Red Sox Lose Another Series With Loss to Padres

The Red Sox lose their third series, as some untimely home runs from Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill did them in.

April 5, 2026

The Boston Red Sox lose their third straight series of the year as they lose 8-6 to the San Diego Padres on Easter Sunday, despite their best offensive game of the year in terms of runs.

Red Sox-Padres Game Summary

The Red Sox were fortunate that the second inning didn’t see any run production for the Padres. Trevor Story had his third error of the year, as Miguel Andujar tried going for second base. Willson Contreras gathered the ball and fired a rocket to Marcelo Mayer to get the out.

The next batter, Xander Bogaerts, lined a single against the shifted infield. He made the not-so-smart decision of testing the arm of Wilyer Abreu. Bogaerts failed the test and got thrown out.

Red Sox Blow-Up Inning

Boston would strike in the bottom of the third after Carlos Narvaez and Roman Anthony each walked. Jarren Duran laced a double down the right field line to make it 2-0.

Two batters later, Abreu hit a ball into the right field corner, with it taking a weird carom off the wall. That triple was enough to end Buehler’s night, as Kyle Hart looked to close out the third.

Masataka Yoshida, like Duran and Abreu, hit a ball down the right field line to score Abreu from third and make it 4-0 at the end of three.

The Padres found their answer in the top of the fourth. Jackson Merrill hit a line drive to center field to score Fernando Tatis Jr. They threatened even more with the bases loaded and two outs. Nick Castellanos took a first pitch cutter and drove it to left field to score two. The Red Sox went 1-2-3 in the bottom half, as Luis Campusano‘s leadoff single ended Suarez’s night.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the fifth inning. Unfortunately, that included giving up a three-run home run to Manny Machado, his first of the year.

Fast forward to the bottom of the seventh, and Wandy Peralta came in to keep the lead for the Padres with one out to get. However, Yoshida had other plans, lacing another double down the right field line to drive in both Willson Contreras and Abreu to tie the game at 6-6.

However, just like when they took the lead in the third inning, the Red Sox couldn’t enjoy it for long. Jackson Merrill blasted a home run off of Tyler Uberstine, who made his MLB debut in this game. Uberstine would get two outs before Danny Coulombe was tasked with getting the final out, which he did.

Tatis Jr. would extend the lead in the ninth with a sacrifice fly ball off Zack Kelly to make it 8-6. Mason Miller came in for his second save opportunity in as many days and shut the door completely, once again striking out the side.

What Went Right for the Red Sox

Signs of Life Offensively

The Red Sox were quick to adjust after a less than stellar first inning. They worked the counts and forced Buehler to throw strikes, which he noticeably struggled with. It was only a matter of time before the Red Sox struck. Luckily for them, it was sooner rather than later.

Yoshida Raking

Yoshida was one of many Red Sox players who raked like leaves in the fall throughout the World Baseball Classic. He’s done a great job at making it translate with the Red Sox, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

What Went Wrong for the Red Sox

Weissert’s Blown Lead

Weissert blew a lead for the second time this season and gave up his third home run of the year.

Uberstine in Too Long

Uberstine pitched two shutout innings in the sixth and seventh before getting sent out for the eighth. He was also at 27 pitches through those two innings. Alex Cora should’ve had Coulombe start the eighth inning instead of him coming in during the middle of it.

Looking Ahead

The Milwaukee Brewers are the next team to visit Fenway, as their three game series starts on Monday. Brayan Bello takes the mound for the first game, as Brandon Woodruff will start for the Brewers.