Barstool Bush
Predictions

Arizona Diamondbacks at Boston Red Sox

By Bush StaffUpdated 4d ago·2 min read
Arizona DiamondbacksARI(66-59)
Boston Red SoxBOS(66-58)
1—11
FINAL
123456789RHE
ARI
000001000142
BOS
02113220—11160

Mitch Bratt (1-1, 4.17 ERA) got the ball for Arizona looking to build on a start where he went 6 innings with 4 strikeouts against Colorado. Boston countered with something weirder: lefty Alec Gamboa, carrying a 1.47 ERA but zero career starts, opening the game before handing off to Brayan Bello for the bulk innings. First pitch was 7:10 PM ET at Fenway.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Diamondbacks(66-59)
LWWLL
1
Red Sox(66-58)
LWLWL
11
Best BetDiamondbacks +127
Postgame

This didn't come close. Marte's no-show and Arenado's absence gutted the lineup before Bratt threw a pitch, and Boston's bullpen game — the supposed soft spot — instead delivered 4.2 shutout-adjacent innings from Bello and 11 runs on offense. The bear case about a shorthanded Arizona club turned out to be the whole story.

Pregame

Arizona's priced as the underdog here, but they're handing the ball to a starter who's been steady and efficient while Boston counters with a reliever making his first career start. That gap in pitching certainty is bigger than the gap in records, and it's worth backing the D-backs to win outright.

The bullpen-game gambit wasn't really about Gamboa's stuff — Boston's rotation has been gutted for weeks, with Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo and Kutter Crawford all working back from injury on the 60-day IL. Arizona had its own issues walking in: Nolan Arenado was out of the lineup with a chest injury, and the Diamondbacks' pitching depth chart already reads like a training room, with Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes and Ryne Nelson all rehabbing elbows.

Mitch Bratt
Mitch Bratt
(1-2)·4.17 ERA
Aug 11 vs Rockies
ND
6.0IP
2ER
4K
1BB
78P
08/17 Lineup
Alec Gamboa
Alec Gamboa
(0-0)·1.40 ERA
08/17 Lineup

None of that matters much once the game actually gets going, and this one got away from Arizona fast. Boston strung together traffic in almost every inning, and by the time the dust settled it wasn't really a betting story anymore — it was a beatdown.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
(13)
  • Day-To-DayNolan Arenado (3B) — Arenado (chest) is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Red Sox on Monday.08/17
  • 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) — Gurriel (adductor) took five at-bats in a bridge league game Saturday at the Diamondbacks' extended spring training facility, MLB.com reports.08/10
  • 10-Day-ILTommy Troy (LF) — Troy (shoulder) is likely to participate in extended spring training games this week, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.08/04
  • 15-Day-ILRyan Thompson (RP) — Thompson (back) began a throwing program Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.08/13
  • 15-Day-ILDrey Jameson (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that Jameson (hip) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno during the upcoming week, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.08/10
  • OutKetel Marte (2B) — The Diamondbacks placed Marte on the restricted list Monday.08/17
  • 60-Day-ILBlake Walston (SP) — Walston (elbow) struck out two and allowed one hit in a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Reno.08/13
  • 60-Day-ILZac Gallen (SP) — Gallen (elbow) completed a 33-pitch bullpen session in Arizona on Tuesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.08/11
  • 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes (SP) — Burnes (elbow/teres major) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session in Arizona on Tuesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.08/11
  • 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson (SP) — Nelson (elbow) is expected to begin a bullpen progression within the next 7-to-10 days, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.08/10
  • 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Puk (elbow/shoulder) will remain shut down for the remainder of the season, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.08/07
  • 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) has begun a throwing program, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.07/18
  • 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
(14)
  • Day-To-DayJahmai Jones (DH) — Jones was scratched from Monday's lineup in Baltimore, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.08/17
  • 10-Day-ILMasataka Yoshida (DH) — The Red Sox are expected to place Yoshida (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list prior to Sunday's game against the Pirates, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.08/16
  • 10-Day-ILCurtis Mead (3B) — Mead has a nondisplaced left wrist fracture and will be reimaged in four weeks, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.07/31
  • 15-Day-ILJustin Slaten (RP) — The Red Sox placed Slaten (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Sunday.08/16
  • 15-Day-ILGarrett Whitlock (RP) — The Red Sox placed Whitlock on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right elbow inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.08/13
  • 60-Day-ILTrevor Story (SS) — Story (sports hernia) said that he could be reinstated from the 60-day injured list as soon as Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.08/17
  • 60-Day-ILIsiah Kiner-Falefa (2B) — Kiner-Falefa (forearm) will start his rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Worcester, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.08/15
  • 60-Day-ILRoman Anthony (LF) — Anthony (finger) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Portland, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.08/15
  • 60-Day-ILTriston Casas (1B) — Casas (abdomen/knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Thursday.08/06
  • 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet (SP) — Interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday that Crochet (lat/shoulder) has resumed throwing from 50-to-60 feet on flat ground, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.08/04
  • 60-Day-ILZack Kelly (RP) — The Red Sox recalled Kelly (elbow) from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.07/21
  • 60-Day-ILTanner Houck (SP) — Houck (elbow) has started throwing two bullpen sessions per week, MLB.com reports.07/17
  • 60-Day-ILJohan Oviedo (SP) — Oviedo (elbow) will throw a bullpen session next week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/17
  • 60-Day-ILKutter Crawford (SP) — The Red Sox announced June 29 that Crawford (forearm) has been throwing plyometric balls during workouts at the team's spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.07/06

Then the real story broke before the lineups even went final: Ketel Marte, Arizona's 3-time All-Star, simply didn't show up to Fenway. The Diamondbacks placed him on the restricted list Monday without explanation, scrambled Jose Fernandez onto the roster, and had to piece together a lineup missing both Marte and the day-to-day Arenado. A club that had already lost Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes and Ryne Nelson for the season walked into Fenway down two more of its best position players.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
(66-59)
Aug 16L@ Braves3-5
Aug 15W@ Braves10-3
Aug 14W@ Braves2-0
Aug 12Lvs Rockies4-6
Aug 12Lvs Rockies2-3
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
(66-58)
Aug 16L@ Pirates3-8
Aug 15W@ Pirates4-0
Aug 14L@ Pirates4-8
Aug 13W@ Blue Jays7-0
Aug 12L@ Blue Jays4-6

Boston, coming off a rockier last-5 stretch of its own, made the most of the opening. Willson Contreras hit his 25th home run of the season in the 5th to push the lead further out, and it turned into a full lineup effort — all 9 Red Sox starters recorded an RBI. Bello soaked up 4.2 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just Arizona's lone run, doing exactly the job Boston needed from a starter it didn't actually start.

Arizona finishes the night with 4 hits and 2 errors, a line that tells you everything about how far off this one went. Whatever's going on with Marte is now the bigger story walking out of Fenway than the 10-run margin — but for one night, the Diamondbacks were shorthanded, disorganized, and thoroughly beaten.

Sources

MLBArizona DiamondbacksBoston Red SoxPolymarketKalshiMitch BrattAlec Gamboa