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Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet aims to improve on his last start when he faces the host Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series. The left-hander allowed four runs, five hits and a career-high five walks in five innings on Thursday in a 4-3 home loss to the Seattle Mariners. Crochet took responsibility for the loss after the Mariners touched him for two runs in each of the first two innings. "The game was the first two innings that I pitched," he said. "That was really what lost us the game." The Blue Jays can look forward to Crochet reverting to a power pitcher from the beginning on Tuesday. He was trying to be a little too fine in the early innings against the Mariners. "It became something where I was trying to pitch instead of just throwing," he said after the start. "Once I started getting back to my roots and just being a power pitcher later in the game, the walks were still there, but I was at least able to get guys out." This will be the second time this season that Crochet (2-2, 1.95 ERA) will face the Blue Jays. He took his first loss of the season against them at Fenway Park on April 8 when he allowed four runs (one earned), five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. In four career outings (two starts) against Toronto, he is 2-1 with a 0.66 ERA in 13 2/3 innings. He is expected to be opposed by right-hander Bowden Francis (2-3, 3.58) on Tuesday. Francis has not faced the Red Sox this season, but he has had success against them. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings over in five career games (two starts) against Boston. The Red Sox are coming off a 13-3 road victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. Kristian Campbell was 2-for-2 with four runs, a double, three walks, two RBIs and a stolen base in what manager Alex Cora described as "all-around probably one of his best, if not the best, game of the season." Campbell helped Boston take two of three from Cleveland. The Blue Jays are returning from a 1-5 road trip after being swept 11-2 and 5-1 in a doubleheader by the New York Yankees on Sunday. Toronto won the opener of the series 4-2 on Friday followed by a postponement on Saturday. The Blue Jays' lack of hitting with runners in scoring position was again a problem, going 2-for-17 over the doubleheader. They scored seven runs over the three games at New York. Before that, they totaled two runs and nine hits when they were swept in a three-game series against the Houston Astros. Manager John Schneider knows what the Blue Jays must do better when they open their six-game homestand. "Better at-bats with guys on base and taking advantage of mistakes," Schneider said. "Things that we talk about all the time. ... We know that we have the guys in there that can do it." Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho is expected to return soon from his minor league rehabilitation assignment. He started the season on the injured list after offseason right rotator cuff surgery. Toronto recalled outfielder Jonatan Clase to be their 27th player for the doubleheader on Sunday and he was returned to return to Triple-A Buffalo later the same day. --Field Level Media

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran's encounter with a heckler on Sunday in Cleveland led to the fan's ejection and an apology from the Guardians. Duran described the fan's comments as "inappropriate" and indicated they were about his mental health struggles. He has been open about his 2022 attempted suicide and depression when he struggled at the beginning of his major league career in 2021 and 2022. His story is featured in an eight-part Netflix docuseries, "The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox." During the seventh inning of Boston's 13-3 victory Sunday, the Red Sox scored three runs and Duran flew out on what was otherwise a stellar day with four hits. The fan yelled at him while he went back to the Boston dugout. Duran stood at the top of the dugout and stared at the fan, who was seated in the front row near the dugout. When the third out was made, Duran went to talk to the fan. "He said something inappropriate, but I'm happy that security handled it," Duran said after the game. "Security was aware of it and took care of it for me." Duran was held back by some Red Sox coaches and first base umpire Stu Scheurwater, and then eventually by teammate Ceddanne Rafaela. An All-Star in 2024, Duran said Sunday was the first time he has been heckled since the documentary came out earlier this month. "When you open yourself up like that, you're also opening yourself up to the enemies, but I have a good support staff around me along with teammates and coaches, which is awesome," said Duran, 28. Fans seated at Progressive Field pointed out the heckler, who then sprinted out of his seat and onto the concourse, where he was escorted out of the stadium by security. "We are aware of the situation that took place during today's game between a fan and one of the Red Sox players that violated our fan conduct policy," the Guardians said in a statement. "We recognize the gravity of the behavior at issue here and take very seriously conduct of this nature. "We apologize to the Red Sox organization, the player involved, fans in the area and are addressing the situation. We have identified the fan in question and will work with Major League Baseball regarding next steps. We strive to provide the best experience to visiting players and fans, and that fell short today." Duran has a recent history with fan engagement, having been suspended two games last season for making a homophobic slur at a fan who heckled him about his hitting. "It's a two-way street," Boston manager Alex Cora said after the game Sunday. "We made a mistake last year, and we learned from it. (Duran) grew as an individual and we grew as a group but there's limits, too. Whatever the fan said, security felt that he crossed a line and kicked him out." Duran was 7-for-15 with three RBIs and one straight steal of home as Boston took two of three games against Cleveland. --Field Level Media

Brayan Bello's long-awaited season debut for the Boston Red Sox certainly was something positive to build upon. Meanwhile, Logan Allen already has been a pleasant surprise for the Cleveland Guardians. Aiming for more success, Bello and Allen square off in the rubber match of this three-game set at Cleveland on Sunday. Bello (1-0, 1.80 ERA) was Boston's 2024 Opening Day starter and won 26 games the past two seasons. However, he was plagued by a right shoulder strain to begin the 2025 campaign. The right-hander finally took a big-league mound Tuesday against Seattle. He allowed four hits including a first-inning solo homer, three walks and hit two batters in five innings, throwing 97 pitches in Boston's 8-3 home victory. "It was huge for me to be able to keep the team competing," Bello said. "A very good moment for me to back." Bello's only other appearance versus Cleveland came in April 2023, when he allowed a solo homer, four other hits, two walks and struck out six in five innings. He'll look to help Boston win the series after splitting Saturday's doubleheader. The Red Sox squandered a 3-0 first-inning lead in the 5-4 loss in Game 1, then rolled to a 7-3 victory in the nightcap to break a three-game skid. "After dropping that first game, it's always important to step back, especially on doubleheader day, just kind of stay calm," Boston outfielder Jarren Duran said. After his 11-game hitting streak ended in Saturday's opener, Duran had three hits with two RBIs and pulled off a straight steal of home in Game 2. He's batting .364 in the last five games. Meanwhile, teammate Rafael Devers snapped a 0-for-16 slump with a Game 1 homer and had two hits in the second contest Saturday. Fellow Red Sox star Alex Bregman had three hits during the doubleheader and is 11-for-26 in his last seven games. Duran had a hit off Allen in April 2023, when the left-hander allowed two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out eight in five innings of his only previous start versus Boston and took the loss. Allen (1-1, 2.11) gave up four runs, five walks and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings of his 2025 debut, a 7-0 loss at San Diego on April 1. However, since then, he has yielded a total of two runs (one earned) and 11 hits, while walking five over 16 innings and the Guardians won his last three starts. He surrendered that earned run over 5 2/3 innings at Pittsburgh on April 20. "Logan is competing, that's what we challenged him on," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "He made some really good adjustments with his delivery. His stuff is playing real well off (the other pitches)." Cleveland has dropped two of three after winning five in a row. The Guardians are 8-3 at home, where they have yet to lose a series this season. Steven Kwan is 15-for-36 during a current nine-game hitting streak. Meanwhile, his Guardians teammate Angel Martinez is batting .362 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs in 13 games this season. --Field Level Media

Jarren Duran had three hits with two RBIs and pulled off a straight steal of home as the Boston Red Sox won 7-3 over the host Cleveland Guardians to gain a split of Saturday's doubleheader. After blowing a 3-0 first-inning lead during its 5-4 loss in Game 1, Boston jumped out to another big cushion and never looked back in the nightcap. Duran tripled and then made a highlight-reel steal of home in the third. Rafael Devers had two hits and was one of five Red Sox with at least one RBI. Walker Buehler (4-1) yielded all three Cleveland runs in the fourth inning, plus seven hits overall while lasting six innings for Boston, which snapped a three-game skid. Jhonksensy Noel clubbed a two-run homer for the Guardians, who have dropped two of three after winning five straight. Cleveland starter Doug Nikhazy (0-1) made his major league debut, allowing six runs, six walks and five hits with three strikeouts over three innings. As in Game 1, Boston opened the scoring in the first. Left-hander Nikhazy struck out Duran to begin his big-league career, then walked Devers and Alex Bregman, and yielded an RBI single to center field by Trevor Story. The Red Sox added on in the second when Duran's two-out single brought home Kristian Campbell, who doubled to open the frame. Following a Nikhazy wild pitch, Devers delivered a run-scoring double off the 19-foot wall in left field. Three consecutive walks from Nikhazy put Boston ahead 4-0. More two-out production for Boston made it 6-0 in the third, all courtesy of Duran, who tripled into the right-field corner to score Carlos Narvaez. Duran then perfectly timed Nikhazy's pitch to slide head-first safely into home. Cleveland halved its deficit in the fourth against Buehler. Angel Martinez singled home Gabriel Arias, who had doubled. Then Noel's shot barely cleared the wall in left to make it 6-3. Boston, though, got a run back in the sixth. Duran singled, went to third on Devers' hit and scored when Bregman reached on an infield single. Cleveland's Kolby Allard allowed a run in sixth solid innings of relief. --Field Level Media

Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez each had two hits and an RBI, and the Cleveland Guardians overcame an early deficit to win 5-4 over the visiting Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of Saturday's split doubleheader. Angel Martinez also had two hits, and Kwan's two-out, bloop RBI single in the sixth snapped a 4-4 tie for the Guardians, who have won 12 of 16 and improved to 8-2 at home. Ben Lively allowed a three-run, first-inning homer to Wilyer Abreu and a solo shot to Rafael Dever, plus four other hits and three walks in five innings for Cleveland. However, relievers Tim Herrin (3-0), Hunter Gaddis, Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith (three saves) combined to allow just one hit against the Red Sox, who got the first two men on in the ninth but stranded runners on second and third. Boston's Tanner Houck yielded all four of his runs and five of eight hits in the first inning but settled down to finish five. Alex Bregman added two hits for the Red Sox, who have lost three straight after winning six of seven. The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Lively. He walked Devers and issued a single to Bregman, and after a Trevor Story fielder's choice, Abreu clubbed an 0-2 pitch well over the right-field wall for a 3-0 Boston lead. However, the Guardians erased that Red Sox edge in the bottom of the first. Kwan and Nolan Jones opened the frame with back-to-back doubles, and Ramirez followed with an RBI single. Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly made it 3-2, then consecutive run-scoring singles from Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann put Cleveland up 4-3. Devers ended his 0-for-16 slump with that tying drive deep into the right-field stands to open the third. It stayed tied until the bottom of the sixth. With Boston's Brennan Bernardino (1-1) on the mound, Will Wilson was hit by a pitch, went to second on Martinez's infield single, then to third on Austin Hedges' sacrifice bunt. Wilson came home via Kwan's hit off the glove of a drawn-in Story. --Field Level Media

Following a successful series against the leaders of the American League East, the Cleveland Guardians will take aim at the other storied franchise in that division. After rain postponed their series opener on Friday, the Guardians and visiting Boston Red Sox will play a split doubleheader on Saturday. Cleveland extended its winning streak to five games by winning the first two contests of its series against the New York Yankees before falling 5-1 on Wednesday. "Obviously, we want to win every single day," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. Cleveland is 11-4 after losing six of its first nine games of the season. The Guardians have won seven of the last nine meetings against the Red Sox. However, Boston's scheduled Game 1 starter, right-hander Tanner Houck (0-2, 7.66 ERA), is 1-2 with a 2.37 ERA in nine career appearances (four starts) versus Cleveland. Guardians star Jose Ramirez is 14-for-30 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven home games against Boston. He is 2-for-13 against Houck, but one of those hits left the park. After being roughed up for 12 runs (11 earned) and 10 hits over 2 1/3 innings at Tampa Bay on April 14, Houck yielded only a two-run homer in the first inning, two other hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over six frames of Boston's 8-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. "Slowly just working your way through it and showing up each and every day with a good attitude, chipping away at it, is kind of the recipe for success," Houck said. The veteran will try to help Boston get back on track from dropping the final two contests of a three-game home set versus Seattle. Alex Bregman homered with two RBIs and had half of the team's four hits in Thursday's 4-3 loss. Bregman is 7-for-14 with five RBIs in the last four games. He is batting .320 this season. "He's in a good spot. A great start," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. In the nightcap on Saturday, the Red Sox will turn to Walker Buehler (3-1, 4.23 ERA), who allowed nine runs and 14 hits -- including three homers -- over 9 1/3 innings while splitting his first two starts as a member of the Red Sox. But he's 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts since that rough opening. The right-hander gave up three walks for a second straight start Monday against the Chicago White Sox on Patriots' Day, but he permitted only four hits and a run while striking out nine in a season-high seven innings of a 4-2 victory. Buehler has never faced the Guardians, who will start Ben Lively (1-2, 3.86 ERA) in Game 1. The right-hander yielded four hits and a walk through 5 1/3 innings of last Saturday's 3-0 victory at Pittsburgh. "That was Ben at his best," Vogt said. Lively usually has been at his best versus Boston, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four career starts. Boston star Rafael Devers is 0-for-15 over the last five games overall and 0-for-5 with two strikeouts versus Lively. Touted prospect Doug Nikhazy is slated to make his major league debut while starting Game 2 for Cleveland. A second-round pick in 2021, the left-hander was 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and fanned 22 in four 2025 starts for Triple-A Columbus. --Field Level Media

Following a successful series against the leaders of the American League East, the Cleveland Guardians will take aim at the other storied franchise in that division. After rain postponed their series opener on Friday, the Guardians and visiting Boston Red Sox will play a split doubleheader on Saturday. Cleveland extended its winning streak to five games by winning the first two contests of its series against the New York Yankees before falling 5-1 on Wednesday. "Obviously, we want to win every single day," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. Cleveland is 11-4 after losing six of its first nine games of the season. The Guardians have won seven of the last nine meetings against the Red Sox. However, Boston's scheduled Game 1 starter, right-hander Tanner Houck (0-2, 7.66 ERA), is 1-2 with a 2.37 ERA in nine career appearances (four starts) versus Cleveland. Guardians star Jose Ramirez is 14-for-30 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven home games against Boston. He is 2-for-13 against Houck, but one of those hits left the park. After being roughed up for 12 runs (11 earned) and 10 hits over 2 1/3 innings at Tampa Bay on April 14, Houck yielded only a two-run homer in the first inning, two other hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over six frames of Boston's 8-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. "Slowly just working your way through it and showing up each and every day with a good attitude, chipping away at it, is kind of the recipe for success," Houck said. The veteran will try to help Boston get back on track from dropping the final two contests of a three-game home set versus Seattle. Alex Bregman homered with two RBIs and had half of the team's four hits in Thursday's 4-3 loss. Bregman is 7-for-14 with five RBIs in the last four games. He is batting .320 this season. "He's in a good spot. A great start," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. In the nightcap on Saturday, the Red Sox will turn to Walker Buehler (3-1, 4.23 ERA), who allowed nine runs and 14 hits -- including three homers -- over 9 1/3 innings while splitting his first two starts as a member of the Red Sox. But he's 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts since that rough opening. The right-hander gave up three walks for a second straight start Monday against the Chicago White Sox on Patriots' Day, but he permitted only four hits and a run while striking out nine in a season-high seven innings of a 4-2 victory. Buehler has never faced the Guardians, who will start Ben Lively (1-2, 3.86 ERA) in Game 1. The right-hander yielded four hits and a walk through 5 1/3 innings of last Saturday's 3-0 victory at Pittsburgh. "That was Ben at his best," Vogt said. Lively usually has been at his best versus Boston, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four career starts. Boston star Rafael Devers is 0-for-15 over the last five games overall and 0-for-5 with two strikeouts versus Lively. Touted prospect Doug Nikhazy is slated to make his major league debut while starting Game 2 for Cleveland. A second-round pick in 2021, the left-hander was 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and fanned 22 in four 2025 starts for Triple-A Columbus. --Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox will turn the ball over to new ace Garrett Crochet with another series victory on the line when they meet the visiting Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon. Crochet (2-1, 1.13 ERA) has performed like the top-of-the-line pitcher that Boston envisioned, allowing a total of two earned runs in his past four starts and just two extra-base hits all season. The Red Sox are 4-1 in his starts, three of which have followed losses. "When you have guys like that, I've been saying all along, they stop losing streaks and they continue the winning streaks," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "That's what he did (on Saturday)." In that contest, Crochet pitched the first six innings of a 4-3, 10-inning win for the host Red Sox against his former team, the Chicago White Sox. He struck out seven. It was Boston's fourth straight win at the time. Despite his impressive stats, the 25-year-old southpaw has not been fully comfortable. "It feels good, but I feel like I'm getting away with murder. It's only a matter of time before I get caught," Crochet said. "I feel like the way that I'm throwing the ball isn't up to my (standard). It's only a matter of time before I get burned, and I'd like to avoid that. This is not the standard that I hold myself to. I expect to have my best stuff every time out." Crochet's two previous career starts against Seattle both came last season, and he went 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. On June 13, he struck out a career-high 13 but came away with a no-decision. Counting two relief appearances earlier in his career against the Mariners, Crochet is 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings vs. Seattle. Crochet looks to get the Red Sox back on the track following an 8-5 loss on Wednesday. Triston Casas hit a three-run home run for the second straight game, but Boston was held to seven hits and committed two more errors, giving the Red Sox a majors-worst 27 for the season. The Mariners have gone 10-4 since a 3-7 start to the season, including bouncing back from an 8-3 loss in the series opener on Tuesday to force a rubber game. They have yet to lose consecutive games since the rough start. Seattle's bottom third of the batting order, Ben Williamson, Leo Rivas and J.P. Crawford, torched Boston for seven hits and five RBIs. Crawford belted a three-run homer that put the Mariners ahead 4-0 in the fourth inning. Crawford is 9-for-24 over his last six games, with nine of his 10 RBIs for the season coming in that span. "At-bats up and down the lineup were excellent," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. Wilson will give the ball Thursday to Bryan Woo (2-1, 3.12 ERA). The right-hander has put together seven solid innings in back-to-back starts, but he took the loss to the host Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Woo, who has not faced Boston previously, gave up seven hits and three runs to the Blue Jays. His best outing of the season came on April 12, when he allowed a run on six hits and struck out seven Texas Rangers in Seattle. "It seems like both times he's been able to get through seven is a time when we really needed him to do that, and that's a huge lift for your bullpen when he's able to do that," Wilson said. "He just has that ability with that fastball. He can get some quick innings from contact." Woo will also look to follow up a strong Wednesday outing from Emerson Hancock, who struck out seven in six innings of two-run ball. --Field Level Media

Ben Williamson, Leo Rivas and J.P. Crawford combined for seven of the team's 13 hits while forming the bottom third of the lineup, leading the visiting Seattle Mariners past the Boston Red Sox 8-5 on Wednesday night. The No. 9-hitting Crawford delivered the biggest blow with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Seattle extended its lead with two more runs in both the sixth and seventh, then withstood a late comeback attempt from the home team. Williamson was 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored, while Rivas scored twice on a 2-for-3 night. Seattle's Emerson Hancock (1-1) struck out seven while allowing two runs on five hits across six innings. Triston Casas belted a three-run homer in the eighth to make things interesting for Boston. Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman each had multiple hits for the Red Sox, who had won six of seven. The Mariners tagged Boston's Sean Newcomb (0-3) for a two-out run in the first as Mitch Garver scored Julio Rodriguez on a single up the middle. Newcomb escaped trouble an inning later, working around a no-outs jam that saw the bottom third of Seattle's order load the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk. The southpaw got Dylan Moore to line into a double play before striking out Rodriguez to end the threat. After Newcomb struck out the side to strand a runner in the third, the visitors extended their lead on Crawford's three-run homer to right-center in the fourth. Like in the second, Williamson and Rivas set the table with knocks. The Red Sox scored single runs in the fourth and fifth. The first one came on Romy Gonzalez's two-out, opposite-field single that scored Trevor Story, and Rafael Devers drove in the other run with an RBI groundout. Three of the first four Mariners singled off Josh Winckowski in the seventh, with Williamson and Crawford each driving in runs. After the Casas homer took the game to the final margin, Andres Munoz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save. Newcomb struck out eight in five innings. --Field Level Media

The only way to break out of an early-season funk is to keep going. For the Minnesota Twins, that means being as active as possible when they do get on base. Minnesota will look to take another step forward when it faces the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday evening in the second contest of a three-game series in Minneapolis. The Twins snapped a three-game skid with a 4-2 win in Tuesday's series opener. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli praised his team for its intensity and intelligence on the bases. "The aggressiveness on the bases is leading to runs," he said. "It's starting rallies. It's putting runs on the board. It's guys running the bases both hard and smart at the same time. We're seeing it show up almost every game, which is exactly what you want to see. "It also gives the team and the dugout a lot of really good energy. That's what you're looking for. When you see guys playing the game like that around you, it fires you up. And we've got a bunch of guys doing that." One player in particular is rookie Luke Keaschall, who singled, drew two walks, stole two bases and scored two runs in the series-opening win. The highly touted rookie out of Arizona State is hitting .357 (5-for-14) with two RBIs and three stolen bases in his first four games. Baldelli said Keaschall's hot start was not a fluke. "Those are some really good, advanced at-bats," Baldelli said. "He has a very good idea of what he's doing. He's got a good, short stroke to go with it. "He's young (22), and his career is early, but he doesn't seem to get too big. He can put a good, direct swing on the ball and not try to do too much. He's not working very hard to do it. He's just very hard and short, and he barrels a lot of balls up." Meanwhile, the White Sox will look to bounce back after losing for the eighth time in their past nine games. They have scored three runs or less in all but one of those contests. White Sox manager Will Venable said his hitters were close to stringing together more runs. "We've just got to find a way to cash in," he said. "It's as simple as that." Venable praised rookie catcher Edgar Quero for his approach at the plate. Quero is hitting .368 (7-for-19) through the first six games of his big-league career. "Every at-bat has been impressive from him," Venable said. "He's in control of the at-bat. He's not trying to do too much. ... You see a guy who has the intention to be aggressive but also doesn't mind getting deep into counts." Twins right-hander David Festa (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his third start of the season on Wednesday. Through his first two games, he has struck out 10 in nine innings, giving up one unearned run and eight hits. Festa has yet to face the White Sox in his career. Chicago will turn to right-hander Bryse Wilson (0-0, 4.50 ERA) for his first start of the season. He has appeared in nine games out of the bullpen and has eight strikeouts in 12 innings. Wilson, 27, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in five career games against Minnesota. All of those appearances have come in relief. --Field Level Media