Blog 1

By NateTalksSox

April 11, 2025 | Boston, MA 

BOSTON- Despite dropping the series to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox showed encouraging signs from the heart of their starting rotation during the opening home stand of the 2025 season.

Left-hander Garrett Crochet took the mound early in the series and continued his strong start to the year. Though challenged by Toronto’s potent lineup, Crochet flashed the high-octane fastball and sharp slider that have made him one of the club’s most intriguing young arms. He navigated key situations with poise and composure.

Tanner Houck followed with an encouraging outing of his own. Relying heavily on his sinker and splitter, Houck consistently induced weak contact and maintained efficiency early in counts—a promising sign in his continued development.

In the series finale, newly acquired right-hander Walker Buehler delivered his strongest performance yet in a Red Sox uniform. The veteran tossed six innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and keeping Toronto hitters off balance with a well-mixed arsenal.

Although the Sox were unable to secure a series win, the depth and potential of the starting rotation were on full display—an encouraging takeaway for fans looking ahead to the remainder of the season.

The bullpen had its inconsistencies, but Aroldis Chapman stood out with a dominant showing that earned him this series’ Nate’s Star of the Series. In his two appearances—on April 9 and April 10—Chapman allowed just one hit and struck out two batters in each outing, pitching one inning apiece. His final line: 2.0 IP, 4 K, 2 H. Most notably, his lockdown frame on the 10th preserved a tie and paved the way for Trevor Story’s walk-off moment in the next inning.

Offensively, however, the Red Sox struggled mightily. Despite Thursday’s victory, Boston went just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position (RISP). The walk-off win came via a fielder’s choice, as Story grounded out to Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez, scoring David Hamilton on a force-out at second. It was one of the few offensive bright spots in an otherwise quiet series at the plate.

Simply put, this series was a wash—an upsetting, uneventful, and frigid four-game set. The Red Sox now turn their focus to cleaning up several key issues heading into the next matchup against the Chicago White Sox. Chief among them: the lack of situational hitting, frequent defensive miscues, and costly errors.

With multiple interchanging lineups and strange happenings across the board, the team aims to reset and move forward sitting at 7–7 in the early stages of the 162-game campaign.

It’s only April, folks. Let’s support our Sox and look ahead to what’s next.