​The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to a season-high six games and improved to 43-48 with a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday afternoon. Left-handed starter Patrick Sandoval returned to the mound for Boston for the first time since 2024, after undergoing Tommy John surgery while with the Angels, and delivered exactly what the team needed. Sandoval cruised through his first four innings, yielding no runs on five hits while striking out five.
In the final frame of his outing, Sandoval showed signs of fatigue, giving up a leadoff single to Chicago shortstop Luisangel Acuña. After getting White Sox catcher Drew Romo to foul a bunt into the glove of first baseman Brett Harris, Sandoval’s command began to slip, and he walked former Boston farmhand and current White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth on four pitches. With Sandoval’s night likely finished, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy called on a rested bullpen to cover the final 4.2 innings. In total, Sandoval allowed one earned run on five hits, struck out five, and issued one walk over 4.1 innings.
“It was really good, velocity was up, he was in the strike zone,” Tracy said of Sandoval’s return to the mound. “He was pretty darn good.”
To clean up Sandoval’s trouble in the fifth, Tracy went with Tyron Guerrero, a flamethrower who can change the complexion of an inning. Guerrero allowed Acuña to score on a swinging bunt by 2018 World Series champion Andrew Benintendi, cutting Boston’s lead to 2-1. Nevertheless, Guerrero recovered, retiring Chicago’s next two batters, first baseman Miguel Vargas and third baseman Colson Montgomery, on a combined four pitches.
After a steady fifth inning, Guerrero faced the task of recording the sixth, permitting a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Tristan Peters before retiring the next three White Sox in order. As the top of Chicago’s lineup approached, Tracy turned to Garrett Whitlock for the seventh inning. Whitlock retired the White Sox in order while striking out two, preserving Boston’s one-run edge.
Justin Slaten then worked a clean eighth inning, setting the stage for Aroldis Chapman to close it out. The All-Star closer needed only nine pitches to seal the one-run victory and earn his 19th save of the season, further extending the Red Sox’s winning streak to a season-high six games.
Following the win, Tracy reflected on the high-leverage nature of the game from the fifth inning onward, noting the pressure on his bullpen. “That’s a high-leverage game from the fifth inning on, and you’re asking a lot of guys to come in and lock down in a one-run game, and you really can’t have any mistakes,” he said. “They locked down for quite a bit of game there, they were amazing.”
Looking ahead, the Red Sox will continue their nine-game road trip heading into the All-Star break with a three-game series against a familiar foe, aiming to keep the momentum going. The mix of veteran bullpen arms, including Guerrero, Whitlock, and Chapman, has become a key factor in sustaining this stretch, while the lineup looks for continued timely hitting and efficient innings from starters like Sandoval as Boston pursues further wins on the road.