The Red Sox at Fenway Park in 2026 is a very on brand for the year 2026. You walk up Lansdowne Street excited for a game and then they actually start playing.
Boston opens the series at 22-30, last place in the AL East, against a Braves team that is 36-18 with among the best winning percentages in baseball. The Braves essentially put a starting rotation on the IL to open the season and their fans must have thought “here we go again.” Boston hasn’t had as many injuries, just guys who all forgot how to hit.
It’s Monster Week on NESN so Dave O’Brien, Lou Merloni, and Kevin Millar will be broadcasting from atop the famous left field wall on Tuesday. Expect to see Wally and other special guests at well. Will any be right-handed hitters? Mike Lowell was a guest one year I think. At age 36 in 2010 he slugged .367. Believe it or not, that mark, the lowest of his career, would place him fourth among regulars this year (after Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Masataka Yoshida) and just ahead of Jarren Duran.
After making just two starts on the season before facing the Sox in Atlanta, Spencer Strider is now a whopping four starts into 2026. His last time out against the Miami Marlins the righty allowed 3 runs in 6.1 innings. All three were solo home runs. He’s given up 4 homers on the season, along with 2 doubles (both against Boston), and a triple. All the rest of his 12 hits allowed are singles. Ranger Suarez missed the Braves in Atlanta but has experience facing them with the Phillies. In three starts last year the southpaw allowed just 2 runs in 18 innings against Atlanta. If you say “but the Braves were bad!” well, uh, in 14 innings over three starts in 2024 he allowed 12 runs and 5 homers. So hopefully there’s a better plan.
Bryce Elder lost a game where he allowed 3 runs in 8.0 innings. The Sox only allowed two on May 16 and that was the game they took out of the three. Boston ran him up to 103 pitches and he was right back down to 87 over 6.0 innings against the Nationals the next time out. Connelly Early led the Sox to a win on May 20th with a 6.1 inning, 3 run performance. He allowed 2 home runs, he’s up to 9 on the season in 10 starts. A solo shot here and there isn’t the worst thing for a pitcher. It’s trouble when there are guys on base. That’s when the big swings start and the Sox offense simply can’t afford to fall behind.
Thursday is the gem of the series in terms of pitching matchups. The old, tall, lefty, former White Sox ace Chris Sale returns to face the new lefty pitcher in Payton Tolle. Wouldn’t a matchup with Crochet have been entertaining too? Well, we’re getting Sale vs Tolle which is no slouch either. Sale has 72 Ks in 62 innings. The Sox are lefty heavy and prone to striking out. He was roughed up by the Angels for 6 runs in early April. He’s been dominant in his other 9 starts. Tolle was the tough-luck loser against the Twins after allowing 3 runs in 6.0 innings but turned things over to a bullpen that had a bad weekend. Against Atlanta before that he went 8.0 innings while allowing just 2 runs. Bring it again, Tolle.
Good news/bad news…Drake Baldwin is on the IL but Ronald Acuna Jr. is back.
Matt Olson leads the league in doubles with 17.
Austin Riley has a .673 OPS on the season (I know, would be amazing at third base here) but it’s at .800 in May after a slow April.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, May 26: Spencer Strider (3.00 ERA / 4.70 FIP) vs. Ranger Suarez (2.40 ERA / 2.98 FIP)
Wednesday, May 27: Bryce Elder (1.97 ERA / 3.29 FIP) vs. Connelly Early (3.33 ERA / 4.73FIP)
Thursday, May 28: Chris Sale (1.89 ERA / 2.94 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (2.93 ERA / 3.73 FIP)
Tuesday, May 26: 6:45 PM ET on NESN
Wednesday, May 27: 6:45 PM ET on NESN
Thursday, May 28: 4:10 PM ET on NESN
