The Arizona Diamondbacks are on a four-game winning streak after beating the Boston Red Sox 12-2 last night. Now, they go for the series win with the first pitch at 1:10 PM local AZ time. The D-backs are 7-3 in their last ten games.
The D-backs are now 73-56, 17 games over .500, their most games over .500 since 2017 when they won 93 games and advanced to the NLDS. Every game right now is a must-win as they are just 0.5 games above the Padres for the first NL Wild Card spot.
Plus, they are 3.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves and six games ahead of the Mets, their top two contenders for a Wild Card spot aside from San Diego.
Arizona is looking to win their second series in a row and start a new streak of consecutive series won along with ending this nine game road trip with an above-.500 record after starting it off by being swept by the Rays.
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If they win today, they’ll go at least 5-4 on this road trip and will have won just their second series versus the AL East this year.
The Diamondbacks need Zac Gallen to be the ace of the staff. Aside from a couple of starts, Gallen has struggled since coming off the Injured List in late June. Since he came back June 29th, he has a 4.64 ERA and has given up 57 hits and 22 walks in just 52.1 innings.
Those numbers are very uncommon for Gallen. He’s never been one to walk a lot of batters, but he’s struggled with his command of late which has allowed too many baserunners and created plenty of situations where teams can score runs.
Gallen has to locate his fastball as it has been hit hard this year. Opponents are hitting .318 against it and slugging .503. That simply can’t continue if Arizona and Gallen want to get deep into the playoffs.
His knuckle-curve has continued to be a lethal wipe-out pitch and he will have to rely on it and his other off-speed pitches to keep hitters off of waiting for his fastball. Opponents have hit his knuckle-curve for an average of just .155 while slugging just .239.
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Today, Gallen has to overcome his road woes as he’s struggled more on the road than at home this season. On the road, he has a 4.69 ERA in 48 innings with 20 walks and 44 strikeouts.
If the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to win today, they need Zac Gallen to be at his best and set the tone for the game and team while pitching like the Postseason ace that the D-backs will rely upon in October.
Crawford was a revelation for the Red Sox earlier this year as he pitched far better than expected, but as with the rest of the Red Sox pitching staff, he’s struggled of late.
Crawford has been hit hard and far as he leads MLB in homers given up with 28. That equates to 1.8 home runs allowed per nine innings. While it hasn’t been easy to get a hit off of him with just 119 given up, when batters make contact, the ball soars.
He’s had a rough go of it since July 21st. Over those six starts and 29.1 innings, he’s averaging under five innings a start with an ERA of 8.90 and a FIP of 8.62.
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He’s allowed 31 hits, 29 runs, seven walks, and an eye-popping 14 home runs. Five times, he’s allowed four or more runs during this span of starts.
Crawford excels at getting hitters to chase pitches, particularly his cutter and sweeper along with his split-finger. If Arizona hitters can stay patient at the plate and avoid chasing, they can make plenty of contact and perhaps even get a few home runs or at least drive up his pitch count.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox starting lineups for August 24th, 2024 / Jake Oliver
Corbin Carroll has reached base safely in 32 straight starts and will look to make it 33. Plus, he has scored a run in 14 straight starts and will strive to again make it 15. He’s been hitting the ball hard and far of late with a .582 slugging percentage and .910 OPS since July 5th.
Jake McCarthy recorded two more hits last night and is now hitting .385 since July 27th over 25 games. He has 37 hits over that span.
Eugenio Suarez hit his second grand slam of the season last night and had five RBI and now has 42 RBI since July 3rd including four different games with five RBI.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks will need to stay patient at the plate and pick their pitches as they can do plenty of damage against Crawford and the Boston Red Sox. Gallen will have to pitch sharp and avoid leaving his fastball out over the plate. If he can, he will be in great shape to win today’s game.
A Scottish man who died after collapsing outside a Boston pub while visiting for the World Cup is being remembered as a devoted soccer fan who was “Tartan Army to his core.”
Thomas Murty, known as “Tam,” died June 19 after collapsing near The Dubliner pub in downtown Boston a day earlier, according to a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to return Murty’s body to Scotland and pay for funeral expenses.Murty was born in 1963.
“Tam was Scotland daft his whole life,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He lived for it — the highs, the heartbreaks, the songs, the hope that never died no matter how many years went by. Following Scotland wasn’t just something he did; it was who he was.”
Murty had waited three decades to see Scotland play in the World Cup. Watching the Scottish team compete in the tournament was “the dream of a lifetime,” the fundraising page said.
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Oram McGonagle, who owns The Dubliner, said he was at the pub when Murty collapsed. He said he saw a Scottish fan with an oxygen tube standing by a pillar outside the building. McGonagle said employees called an ambulance when they realized he needed help.
Caitlin McLaughlin, public relations director for Boston EMS, confirmed that medics took a patient from The Dubliner to an area hospital around 4:30 p.m. that day.
McGonagle later learned from a media report that Murty had died.
The Dubliner has donated 1,000 pounds, or about $1,325, to the fundraiser.
“We had a really good few weeks with the Scottish people,” McGonagle said Monday. “This felt like a way to give some back to them.”
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Murty is the second Scottish soccer fan known to have died in Boston while visiting for the World Cup tournament. Donny Strathie, 76, died June 14 after collapsing in a hotel in Norwood. Fans paid tribute to Strathie in the 76th minute of Scotland’s game against Morocco in Foxborough on June 19.
About 2,800 people have donated more than$85,000 to the GoFundMe campaign set up for Murty’s family, as of Monday afternoon.
Ariela Lopez can be reached at ariela.lopez@globe.com. Follow her on X @ariela__lopez.
Britten partnered with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) to bring an ambitious public-facing installation to life, celebrating Boston’s role in the global excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Massport envisioned a bold experiential marketing activation at Piers Park II in East Boston, centered around a Guinness World Record attempt for the world’s largest soccer ball. The nearly 50-foot structure needed to become a highly visible waterfront landmark while meeting strict engineering, safety, and verification requirements. The challenge extended far beyond fabrication. The installation needed to withstand unpredictable coastal conditions, operate safely in a public environment, and be completed on a fixed timeline tied to FIFA fan programming.
Massport needed an experienced event production partner capable of transforming a large-scale concept into a fully engineered, installed, and record-breaking experience. Britten served as the central event fabrication partner, managing production coordination, logistics, and on-site execution from concept through completion. Working alongside Massport and engineering partners, Britten helped translate the creative vision into a buildable solution capable of meeting Guinness World Records standards. Every detail, from material selection and structural integrity to panel alignment and inflation systems, required precision to support a nearly 50-foot inflatable structure.
After off-site fabrication, Britten coordinated transportation, staging, and installation at Piers Park II. The waterfront location introduced additional challenges, including wind exposure, tidal conditions, limited staging space, and public access. Britten oversaw anchoring systems, inflation sequencing, and installation operations to ensure the soccer ball was safely deployed and successfully verified. Through close collaboration with stakeholders, engineers, and Guinness World Records officials, Britten delivered a seamless execution where creative vision, engineering expertise, and experiential marketing came together.
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The completed installation achieved official Guinness World Records recognition as the world’s largest soccer ball, measuring approximately 47.9 feet in diameter. The record-breaking brand activation transformed Piers Park II into a must-visit destination along Boston’s waterfront, creating a memorable community experience connected to the FIFA World Cup. Visible across Boston Harbor and from approaching aircraft, the installation generated widespread attention and became a recognizable symbol of Boston’s tournament celebrations.
