​The Boston Red Sox weren’t sure what they would receive from left-hander Patrick Sandoval in his first big-league appearance in 748 days, stepping onto the mound Thursday afternoon. They ended up getting at least as much as they could have hoped, if not more. Sandoval delivered 4 1/3 innings on 65 pitches, with 41 strikes, allowing one earned run on five hits, issuing a walk and fanning five. The Boston bullpen followed with a stellar collective effort, and in a brisk two hours and 32 minutes, the Red Sox closed out a 2-1 victory to complete a series sweep of the White Sox.
Sandoval’s return to action after June 21 began with a clean, 1-2-3 first inning on eight pitches. The White Sox managed to get a man on base in each of his remaining frames, but he maneuvered through traffic until the bottom of the fifth. There, Luisangel Acuna led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then swiped third, only for Sandoval to issue a walk to former Red Sox prospect Chase Meidroth to load the bases. Tyron Guerrero, a hard-throwing reliever, came on to replace Sandoval, and Andrew Benintendi — back with a pinch-hit infield dribbler — delivered a soft single to score Acuna before Guerrero finished the frame.
Offensively, the Red Sox didn’t generate much. They were missing their most potent rhythm at the plate with Willson Contreras suspended, a penalty reduced from seven games to five on appeal, taking effect Thursday. Without their All-Star first baseman, the offense didn’t muster a hit against the White Sox bullpen. Overall, Boston managed four hits, four walks, and struck out six times. They went 0 for 2 with runners in scoring position and left five on base.
The Red Sox did mount select threats against White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay in his 5 1/3 innings (92 pitches, 56 strikes). Kay issued two walks and struck out four, but one of the four hits he yielded was Caleb Durbin’s two-run homer, which gave Boston the lead in the top of the fourth. Their best scoring opportunity otherwise came in the third when Brett Harris was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Connor Wong barely beat the throw to first on a single, sparking a review that upheld the safe call but ultimately did not produce a rally. Kay then faced Seigler’s sacrifice bunt, advancing both runners, yet they were left stranded as Kay retired the next two hitters.
Jordan Hicks, who had a rough end to his Boston tenure last year, was part of a bright note for the Sox in this series against his former team. The right-hander relieved Kay and worked 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief with two strikeouts. Boston had helped cover part of his deal by paying Chicago $8 million when they sent Hicks away in the offseason.
With the bats limited and the lineup short on big hits, the Boston bullpen shouldered much of the load. Garrett Whitlock turned in a crisp, 1-2-3 seventh inning with two strikeouts, and Justin Slaten closed out a strong bottom of the eighth, helping the Sox hold the lead and secure the win. The heavily taxed bullpen braved a high-leverage day and delivered the kind of shutdown innings that kept Boston ahead.
In the end, Sandoval’s return was a solid contribution, one that gave the Red Sox exactly what they needed — a quality start and a bullpen that locked things down in a tense two-hour, 32-minute finish.