Red Sox Fall Back Into Bad Habits In Ugly Loss To Pirates originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox hoped Thursday’s dominant win over the Toronto Blue Jays would represent a turning point. Instead, it increasingly looks like a one-day interruption to a troubling slide.
Boston opened its weekend series in Pittsburgh with an 8-4 loss to the Pirates on Friday night at PNC Park. The Red Sox fell behind early, received a disappointing start from Jake Bennett and failed to hit a home run for the sixth consecutive game.
The loss dropped Boston to 65-57 and marked its sixth defeat in seven games. Its only win during that stretch came Thursday, when Payton Tolle threw eight scoreless innings and Caleb Durbin hit a grand slam in a 7-0 win over Toronto.
Those positive feelings did not survive the trip to Pittsburgh.
Jake Bennett Endures Another Difficult StartBennett entered Friday with an impressive 3.17 ERA, but his performance followed a concerning recent pattern. The rookie left-hander allowed four runs on five hits and one walk over four innings. He struck out six, but required 82 pitches to record 12 outs.
FINAL: Pirates 8, #RedSox 4
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 15, 2026Rafael Flores Jr. opened the scoring with a 371-foot solo home run in the second inning. The game then began unraveling in the fourth. Bryan Reynolds led off with a double before Esmerlyn Valdez drove home two runs with another double. Flores followed with an RBI single, extending Pittsburgh’s lead to 4-0.
Bennett escaped the inning without allowing additional damage, but his night ended after only four frames.
He had entered the game having lost two of his previous three decisions after delivering four consecutive victories in July. Friday’s result raised his ERA to 3.46 and represented another reminder that Boston cannot place too much pressure on a rookie starter during a playoff race.
Bennett has been an important addition to the rotation, but his recent regression comes at a difficult time. The Red Sox already are operating without Garrett Crochet and Connelly Early, while Garrett Whitlock’s elbow inflammation has weakened their bullpen.
Red Sox Rally Disappears Almost ImmediatelyBoston briefly threatened to make the opener competitive in the fifth inning. Durbin walked and Jarren Duran singled before Andruw Monasterio drove home Boston’s first run with a single to right field. Nick Sogard followed with a sacrifice fly, cutting Pittsburgh’s advantage to 4-2.
The Red Sox had momentum and forced Pirates starter Bubba Chandler to work through a 27-pitch inning.
It lasted only minutes.
Jovani Morán replaced Bennett and immediately created more trouble. He hit Nick Gonzales with a pitch before allowing a single to Reynolds.
Morán appeared close to escaping the inning after striking out Valdez and Brandon Lowe. Lowe, however, turned on a two-out offering and launched a three-run home run to right field.
Pittsburgh’s lead ballooned from two runs to five with one swing.
The inability to secure the shutdown inning proved decisive. Boston’s offense had finally applied pressure, only for its pitching staff to hand complete control back to the Pirates.
Morán allowed three earned runs on two hits during his lone inning. His ERA rose to 3.00.
Alec Gamboa provided three valuable innings in relief, allowing one unearned run and two hits. The recently recalled left-hander needed only 36 pitches to finish his outing.
Boston’s Biggest Bats Go QuietThe Red Sox recorded seven hits and drew four walks, but their most important hitters produced little damage. Adley Rutschman went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts from the No. 3 spot. He remains with just one hit through his first three games with Boston after arriving with considerable expectations.
Willson Contreras recorded one hit and one walk, but he was thrown out at home plate by Jake Mangum in the fourth inning. Wilyer Abreu doubled but did not score.
Masataka Yoshida went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, while Durbin finished hitless one night after recording three hits and five RBIs in Toronto.
Boston went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and struck out nine times. The Red Sox also failed to homer for the sixth straight game. That power drought has become difficult to ignore.
The Red Sox scored seven runs Thursday, but four came on Durbin’s grand slam in the eighth inning. Outside of that one swing, Boston has generated almost no home run production during its recent skid.
Rutschman was acquired to help change that. His difficult beginning does not erase his track record, but Boston needs its new catcher to settle into the lineup quickly.
Ceddanne Rafaela’s Absence Was NoticeableCeddanne Rafaela received a night away from the starting lineup after playing throughout Boston’s four-game series in Toronto.
His absence was felt at both ends.
Eli White went 1-for-4 while replacing Rafaela in center field, but Boston’s lineup lacked the dynamic presence Rafaela provides near the top. The All-Star entered Friday batting .288 with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Rafaela also has been one of baseball’s premier defensive outfielders.
White is a capable defender, but resting Rafaela removed one of Boston’s few hitters who has consistently produced during the second half. With the Red Sox desperate to avoid another prolonged losing streak, Rafaela should return to the lineup Saturday.
Jarren Duran did provide some production from the No. 7 spot. He reached base twice and scored all three of Boston’s runs despite striking out twice.
Sogard drove home two runs, while Monasterio contributed Boston’s other RBI.
MORE: Red Sox Face Three Fascinating Pitching Matchups In Pirates Series
Pressure Shifts To Sonny GrayBoston entered the series with a clear starting-pitching advantage Saturday, and that matchup now carries even greater importance. Sonny Gray will start against Jared Jones as the Red Sox attempt to even the series. Gray enters with a 14-3 record, 2.79 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 125 2/3 innings.
Jones is 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA for Pittsburgh.
The matchup heavily favors Boston on paper, but the Red Sox must provide Gray with more than three runs. Their offense has produced four runs or fewer in six of the last seven games.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET at PNC Park, with FOX carrying the national broadcast.
Boston still has an opportunity to win the series, but Friday’s performance eliminated any room for comfort. After losing six of seven, the Red Sox need more than another temporary response.
They need to stop their skid from becoming a full-scale August collapse.
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