Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BOS	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	0
CWS	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	7	0

Patrick Sandoval (0-0, 2.08 ERA) started the finale for Boston opposite Anthony Kay (6-3, 4.23), who was working on 4 days' rest after a shaky 4.0-inning outing against Cleveland. First pitch was 1:10 PM CT at Rate Field, with the Red Sox already up 2-0 in the series after outscoring Chicago 13-1 across the first two games.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Red Sox(42-48)

WWWWW

2

+1.5-190+104o9.5+122

White Sox(47-44)

LLWWL

1

-1.5+186-106u9.5-125

Best BetWhite Sox -118

Postgame

Missed — Boston won 2-1 behind Durbin's homer, exactly the sharp-money side the data flagged.

Pregame

Chicago was the deserved home favorite here after a 47-44 first-place start, but the market's own signals told a different story — sharp money was stacked on Boston, not the home side. That divergence proved right: the Red Sox's momentum carried the day.

Chicago got some roster news before the series wrapped: Willson Contreras had his suspension trimmed from 7 games to 5, and the White Sox are lining up to activate Munetaka Murakami off the 10-day IL as soon as Friday. That's offset by Trevor Richards going to the bereavement list Thursday, thinning a bullpen that already had to soak up innings behind a shortened Kay start. None of it changed the math much — Chicago went off as the home number anyway.

Patrick Sandoval

(0-0)·4.82 ERA

07/09 Lineup

Anthony Kay

(7-4)·4.21 ERA

Jul 3 @ Guardians

ND

4.0IP

1ER

2K

2BB

48P

07/09 Lineup

Boston's stripped-down roster is the real story here. Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford and now Ranger Suarez are all on the shelf, and the lineup is without Triston Casas, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer. Interim manager Chad Tracy has somehow pushed this group to 10 wins in its last 12 games anyway, and a sweep in Chicago is as good a headline as this staff is going to get.

Boston Red Sox

(42-48)

Jul 8W@ White Sox5-0

Jul 7W@ White Sox8-1

Jul 6W@ Angels7-5

Jul 5W@ Angels8-1

Jul 4W@ Angels5-2

Chicago White Sox

(47-44)

Jul 8Lvs Red Sox0-5

Jul 7Lvs Red Sox1-8

Jul 5W@ Guardians7-6

Jul 4W@ Guardians3-1

Jul 3L@ Guardians3-4

Caleb Durbin's 2-run homer wound up being the whole game. It was enough to hold off a White Sox club that came in leading the AL Central and had won 47 games — a real marker of how far this rebuild has come, even in a series it just got swept in.

Boston Red Sox

(13)

• 10-Day-ILNick Sogard (3B) — Sogard (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.06/30
• 10-Day-ILIsiah Kiner-Falefa (2B) — Kiner-Falefa underwent a CT scan on his left forearm Thursday which revealed a stress reaction, MLB.com reports.06/27
• 10-Day-ILMarcelo Mayer (2B) — The Red Sox placed Mayer on the 10-day injured list Friday with a stress reaction in his left forearm, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.06/26
• 15-Day-ILRanger Suarez (SP) — The Red Sox placed Suarez on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left groin strain.07/09
• 15-Day-ILConnelly Early (SP) — Early (elbow) will seek a second opinion, MLB.com reports.07/04
• SuspensionWillson Contreras (1B) — Contreras' suspension for his actions in the June 30 game against the Nationals has been reduced from seven games to five games, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.07/09
• 60-Day-ILJohan Oviedo (SP) — Oviedo (elbow) began a throwing program in mid-June but isn't considered close to a return from the 60-day injured list, MLB.com reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILTanner Houck (SP) — The Red Sox announced June 25 that Houck (elbow) has started light throwing off a mound, MLB.com reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILTrevor Story (SS) — The Red Sox announced June 28 that Story (sports hernia) is taking part in full baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/06
• 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
• 60-Day-ILRoman Anthony (LF) — Anthony (finger) will visit hand specialist Dr. Gary Lourie in Florida during the upcoming week, Chad Finn of The Boston Globe reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILTriston Casas (1B) — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Saturday that Casas (abdomen/knee) has been shut down from hitting due to a wrist issue, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet (SP) — Crochet (shoulder/lat) has not yet been cleared to resume a throwing program following a scheduled re-evaluation Monday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.06/22

Chicago White Sox

(12)

• 7-Day ILEverson Pereira (RF) — Pereira (concussion) is making progress in his recovery but is still experiencing concussion symptoms, MLB.com reports.07/01
• 10-Day-ILMunetaka Murakami (1B) — The White Sox are expected to activate Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Athletics, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.07/09
• BereavementTrevor Richards (RP) — The White Sox placed Richards on the bereavement/family medical emergency list Thursday.07/09
• 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert (RP) — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.06/10
• 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa (RP) — The White Sox announced Saturday that Berroa (elbow) will start throwing again in 1-to-2 weeks, MLB.com reports.07/07
• 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — Bush (elbow) has resumed participating in long toss, MLB.com reports.07/05
• 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow) threw a live bullpen Friday, MLB.com reports.07/05
• 60-Day-ILAustin Hays (LF) — Hays has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte due to a recurrence of left calf soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.06/09
• 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure (forearm) said Friday that he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.05/30
• 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08

Kay didn't miss by much — he's the guy Chicago wants starts from all summer, and a 1-run final margin says he mostly did his job. But the offense couldn't scratch across enough against a Boston pitching staff that's been running on fumes all year, and that's now happened in back-to-back-to-back games against the same team.

Boston's road trip is now 5-0 with 4 games left before the break — a stretch nobody expected out of a team that started July at 42-48. For Chicago, it's a reminder that first place in the Central doesn't make you immune to a three-game teardown, and the Sox now have a few days to regroup before facing a different kind of test after the break.