Red Sox 5, Tigers 6: (Ronald Isley Voice) Wellllllllll

It’s the Sox’s first time getting swept this season.

Unfortunately, my prediction came true: The Sox got swept. The team fought back against adversity, but didn’t fight enough to secure the win. As I followed the events of today’s game, I ardently hoped that we wouldn’t get a repeat of Game 2. We did and we didn’t; we lost with another walk-off, but via a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th instead of a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th. We’re now back under .500, and we’re now in third place in the AL East standings too. Who would’ve ever guessed the Tigers would be this good in 2025?

Three Studs:

Alex Bregman: Went 3-4 with a home run and metaphorically laughed in the faces of the booing Detroit fans, who remain mad that Bregman didn’t sign with them.

The Bullpen Except for Chapman (More or Less): Justin Wilson, Liam Hendricks, and Justin Slaten kept the score even, which was all the more impressive for Wilson and Slaten, who had both pitched yesterday. Chapman gets a pass only because the failed pickoff attempt wasn’t his fault, but he still received the earned run.

Ceddane Rafaela/Rafael Devers: Rafaela went 2-4 and Devers went 2-5, with each bringing in a run on an RBI single.

Bonus: The Offense: Getting 5 ER off Tarik Skubal is not easy to do. Yes, we lost, but it could’ve been a much worse show.

Three Duds:

Hunter Dobbins: Had a bad outing tonight, but it’s an outing Houck might envy right now: 5 ER, including one 2-run homer, 9 hits, and only four strikeouts. On the bright side, no walks.

Connor Wong: That failed pickoff throw completely doomed the game. Also, can we just have Narvaez as our main catcher at this point? He’s been doing a lot more behind the dish and in the batter’s box than Wong has been.

The Red Sox’s Ability To Hold A Lead: This was impossible for the Red Sox to do, both tonight and last night.

Play of the Game: The Home Run Robbery

Things went wrong today, but this play went so, so right. Rafaela being there to catch Wilyer’s bobble—which was already an outstanding effort—kept the Sox in the game in the seventh. This isn’t something you see happen every day. That Ceddane was right there really shows how hard he tries defensively; he wants to make every play, even if it’s someone else’s to make.

So I’m sad. But a sweep was bound to happen at some point, because that’s baseball. And I’d have rather been swept by a team as good as the Tigers than by a team as bad as, say, the Marlins. Still, sweeps are never fun. Here’s to them getting their act together during their off-day and getting back to playing winning baseball.