Red Sox Have Reason for Concern on Patrick Sandoval, Jake Bennett

This pitching staff is suddenly looking flimsy

Aug 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval (43) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox's weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates was concerning on a number of levels. Note: we're assuming Sunday's game, which was delayed by weather at the time of publication, results in a loss.

Dropping two out of three meant the Red Sox were losers in a third-straight series. Masataka Yoshida and Justin Slaten going on the injured list was an unexpected double gut punch. Then, there's whatever is going on with the rotation right now.

Boston fell behind big in games one and three of this series, thanks to some brutal starting pitching performances. If it was a one-off, perhaps we could look past it. But for both lefties involved, Jake Bennett and Patrick Sandoval, the bad starts were a continuation of a concerning recent trend.

Both lefties struggling mightily of late

Aug 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Jake Bennett (64) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Red Sox had won the first five games Sandoval started this season after coming off the injured list post-Tommy John surgery. That trend changed on Tuesday of this week, when Sandoval allowed four earned runs over six innings up in Toronto.

This start, however, was far worse.

Across four rocky innings, Sandoval allowed nine hits, walked three batters, and gave up seven earned runs. He came into the game with an ERA of 3.30 and left it at 4.76. Despite striking out six batters, there was never a point at which it seemed like he had control of the situation.

In a vacuum, the Red Sox could handle one of their starters going through a slump. But Bennett has been struggling to for a while now, with things boiling over Friday with his shortest outing in the majors (four innings as well, with four earned runs allowed).

The Red Sox need their starters going deep into games right now with Slaten and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list. Payton Tolle's eight innings this week and Sonny Gray's seven were godsends. The struggling lefties provided the opposite.

Because neither Bennett nor Sandoval has overpowering stuff, the fact that both seem to be on an in-season downturn is reason for real concern. Two-fifths of the rotation can't be weighing you down, and it appears these two will be responsible for four of the seven losses in August.