Red Sox Must Solve Resurgent Pitcher To Start AL East Series

The Boston Red Sox face one of MLB’s hottest starting pitchers after one of their roughest losses of the season.

Boston fell short of sweeping the Miami Marlins by squandering a two-run lead late in Sunday’s 5-3 loss. They’ll look to bounce back against a former Marlins pitcher flourishing in recent months.

Trevor Rogers takes the mound Monday for the Baltimore Orioles in the first of a two-game set at Fenway Park. The 27-year-old enters the game with a glistening 1.43 ERA in 11 remarkable starts this season.

His stretch is all the more amazing considering Rogers’ path back to success.

Rogers looked like one of the game’s brightest young hurlers when he registered a 2.64 ERA for Miami in 2021. However, the southpaw relinquished a 5.47 ERA in 2022 before suffering a season-ending biceps injury in April 2023.

Although Rogers didn’t return strongly last year, the Orioles nevertheless made a pricey gamble on a comeback. Desperate for pitching before last year’s trade deadline, they acquired him for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby.

A couple of months ago, the deal looked like a painful flop for Baltimore. Stowers represented the Marlins in the All-Star Game, batting .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs before going on the injured list during the weekend’s series against Boston.

Rogers, on the other hand, didn’t make his season debut until May 24. Already written off by many observers, he’s turned the trade into a potential win-win.

Rogers has allowed no more than two runs in each of his last nine starts, working at least six innings all but once. Since his return, he leads all starting pitchers in ERA and WHIP (0.81) while wielding the fourth-lowest FIP behind Cy Young Award favorites Tarik Subal, Christopher Sánchez and Paul Skenes.

That dominant run began with Rogers working 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox. He’ll get another chance to shut down his new division rival, who play their next 10 games against the Orioles and New York Yankees.

Dustin May will try to follow Rogers’ lead and ignite a late-career breakout when the duo clashes Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET.