The Boston Red Sox closed out a forgettable series against the Seattle Mariners with an 8-3 loss on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The pitching staff was beaten up again. The Mariners put up 25 runs across the three games at Fenway.
Boston dropped to 75-65 and now travels to Baltimore for a four-game series beginning Thursday. It is the kind of series the Red Sox need to use to stop the slide.
Before Wednesday’s game, Chad Tracy provided an update on one of the injured relievers the bullpen has been waiting on. The news was not what anyone wanted to hear.
The Latest on Slaten
Justin Slaten has been on the injured list with right elbow inflammation since mid-August. After starting a throwing program, the reliever continued to experience soreness that has not fully cleared. The Red Sox have pulled back on his buildup rather than risk aggravating the issue.
“Until we feel like there’s complete resolution of symptoms, we’re not going to ramp him up,” Tracy said.
Tracy added that Slaten would pick up right where he left off as soon as the discomfort subsides, but there is no firm timeline for when that will happen.
The Red Sox are ‘adapting‘ the program as they go.
Before the injury, Slaten had been one of the most dependable arms in the bullpen during the summer stretch that transformed Boston’s season. His absence has compounded the pressure on a relief unit that continues to lose bodies. Getting him back for October was always the goal, but the path has grown less predictable.
The Mariners Series Was a Wake-Up Call
Seattle left Fenway having outscored the Red Sox by a wide margin across three games. The pitching staff was unable to contain a lineup that had been struggling to produce runs for most of the season.
Wednesday followed the same pattern. Sandoval labored through five innings and gave up four runs. Bello, pitching on short rest after volunteering to help a depleted bullpen, allowed four more in his three innings of work. The offense collected a dozen hits but could not convert with runners on base.
“We’ve struggled. We’ve definitely struggled,” Tracy said. “But certainly the season ebbs and flows. We’re going through a little bit of a rough patch. If we string together some good starts, we’ll be in good shape.”
Baltimore Offers the Red Sox a Chance to Reset
Jake Bennett opens the series against Baltimore Thursday. Ranger Suarez follows on Friday. Sonny Gray returns Saturday. Payton Tolle closes things out Sunday.
Tracy has pointed to this stretch as the moment where the Red Sox can get back on solid footing. The patchwork portion of the schedule is over. Four established starters in four games against a team fighting from behind in the standings. The opportunity to stabilize is right in front of them.
Final Word for the Red Sox
Slaten’s elbow is not cooperating. The timeline remains unclear. The bullpen will have to continue without him for now, and the margin stays thin.
But the rotation resets Thursday in Baltimore. Gray is rested. The schedule is clean. The Red Sox know what they need to do.
The response starts now.
Red Sox Get Notable Bullpen News Amid Recent Struggles