Red Sox Host Giants in Series Finale as Bennett Squares Off Against Struggling Whisenhunt
Boston closes out a three-game set with San Francisco on Sunday afternoon behind one of their more reliable arms of the season. First pitch is set for 3:10 PM ET, with Jake Bennett taking the ball for the home club against a Giants team that has scuffled for much of the summer.
This is Game 3 of the series. Friday's game finished 0-0, and Saturday's result wasn't logged, but the broader story of these two clubs' seasons is clear. Boston sits at 68-59 through 127 games, a squad that's outscoring opponents by a healthy margin (4.5 runs per game scored against 3.8 allowed, good for a plus-95 run differential). San Francisco, meanwhile, is 52-74, being outscored on the year at 4.0 runs per game scored versus 4.6 allowed, a minus-69 differential that tells the story of a team searching for answers in the season's stretch run.
The pitching matchup favors Boston significantly on paper. Jake Bennett brings a 3.459 ERA to the mound, the kind of number that keeps his team in ballgames start after start. Across the diamond, Carson Whisenhunt has posted a 7.031 ERA, a figure that puts enormous pressure on the Giants' offense to bail him out early and often. When the gap between starters is this pronounced, it tends to dictate the shape of the entire afternoon.
Boston's recent form has been a mixed bag but trending positive — the Red Sox dropped a 6-7 decision to Arizona before ripping off consecutive wins over the Diamondbacks by scores of 9-4 and 11-1, then split their two most recent games against Pittsburgh, falling 3-8 before bouncing back with a 4-0 shutout. That kind of offensive firepower, especially the two blowout wins against Arizona, suggests a lineup that's capable of putting up crooked numbers when the matchup is favorable — and Sunday's matchup against a shaky Whisenhunt certainly qualifies.
San Francisco's form has been rockier. The Giants dropped two of three to Cleveland, including a lopsided 1-8 loss, sandwiched around a 1-0 win, then were blown out 7-13 by Colorado before rebounding with a 7-1 win in their most recent outing. It's an offense capable of flashes — the 7-1 win shows there's thump in this lineup — but consistency has been the issue all year, and that shows up in the raw numbers.
Boston's lineup will lean on its usual mix of contributors. Jarren Duran has been up and down of late, ranging from a 29.5-point outing to as low as 7.5 in his last three games, but he remains a season-long steady presence at a 12.3 average. Willson Contreras has been trending upward, capping his last three games with a 39.5-point showing after posting 22 and 16 the two games prior. Caleb Durbin followed a similar arc, exploding for 36.5 points in his last outing after a quiet 0-point game not long before. Ceddanne Rafaela has been the definition of volatile in his last three games, ranging from a season-low 1 point to a high of 34.5, while Wilyer Abreu has provided steady if unspectacular production.
For San Francisco, the story is largely about trying to find rhythm amid absences. Rafael Devers has cooled somewhat, with his last three games reading 14.5, 11, and 0 points. Willy Adames has been more productive, posting a 24.5-point game in his last three outings to lead the way. Jung Hoo Lee and Wilmer Flores have struggled to find consistent production, and Bryce Eldridge, at just 21 years old, has shown flashes — a 26-point game most recently — that hint at untapped upside even as the surrounding roster deals with attrition.
Both teams are working through significant injury lists. Boston is without shortstop Trevor Story, left fielder Roman Anthony, and starting pitchers Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo, and Garrett Crochet, all on extended absences, along with catcher Adley Rutschman and third baseman Curtis Mead sidelined as well. That's a lot of firepower missing, yet the Red Sox have still managed to outscore opponents comfortably this season. San Francisco is dealing with its own attrition, missing third baseman Matt Chapman, outfielders Harrison Bader and Casey Schmitt, and a string of pitching depth including Hayden Birdsong and Trevor McDonald, among others.
Given the pitching disparity, Boston's superior run differential, and a Giants offense that's struggled to find consistency, the Red Sox look well-positioned heading into Sunday's series finale. Expect Boston's lineup to look to capitalize on a shaky Whisenhunt outing early, while Bennett tries to keep San Francisco's lineup off balance into the middle innings.
