Two homers power Red Sox to 8th consecutive win, best road trip record since '77

Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald on Jul 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The unlikely heroes, and wins, just keep coming for the Boston Red Sox.

With All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez resting a strained groin, the Red Sox had a rotation spot to fill Saturday. Eduardo Rivera was up to the task. The 23-year-old left-hander, called up from Triple-A Worcester to serve as a long opener, held the Mets scoreless for 3 2/3 innings in the 4-0 win, Boston’s eighth in a row and third series victory of this three-team road trip.

Rivera gave the Red Sox exactly what they needed and then some. His 64-pitch outing included just one hit, two walks and three strikeouts.

Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta got off to a strong start, striking out second baseman Anthony Seigler, newly-minted All-Star center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and right-fielder Wilyer Abreu on 14 pitches in the top of the first.

But then Peralta faltered. The Red Sox initially struggled to capitalize; third baseman Caleb Durbin led off the second with a single and Peralta walked designated hitter Masataka Yoshida and catcher Carlos Narváez, shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to strand the trio.

The Mets starter also set a prime example of why many major league teams don’t want their pitchers to utilize the automatic ball-strike system (ABS) during Yoshida’s second-inning at-bat. The pitch Peralta challenged, a 3-1 four-seam fastball, was more than three inches above the top of the strike zone.

Peralta walked Durbin to begin the fourth, and first baseman Andruw Monasterio’s fifth home run of the season soared 378 feet to left to put Boston on the board.

The Mets were forced to go to the bullpen in the top of the fifth when Peralta again loaded the bases, this time on a leadoff walk to Cheng, Rafaela’s team-leading 22nd double and another walk to Abreu (both with one out). But the Red Sox again let their hosts off the hook. This bases-loaded jam included a successful ABS challenge by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, which called Durbin out on strikes on the most borderline pitch possible (edge distance under 0.1 inches).

Peralta’s 4 1/3 innings included six strikeouts, but just two earned runs on three hits, despite five walks and a 55.4 strike percentage.

The Mets only truly threatened in the bottom of the seventh, when they loaded the bases against lefty Jovani Morán and righty Justin Slaten. Moran, who replaced righty reliever Greg Weissert in the bottom of the fifth and pitched 1 2/3 innings, issued a one-out walk to his final batter, Eric Wagaman. Alvarez greeted Slaten with a single, and Bo Bichette’s two-out pinch-hit walk filled up the diamond. Slaten’s first pitch to Bichette was one the Red Sox likely would have challenged, if Narvaez hadn’t burned their second and final chance during Wagaman’s at-bat.

But New York followed Boston’s suit twofold during the very next at-bat. Second baseman A.J. Ewing struck out looking to leave the bases loaded, then errantly challenged the strike three call to use up the Mets’ final challenge.

With the Mets finally showing signs of life, a two-run lead seemed to shrink. But insurance came immediately in the form of Yoshida, who launched a two-run homer to the right-field corner to double the lead.

Boston tallied six hits in the contest, including two apiece from Durbin and Monasterio. The two infielders from February’s trade with the Milwaukee Brewers served as the offensive spark plugs throughout the contest, though not always with desired results. Monasterio’s second-inning sacrifice bunt advanced Yoshida and Durbin to second and third, respectively, but neither runner came home. Nor could Monasterio score when he led off the top of the sixth with his first triple; he watched from the hot corner as left-fielder Jarren Duran, Narvaez and pinch-hitter Romy Gonzalez were retired in order. Monasterio is the fourth player in franchise history to collect a triple, homer and sacrifice hit in a single game, joining Rich Gedman (May 30, 1985), Carl Yastrzemski (Sept. 24, 1978) and Gary Geiger (Aug. 5, 1959).

Both Yoshida’s and Monasterio’s blasts came after Durbin reached safely, which he did thrice in the contest. Boston’s third baseman’s offensive turnaround has been the catalyst for the overall righting of the ship; he owns a four-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 27 of his last 38 games dating back to May 28.

The Red Sox are 45-48, as few as three games under .500 for the first time since April 18.

One game stands between the Red Sox and the All-Star break. Last year they entered the break on a 10-game win streak. Can they go into this year’s Midsummer Classic with nine in a row? Find out Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET.