Red Sox snap out of offensive funk with 11-run outburst against Diamondbacks

After spending much of the last week searching for offense, the Red Sox found plenty of it Monday night.

Boston opened its six-game homestand by pounding out 16 hits, including seven doubles and two home runs, in an 11-1 rout of the Diamondbacks at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox didn’t strike out once, and all nine starters drove in a run. It marked just the fourth time since 2000 that every starter in Boston’s lineup recorded an RBI and just the fourth time they’ve accomplished the feat at Fenway Park since 1950.

The home cooking was exactly what the Red Sox needed after returning from a miserable 2-5 road trip through Toronto and Pittsburgh. Boston had lost seven of nine entering Monday and scored four runs or fewer in six of seven games on the trip.

“No secret, over the last week or so that (we’ve been) grinding offensively and we weren’t today,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It was great to see. Up and down the lineup, contributions everywhere.”

Eli White opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second before Nick Sogard followed with an RBI double. From there, the Red Sox kept piling on and never gave Arizona much of an opportunity to get back into the game.

White’s contribution continued what has quietly been a solid start to his Red Sox tenure.

Acquired from Atlanta at the trade deadline, White’s addition was understandably overshadowed by Boston’s bigger moves. But he’s already shown why the Red Sox wanted him.

With Arizona starting left-hander Mitch Bratt, White got the start in left over Jarren Duran and delivered at the plate before showing off his range defensively. In the fifth, he ran down Jose Fernandez’s 104.3 mph liner to left for an impressive catch.

White is now 5-for-19 with a walk, two RBI and a stolen base since joining the Red Sox.

The offense gave Brayan Bello far more support than he needed. Following opener Alec Gamboa, Bello continued to look like a completely different pitcher in his bulk-relief role. He worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three.

In 11 relief appearances this season, Bello is 4-0 with a 0.85 ERA and one save. His first four appearances out of the bullpen came when the Red Sox were moving him back and forth between roles, but things have changed since his somewhat stunning five-week demotion to Triple-A Worcester.

Since returning, the bulk role has become Bello’s home, and the results have made it difficult for the Red Sox to consider changing anything.

Tracy acknowledged before the game that Boston hasn’t completely ruled out eventually moving Bello back into the rotation, but for now, it’s hard to mess with what’s working.

“It's been great,” Tracy said. “I think obviously it was well documented how the beginning of the year went for him, the frustrations and that he believes he's a starter. We still think that. But he's in a really good place as far as accepting the role and knowing that he's not only accepting the role, but he's going out there and helping us win in that role, and that's a good place for him to be.”

Gamboa did his part before handing things over to Bello, retiring all four hitters he faced with three groundouts and a strikeout.

Willson Contreras added another milestone to what’s already been a terrific season. After hitting just two home runs over his previous 22 games, Contreras led off the fifth by lifting a 347-foot solo shot just over the Green Monster.

It was his 25th homer of the season, establishing a new career high after he hit 24 with the Cubs in 2019.

“I always was wondering if I had a healthy full season what the number is going to look like,” Contreras said. “And thankfully this year, it’s been one of the best years of my career. I’ve been healthy. Right now, I’m trying to stay healthy, trying to stay on the field.”

Contreras returned to the lineup Monday after asking for a day off Sunday in Pittsburgh as he continues to manage soreness in his leg.

“My leg is sore. I won’t lie,” Contreras said. “I feel like I needed a day. … I’m just trying to stay healthy. I don’t want the soreness to become an injury. So I felt like my body needed a rest last night and I asked for it. So it helped.”

Ceddanne Rafaela also bounced back after a difficult weekend in Pittsburgh.

Rafaela entered Monday having gone 1-for-9 with five strikeouts in the Pirates series, then responded with three doubles against Arizona. He matched a career high with three extra-base hits and became the first Red Sox hitter with three doubles in a game since Trevor Story in August 2023.

Rafaela now has 32 doubles on the season, putting 40 well within reach over the final weeks.

Sogard wasn’t even supposed to hit leadoff Monday night. He was initially penciled into the eighth spot before Jahmai Jones was scratched with hip tightness. 

“Had it yesterday, too,” Tracy said of Jones before the win on Monday night. “Much better today, which is good. He was able to do some activity, but there’s still a little bit of end range in his swing, that he’s just at a place where he’s worried about like, fully turning the swing fully loose.”

Tracy moved Sogard to the top of the order, and the move paid off.

Sogard’s RBI double in the second made it 2-0. He doubled again with two outs in the fourth and scored on Rafaela’s two-bagger. It was Sogard’s third career game with multiple extra-base hits and his second this season, with the other coming Aug. 8 against the Athletics.

Mickey Gasper also benefited from the late lineup shuffle after he was inserted after Jones was scratched, Gasper wrapped a 343-foot home run around Pesky’s Pole for his first homer as a member of the Red Sox. It was the third homer of Gasper’s major league career and snapped a 37-game, 118-at-bat homerless drought.

Caleb Durbin reached base four times with three singles and a walk, drove in a run and scored twice.

Even Adley Rutschman finally got something going after entering the night just 1-for-20 since joining Boston and had struggled to find his timing after returning from his wrist injury. He collected two hits Monday, including an RBI double, for his first multi-hit game in a Red Sox uniform.

“It was really cool just going out there before the game, being in the other bullpen and just having the fans actually cheer for you when you’re in the bullpen,” Rutschman said. “It’s a different feeling. But just across the board, just feeling the energy. It was a quality game at all points.”

Andruw Monasterio continued making his case to remain in the lineup once Trevor Story returns.

Monasterio’s defensive numbers at shortstop haven’t been good, but he made one of his better plays of the season in the second. He ranged to his left on Jordan Lawlar’s 95.6 mph grounder, spun and made an off-balance throw to first for the out.

His bat has been difficult to take out of the lineup, and second base could become an option once Story is ready to reclaim shortstop.

By the ninth inning, Boston’s 10-run lead gave Wyatt Olds an opportunity to make his major league debut.

Olds struck out James McCann looking for his first major league out, got Lawlar swinging and retired Tim Tawa on a grounder to third to complete a perfect inning.

“That was awesome,” Tracy said of Olds making his MLB debut at Fenway Park. “I’ve had him for two years, just grinding away in the minor leagues.”

Olds’ debut was also a special moment for Tracy, who watched the 2021 seventh-round pick work through plenty of ups and downs during his climb through the minors, including with the WooSox.

“The stuff was always huge. Huge stuff,” Tracy said. “To see him be able to get out on the big league mound and say he’s a big leaguer forever is a pretty, pretty cool moment.”

Olds received a standing ovation from his teammates in the clubhouse after completing a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.

“Everybody in that locker room’s had their first game and knows how hard it was to get here,” Tracy said. “So to be able to see him in there with the group, giving him a standing O for his debut, it’s a cool, cool feeling to see that.”

The Red Sox scored 11 runs, collected 16 hits without striking out, received another strong bulk outing from Bello and stayed away from their most important relievers.

“When you can avoid strikeouts, good results are going to happen,” Contreras said after the game. 

Boston improved to 67-58 overall, 30-31 at Fenway and 19-18 in interleague play.

The Red Sox will try to build on it Tuesday night when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.25 ERA) faces Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly (8-10, 5.11 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Ketel Marte No-Shows at Fenway

An extremely unusual situation played out at Fenway Park on Monday night, with the Diamondbacks waiting until just minutes before first pitch to submit their lineup.

Arizona placed All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte on the restricted list after he reportedly no-showed Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox. According to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other reporters, Marte traveled with the Diamondbacks from Atlanta to Boston following their three-game series against the Braves and was expected to serve as the designated hitter Monday.

His late absence left Arizona scrambling to make a roster move and finalize its lineup. The Diamondbacks activated Fernandez to take Marte’s roster spot, with Fernandez starting at third base and Lars Nootbaar sliding into the DH spot.

Fernandez had been with Arizona because third baseman Nolan Arenado had been dealing with a sore trunk. 

Marte, 32, is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner who has twice finished in the top four of MVP voting. He has also topped 25 home runs four times since 2019.

This season, Marte is batting .249 with 21 home runs, 67 RBI and a .760 OPS.

Injury News

Roman Anthony will take another significant step toward returning to the Red Sox on Tuesday when he begins a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland.

Anthony, who has been sidelined with a hand injury, is scheduled to play five innings in left field in his first game action since May 4. His eventual return could provide a significant boost to a Red Sox lineup that has struggled to find consistent production from the leadoff spot in his absence.

“If he’s Roman, he can impact it in a very big way,” Tracy said. “I made comments all the time about him in Worcester. Like, even when Roman’s not at his best, he finds his way to first base because he’s got a really keen eye at the plate. He understands what’s a strike, what’s a ball.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Worcester when the WooSox open a series in Syracuse. Kiner-Falefa is expected to play second base in his first game, though the Red Sox could move him around the diamond as his rehab progresses.

Trevor Story will also join Kiner-Falefa in Syracuse and will play both Tuesday and Wednesday and thinks “it’s a possibility” he could be in the Sox’ lineup on Friday night when Boston hosts the Giants for a three-game weekend series. 

“At least Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll be in Syracuse, then we’ll see how I feel after that,” Story said at Fenway Park, where he worked out before the Red Sox faced Arizona. “Obviously, Thursday’s an off day here, so we’ll see how it goes.

“I’ve had my fair share of rehabs and I’ve been through it, so I feel like I know when I’m good to go. I have that in my back pocket and have that experience to rely on. It’s really about getting my game legs back and how I recover the next day, not so much the stuff that’s going on in the moment.”

Masataka Yoshida underwent an MRI on his injured hamstring, while relievers Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten underwent imaging on their injured right elbows. Tracy did not have an update on any of the three MRI results before Monday’s game.