Boston Sports

Red Sox 6, Giants 4 · Friday · Fenway Park · Final
Boston took the opener of the three-game set, two nights after dropping the Arizona finale 7–6.

Revolution 3, D.C. United 0 · Wednesday · Audi Field · Full time
A road shutout in Washington, and the first Revolution win since the Atlanta game in July.

Red Sox 3, Giants 2 · Saturday · Fenway Park · Final
A one-run night to take the series, with the finale still to play this afternoon.

Patriots 24, Eagles 21 · Saturday · Gillette Stadium · Final · preseason
The preseason home date, three points in it. Cleveland on Thursday closes the exhibition slate.

Three. That is how far the Red Sox sit behind the Yankees this morning — 70–59 against New York’s 73–56 — and it is a game closer than it was on Friday, because Boston won again last night and New York lost to Toronto. The two of them still play four times next weekend at Yankee Stadium, Friday through Sunday with a split doubleheader on the Saturday. Neither leads the division, mind: Tampa Bay is 76–53, six clear of Boston. And the wild card is not really the question this week — Boston holds the second of the three places, six and a half games clear of the last one. The gap to New York is what four games in three days could actually move, and the Yankees arrive having had a five-game winning streak ended on Saturday. Either way the Sox leave Fenway after this afternoon and do not play at home again until Aug 31.

Red Sox 4, Pirates 0 · Saturday · PNC Park · Final
Boston shut Pittsburgh out to even the series, a night after dropping the opener 8–4.

Patriots 13, Colts 13 · Thursday · Gillette Stadium · Final
The preseason opener ended level. Preseason games have no overtime, so a tie is where it stops.

The Revolution were at Toronto last night as well; that result is on the live scoreboard.

Five and a half. That is the Red Sox’ cushion in the wild card race after last night — five and a half games clear of the cut line, holding the second of the three wild card places. It is the number that matters more than the division one: at 66–57 Boston sits third in the American League East, eight and a half back of Tampa Bay, and the postseason road runs through the wild card. This afternoon ends a six-game road trip, and then the schedule turns friendly — six games at Fenway in seven days, Arizona then San Francisco. The Green Line reaches Kenmore again on Monday morning, the same morning the team gets home.

Red Sox 13, Athletics 1 · Friday · Fenway Park · Final
Payton Tolle struck out 14 over six innings and took the win as Boston opened the series with a rout. The Athletics scored once.

Athletics 7, Red Sox 3 · Saturday · Fenway Park · Final
Boston’s nine-game winning streak ended in the middle game of the series.

Seven. That is how many straight road games the Red Sox play after this afternoon — four in Toronto, three in Pittsburgh — and Fenway does not see them again until Monday, Aug 17, against Arizona. They leave in good shape even after Saturday’s loss, which ended a nine-game winning streak — a run that included a three-game sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles and another of the White Sox at home, and leaves them 64–52. The timing works out for anyone travelling to a game, because the Green Line returns to Kenmore the same morning the team does.

Correction, Aug 18: this entry originally said the Green Line returned to Kenmore on Aug 16, a day ahead of the team. The MBTA’s nine-day Green Line suspension ran Aug 8–16 and service resumed Monday, Aug 17 — the same morning the Red Sox came home.