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Red Sox reactions: Garrett Crochet dominates, Boston scores 10 runs in 9th inning of rout
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- Red Sox reactions: Garrett Crochet dominates, Boston scores 10 runs in 9th inning of rout
BALTIMORE — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (10-17) snap their skid and blow out the Orioles, 17-1, behind a dominant Garrett Crochet , a monster game from Andruw Monasterio at the plate and a 10-run ninth inning:
1)The Red Sox needed a comfortable win and got one, snapping a four-game losing streak with their most lopsided win of 2026. It was one of only five wins so far in which the Sox have won by more than three runs.
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The recipe was a simple one. Boston got out to a big early lead thanks to some timely hits from the bottom of its lineup, then cruised as Crochet settled in. The 10-run ninth — Boston's biggest inning since a 13-run eighth against the O's last season — blew things wide open.
The victory was Boston's most lopsided win since a 17-0 win over the Cubs on April 27, 2024. It's a result that will loom large in the run differential category for months.
2)On a day that improved the early-season numbers for many members of the Red Sox lineup, Monasterio's line stood out. He doubled twice and launched the first grand slam of his career, driving in four runs on three extra-base hits.
Monasterio entered hitting 1-for-18 against lefties before spurring a three-run second inning rally with a double off Trevor Rogers . He doubled again off righty Tyler Wells an inning later and capped off his day with a grand slam off Keegan Akin in the ninth. It was Boston's first grand slam since July 23, 2025, when Romy Gonzalez hit one in Philadelphia .
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Monasterio was the first Red Sox hitter with three extra-base hits in a game this year.
3)Crochet looked like himself again, and that was a welcome sight for a Red Sox club that has been waiting for a rebound start. The lefty was locked in from the beginning, retiring the first seven men he faced. He cruised to six shutout innings, scattering three hits while striking out seven.
Crochet's best sequence came in the third when Baltimore had two men on and two outs. The southpaw froze Gunnar Henderson with a 2-2 sweeper to end the inning. It was one of three Henderson strikeouts on the day.
Crochet felt like he made strides in his Sunday start against Detroit even if the line didn't reflect that. This outing, in which he relied on a strong four-seam fastball, was a different story.
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4)The game was already in hand before the Red Sox exploded for 10 runs in a largely laughable ninth inning. Monasterio's grand slam was simply the appetizer in an inning in which Caleb Durbin launched his first Red Sox homer and Willson Contreras added a three-run shot, both off position player Weston Wilson . The Red Sox had 10 hits in the frame, including seven to start the inning.
5)Before the late madness, four unlikely heroes spurred the offense against Rogers, the talented Orioles lefty, and a parade of Baltimore relievers to give the Sox an early lead. In addition to Monasterio, Durbin plated the first run of the game with a hard-hit RBI double the other way, Isiah Kiner-Falefa had an RBI single and Connor Wong smoked a three-run double that was nearly a grand slam.
The second inning was a reversal of what has plagued the Red Sox so often this season, with situational hitting finally showing its face. In a 2-2 count with two outs and Monasterio at second, Durbin caught up to a high Rogers fastball and sent it to the track. After Durbin stole second, Kiner-Falefa made it 2-0 with a two-strike, two-out RBI hit of his own. Ceddanne Rafaela added a two-strike single to make it 3-0.
Behind a very strong Crochet, that felt like enough.
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6)Wong has been one of the few Red Sox to exceed expectations early this season and that continued. With two outs in the fifth and the bases loaded, Wong swung at a first-pitch fastball from Albert Suárez and hit the tall right-field wall to turn a 4-0 lead into a 7-0 advantage. In all, Wong reached three times (he walked twice, too).
Continued strong at-bats by Wong will lead to a true timeshare behind the plate between him and Carlos Narváez .
7)With Rob Refsnyder in Seattle and Romy Gonzalez on the 60-day injured list, Boston is going to continue to rely on Monasterio and Kiner-Falefa against left-handed starters . There was some concern in that department entering the day as Monasterio (1-for-18, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) and Kiner-Falefa (1-for-14, 4 strikeouts) had both been very unproductive in the early goings.
It's unfair to expect the same production as the lefty-mashing duo of Refsnyder and Gonzalez but the Red Sox believe they can get more out of the duo they do have.
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8)Too often this month, the Red Sox have been left scrambling with their pitching staff after one of their starters departed early. They flipped the script in that department Saturday, chasing Rogers after 1-⅔ innings (62 pitches). The Orioles were forced to use four relievers for at least 23 pitches and might pay the price bullpen-wise Sunday.
9) Wilyer Abreu had one of the best defensive plays of the young season when he robbed Leody Taveras of a leadoff hit in the third inning with a sliding grab.
10)Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher continued his early-season streak of bad luck with the ABS system. The Red Sox and Orioles combined to challenge three pitches — and all were overturned.
11)The Red Sox will turn to rookie Connelly Early (1-1, 2.88 ERA) in Sunday's rubber game with the Orioles starting righty Kyle Bradish (1-2, 3.96 ERA). First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET.
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The Red Sox will head to Toronto after the game for a three-game series.
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