Patrick Sandoval impresses after 2-year absence as Red Sox run winning streak to 6

A sweep of the Los Angeles Angeles was one thing, a sweep of the Chicago White Sox marked another.

The once down-and-out White Sox have been one of the better teams in the American League this season and hadn’t lost a home series since April. On Thursday, the Red Sox beat the White Sox 2-1 on the strength of a two-run homer from Caleb Durbin and an impressive return to the mound after more than two years from Patrick Sandoval.

It marked Boston’s second straight three-game sweep and moved the Red Sox to six wins in a row, their longest stretch of the season.

The Red Sox have turned a corner over the past two weeks, starting with a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees at the end of June. They’ve now won 11 of their past 13 games and moved to within 2 1/2 games of the third wild-card spot with Thursday’s win.

Though the Red Sox are still five games under .500, they were as many as 14 games under .500 just three weeks ago.

The wins have also given interim manager Chad Tracy a winning record (33-31) since taking over the team April 26, following Alex Cora’s firing.

While Sandoval helped close out the series sweep, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett set the tone. Tolle dominated in the first game with six scoreless innings, bouncing back from a career-worst start last week, and Bennett followed up with seven scoreless innings on Wednesday. The starts benefited from standout defense and timely homers, a recipe the Red Sox have been searching for all season.

Boston played a man short on Tuesday and Wednesday, as Nate Eaton served a two-game suspension for his part in last week’s brawl with the Washington Nationals. Then on Thursday, they were without Willson Contreras, who began serving a shortened five-game suspension.

With three more games on tap this week against the New York Mets to close out the first half, the Red Sox hope to ride this momentum. But Boston’s biggest test will be maintaining their strength coming out of the break during a nine-game homestand against three AL East opponents: the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Orioles.

The Red Sox looked like sellers for much of the season, but this recent stretch has to give chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pause. They’ve done all of this as a team full of players called up from Triple A and without Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer.

Patrick Sandoval returns

On his first pitch of the game, Patrick Sandoval induced a popup to shortstop. It marked the first big-league out he’d recorded in 749 days. The left-hander made a triumphant return to the mound on Thursday, nearly two years after having an internal brace procedure in June 2024.

Sandoval threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out five. He threw 41 of his 65 pitches for strikes.

The 29-year-old hit 95 mph with his four-seamer and relied mostly on a slider/four-seam/changeup mix.

Patrick Sandoval, Filthy 84mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/oHH9xOiTI4

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 9, 2026

Sandoval recorded a strikeout in each of his first four innings.

After a quick 1-2-3 first, he ended the inning with a called third-strike changeup at the bottom of the zone. In the second, he worked around two singles, but struck out two more before another single and strikeout in the third. In the fourth, he worked around a leadoff single and recorded his fifth strikeout of the game.

Sandoval ran into his first real trouble of the game in the fifth inning, allowing a leadoff single before issuing a wild pitch with one out. After a stolen base, he walked his first batter of the game and appeared to tire a bit. Tracy turned to Tyron Guerrero, who allowed a check-swing roller to score Chicago’s only run, but also got the final two outs.

The Red Sox signed Sandoval to a two-year, $18.25 million deal ahead of the 2025 season, thinking he’d be able to contribute by the end of that season. But a series of minor setbacks last year and again this spring delayed his return.

In 107 games, including 100 big-league starts, all for the Los Angeles Angels, Sandoval posted a 4.01 ERA. His best season came in 2022 when he posted a 2.91 ERA over 27 starts.

After starting a rehab assignment earlier this spring, he had to be pulled due to biceps tightness. He finally began another rehab assignment last month and built up slowly with a 4.60 ERA over six starts. Last Saturday, as his 30-day rehab clock expired, Sandoval was deemed ready to join the big-league club. This timed up well for the Red Sox, who’d placed Connelly Early on the injury list with elbow inflammation earlier in the week.

Given that he threw 68 pitches in his final rehab outing, Sandoval wasn’t scheduled to throw more than about 80 pitches on Thursday.

With Early getting a second opinion on his elbow, it seems likely he’ll be out longer than the required 15 days, meaning Sandoval will stick in the rotation for now.

Ranger Suarez to the IL

Sandoval’s return coincided with another injury to a starter, however, as left-hander Ranger Suarez landed on the injured list with a left groin strain on Thursday. Suarez had tried to avoid an IL stint, exiting Sunday’s start after 2 2/3 innings. He threw a side session on Wednesday and didn’t feel great, so the Red Sox decided not to push him for another start on Saturday. The Red Sox recalled infielder Brett Harris, whom they acquired in a minor trade last week, to fill Suarez’s roster spot. Harris started at first on Thursday.

Suarez’s IL stint also means he won’t be participating in next week’s All-Star Game, potentially clearing a spot for teammate Sonny Gray.

Brayan Bello remains an option as the Red Sox determine how to fill Suarez’s next scheduled turn in the rotation, against the Mets on Saturday.

Bello hasn’t pitched for Triple-A Worcester since July 1. Tracy said Bello could start or pitch out of the bullpen behind an opener. Bello was demoted to Triple A on June 6 after posting a 6.34 ERA through 13 starts. In four starts for Worcester, he’s posted a 4.34 ERA.