BOSTON — The Red Sox weren’t in a great place as a pitching staff Wednesday.
The bullpen tossed 11 scoreless innings over the previous two games, particularly with 6 1/3 innings after the premature ejection of starter Walker Buehler in Tuesday’s win.
That marked a great day for Garrett Crochet to get the ball in the finale against the New York Mets. Or so it seemed.
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Crochet leads the league in innings pitched in just his second season as a full-time starter. He tossed 146 innings a year ago with the Chicago White Sox. While the Red Sox have let him eat in early outings, manager Alex Cora is adamant about protecting his ace.
“We’ve got to be careful, too,” Cora said pregame. “He’s very important in what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s a dangerous game. The conditions aren’t great. Where we’re at bullpen-wise is where we’re at. We won the series yesterday. We want more, of course, but at the same time knowing it’s 162. To do cool things in August, September and hopefully October, we’ve got to be very careful.”
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Indeed, they were careful. Crochet allowed just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out Juan Soto on his 85th pitch for the first out of the sixth inning. Following through on a decision made last week in preparations for the start, the Red Sox manager came to the mound to get his starter.
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“He did a good job,” Cora said postgame. “Today was one of those days we circled that we were going to be short.”
“I wasn’t made aware of it before the game, thankfully,” Crochet said. “That’s the last thing on my mind when I’m going out there to lay it all on the line. I have a lot of love, respect and trust in the front office and coaching staff here. If that’s their call, I’m gonna respect that.”
The Red Sox dropped the game 5-1 to the Mets. Crochet certainly didn’t hold back frustrations on the mound when Cora came to take the ball, but the ace reluctantly understands the vision of the coaching staff.
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“I was frustrated,” Crochet said with a laugh. “I just wanted the chance to pick up my teammates, the bullpen. They’ve obviously worked really hard this series. I wanted to try and keep them out of it as much as possible. … I apologized for yelling a curse word when he came out there. I wasn’t trying to show him up. I was just really in the moment. I knew where my pitch count was and how my body was feeling. I was really excited to attack the next hitter. It was in no way my intention to show him up.”
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Crochet continued. “Looking my teammates in the eye after a game, I’d like to be able to do that after laying it all on the line. It is what it is. Not my call. I throw until the ball is taken out of my hand. I respect their decision. That’s really all there is to it.”
Despite a dire situation for the bullpen, Cora would not break on his commitment to ensuring that Crochet is fresh and ready to rock when games really matter in a postseason push, which only happens if the team breaks .500 tendencies, for the Red Sox later this season.
“It’s not tough, it’s for the benefit of the player,” Cora said. “To make his starts and for us to go to where we feel we can go, we need him. … We’re going to find some days where we’re going to take advantage of them, regardless of the situation. You’ve got to put the player first. He was very upset in the beginning, then he was OK with it. Obviously, we were short (in the bullpen), but that doesn’t dictate what we’re going to do with our ace.”
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Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Mets-Red Sox game:
— Mets starter Tylor Megill tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts against Boston in just 4 2/3 innings.
— Crochet struck out Soto three times on a total of 10 pitches. Soto did not take the bat off his shoulder for the first seven pitches against the Red Sox starter.
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— The Red Sox lineup struck out a season-high 16 times in the loss. Alex Bregman went 0-for-4 and struck out four times in a game for the first time in his career.
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— Boston dropped the finale for a third consecutive series.
— The Red Sox continue the homestand Thursday night as they welcome the Baltimore Orioles to Fenway for a four-game series. First pitch (weather permitting) is set for 6:45 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
The 24-year-old forward had a career-high 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 2024-25 with the Sabres before getting traded to Utah in June, 2025. Peterka posted 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) through 82 games in his first year with the Mammoth.
“He’s got an elite shot. Probably gives us another look on the elbows in a power play situation. His power play minutes dipped a little bit last year; his 5-on-5 production has been really good, plays both wings, can probably play with a couple different types of centers,” Sweeney said.
Peterka had a similar assessment for himself.
“I think a pretty fast game, likes to score goals,” he said. “Just overall, exciting player that loves to make plays.”
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Sweeney also sees a versatility in Peterka’s game that can benefit his new teammates up and down the lineup.
“I think he fits into a good group age-wise because he’s able to have played in the league with all the experience he’s had, the success he’s had, so he can ride shotgun with David because he has had scoring,” Sweeney said. “He can go down and drive a line, which he has done.”
The prospect of him playing with someone like David Pastrnak is something that excites both Sweeney and Peterka.
“That would be pretty sick, not going to lie,” Peterka said. “If you have that caliber of a player, I think everyone wants to play with him. From the past, playing against him, even watching him, was always super special. I would be super honored, for sure.”
While Peterka has already played four full seasons in the NHL, he still has his whole career in front of him. He joins a young new wave of Bruins players – alongside the likes of Reichel, Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and James Hagens – who will carve the future identity of the team. The ceiling is high for Peterka.
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“In JJ’s case, he has had success. We have to come in and put him in the right situations so he continues to score at the level we think he can. Morgan [Geekie] is a great example,” Sweeney said. “Did we think he was going to score 39 goals when we first acquired him? No. But that’s always the hope – that a player will take advantage of a new opportunity and playing with different types of players than what they were in their other environment.”
Peterka is ready for the challenge and to prove that he has another gear to his game to help the Bruins win.
“I think it’s always nice to have a fresh start. I think especially after the year I had last year where I wasn’t really happy with the performance I put on the ice,” Peterka said. “For me, I feel like it’s a fresh start. And for a team like Boston, it couldn’t be any better.”
Editor’s note:Follow live World Cup standings updates and analysis for the round of 32
Paraguay fans can breathe a sigh of relief, their team is headed to the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay rebounded nicely after a tough first match against the United States, defeating Turkey and drawing Australia, finishing the group stage in third place and officially qualifying for the knockout rounds when Uruguay lost to Spain on Friday night.
However, it does not get easier from here, as Paraguay will take on Germany in the round of 32.
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SHOP: Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup tickets
The match will take place outside of Boston at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy tickets for Paraguay vs. Germany’s in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
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Germany vs. Paraguay round of 32 World Cup ticket price
With its Group E win, Germany will play its Round of 32 match at Gillette Stadium on Monday, June 29. As of publication, the cheapest available tickets for Germany’s game in Boston start at $1,044.
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Germany World Cup Round of 32 game information
Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
What time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Tickets: Starting at $826
When: Monday, June 29
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More:Here’s how to buy 2026 World Cup Final tickets in New York
When is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany clinched the top spot in Group E on Saturday, its Round of 32 match will take place on Monday, June 29.
Where is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany and Paraguay will play their round of 32 game outside of Boston. This will be the team’s first game in Foxborough, Mass. for the tournament.
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Germany World Cup schedule
Sunday, June 14: Germany def. Curaçao WIN 7-1
Saturday, June 20: Germany vs. Ivory Coast WIN 2-1
Thursday, June 25: Germany vs. Ecuador LOSS 2-1
Monday, June 29: Germany vs Paraguay in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets
World Cup Group E standings
Paraguay World Cup schedule
Paraguay vs. United States – LOSS 4-1
Paraguay vs. Turkey – WIN 1-0
Paraguay vs. Australia – DRAW 0-0
Monday, June 29 – Paraguay vs. Germany in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
More: We ranked the 2026 FIFA World Cup jerseys, here are our favorites
The fifth World Cup match in Foxborough features two strong teams and two of the best strikers in the world.
Kylian Mbappé leads France against Erling Haaland and Norway in the final group-stage game being played in Foxborough. On Monday, Germany will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in a Round of 32 elimination game, and Foxborough’s final match will be a quarterfinal on July 9.
Here are scenes from Friday’s game from Globe photographers.
France superstar Kylian Mbappé (right) screams after one of teammate Ousmane Dembele’s goals.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
France’s Jules Kounde (left) defends against Norway forward Andreas Schjelderup.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
France forward Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring one of his three first-half goals.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Erik Lunde, from California, attended the Group I match between France and Norway in Foxborough.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Norway striker Erling Haaland, who did not start, warms up before the World Cup match against France.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Norway fans are fired up before the game against France.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
France forward Rayan Cherki (left) and Norway’s Erling Haaland, teammates at Manchester City, embrace before the start of the game.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
A Norway fan wore face paint and a Viking helmet for the game.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Norway fans filled the stands in Foxborough.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
A France fan, complete with rooster headwear, waits for the start of the game.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
Robert Branchaud of Tewksbury is prepared for the Group I match between France and Norway.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Fans begin to enter the stadium for the match between France and Norway.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Howard Carlsson and Christian Loset of Drammen, Norway, pose for a photo before the game.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Lane Turner can be reached at lane.turner@globe.com. Finn Gomez can be reached at finn.gomez@globe.com. Christian Kantosky can be reached at christian.kantosky@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram at @ckantoskyphoto.
