And hopefully, some payback
Fresh off a rebound series that saw them take two out of three from the Tampa Bay Rays on the road, the Red Sox welcome the Chicago White Sox to Fenway. The Pale Hose took two of three from Boston just last week accounting for two of their four wins on the season.
Losing two games to a team that was chasing records last year for poor performance and then entered this season with perhaps a worse roster (that could still win more games since the 2024 team was was also unlucky, which, jeez what a bad break for those players) isn’t what you want to see from a club setting itself up as a playoff contender. Of course small samples wash everything, but at the end of the year every team is going to look at their own White Sox series and wonder if they left wins on the table.
But with four games coming up in the yearly weekend wraparound series starting on Friday and concluding on Marathon Monday there are some wins for the picking.
Friday features Martín Peréz for Chicago and he’s on one of his hot streaks. In his first two starts he tossed 12.1 innings while allowing only a single run. But make no mistake: he’s not a very good pitcher (sorry Martín). And the Red Sox provided the first volley to take him back to his career numbers: 4.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts. A mixed bag of an outing. The White Sox won that game 3-2 but it was not a dominant performance.
Shane Smith gave up two runs in six innings to the Red Sox while walking two and striking out three. He allowed five hits. The bats were asleep but a near no-hitter by Garrett Crochet was enough to carry Boston to victory. Hopefully they don’t need that again, although it’d sure be fun to watch.
After his breakout 2024 season where he pitched well enough to be in the All-Star Game, Tanner Houck has seen his 2025 not be a continuation of that story. After allowing 12 runs (11 earned) in 2.1 innings, Houck has dug a big hole for his season numbers. A month in and he’s still putting things together. Thankfully his opponent, Sean Burke, hasn’t been much better. He missed the Red Sox in Chicago but he’s been knocked around by the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, the Athletics of No Home City.
Monday Morning will feature Jonathan Cannon, who has taken the loss in each of his first four starts this season, against Walker Buehler, who might finally be returning from the injury wilderness. After middling starts against the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, Buehler shut down the Toronto Blue Jays and held his own against the Tampa Bay Rays. His three walks against Tampa represent a season high but over his first three starts he walked a combined two batters.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday April 18: Martín Peréz (1.59 ERA / 2.66 FIP) vs. TBD ( ERA / FIP)
Saturday April 19: Shane Smith (2.04 ERA / 3.01 FIP) vs. Garrett Crochet (1.38 ERA / 2.28 FIP)
Sunday April 20: Sean Burke (7.56 ERA / 7.15 FIP) vs. Tanner Houck (9.16 ERA / 6.92 FIP)
Monday April 21: Jonathan Cannon (4.32 ERA / 5.30 FIP) vs. Walker Buehler (5.32 ERA / 4.90 FIP)
When/Where to Watch
Friday April 18: 7:10 PM ET on NESN
Saturday April 19: 4:10 PM ET on NESN
Sunday April 20: 1:35 PM ET on ESPN
Monday April 21: 11:10 AM ET on NESN (Marathon Monday!)