Boston, MA
Red Sox Wrap: James Paxton Brilliant In Boston’s Loss Vs. Cardinals
The Boston Red Sox opened their three-game interleague series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night with an 8-6 loss at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox fell to 22-17 on the season, while the Cardinals improved to 14-25.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox bullpen played spoiler in James Paxton’s Red Sox debut.
The southpaw made his first Major League appearance since April 6, 2021, and exceeded expectations by allowing just two runs on four hits over five innings. The 34-year-old veteran threw 58-of-87 pitches for strikes, striking out nine.
Paxton was in line for the win when he exited the game following the fifth, but Josh Winckowski uncharacteristically gave up three runs on four hits in the two-thirds inning he pitched allowing the Cardinals to take the 5-4 lead.
Boston was poised to make their 15th comeback when they regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth. With Kenley Jansen coming in for the save opportunity, the dugout was undoubtedly confident given the closer just secured his 400th career save on Wednesday night.