to June 10, Giolito has a 0.70 ERA after he began the year with a 6.42 ERA through seven starts.
'The first month back didn't go the way we wanted, obviously,' Giolito said, noting a turning point in New York where he and pitching coach Andrew Bailey made a few tweaks. 'But we made the adjustments, got my mechanics locked in, got the feeling locked in, and I'm happy with how I have thrown the ball recently.'
With four games before the All-Star break and a key series beginning Thursday against Tampa Bay, a team that sits directly ahead of them in the American League East, the Red Sox have a test heading into the break.
'There's a lot of energy right now,' Cora said. 'Obviously that comes with winning and swinging the bat well, but we've just got to be ready for (Thursday). We got a big series against the Rays and just go out there and play hard.'