Sunday didn’t go quite as planned as the Red Sox fell short of completing a sweep of the Seattle Mariners. However, winning two out of three isn’t the worst outcome either. The Sox are playing .500 on the road. That’s about as much as you can ever hope for. The failure is the home record. That’s where they need a big turnaround. But for now, there’s another opportunity: the Colorado Rockies.
While Boston enters Denver at 31-44 and the Rockies have a 30-48 mark, the teams are not quite equals. The Red Sox have an expected record of 37-38 against the Rockies 31-47. And that’s because the Sox have a -7 run differential and the Rockies have a mark of -90. As they say, pitching, pitching, pitching.
With Brayan Bello still lost in the wilderness, Jake Bennet gets another big league start. Since returning from Triple A, the southpaw has tossed 10.0 innings while allowing 10 hits, 6 runs (4 and 2), while striking out 9 and walking just 1. The Sox pitching prospect hasn’t been overwhelmed by the majors so far and he’ll keep getting opportunities as long as Bello is searching for whatever it is he lost before 2026 began. Bennet will be opposed by Ryan Feltner. If you’re thinking “wasn’t he a Sox prospect years ago?” no that a was Durbin Feltman who is, in fact, still pitching in the American Association for Kansas City. Feltner is a righty in his sixth season with the Rockies. He’s sitting on a career 5.18 ERA / 4.52 FIP over 380 innings so this is who is he is. His two best starts of the season came back-to-back against the Giants and Brewers where he went six innings and allowed 0 runs and 1 run, respectively. Then the Cubs hit him hard twice, keeping Feltner from reaching 5 innings either time out.
Where would the 2026 Red Sox be without Sonny Gray? Probably behind the Rockies. What more is there to say? Gray is coming off a 7.0 inning, 3 run outing against the Blue Jays that the Sox lost 4-3. He’s only pitched in Coors Field once (2019) but allowed just a single run in 7.0 innings. Fingers crossed he remembers he thrived at altitude. He’ll face Sean Sullivan (again, not Sean O’Sullivan who made four starts for the Sox in 2016). A southpaw, Sullivan is two games into is MLB career. So far it’s been a little weird: 3 shutout innings against eh Athletics and 4.0 innings against eh Cubs where he allowed 8 runs. The 22 year old, who was born in Boston, was putting up a 5.60 ERA in Triple A in 11 starts. But that was in the Pacific Coast League where offense runs high.
Ranger Suarez took a no-hitter into the seventh innings last time out and left with just a single hit. There were a few walks, but it was a solid outing. One in a string of solid outings for Suarez who has given the Sox three wins in his last five starts, though he himself has just a single W. Suarez has made four appearances (3 starts) in Colorado and has a 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings there. The most recent was a 6.2 shutout inning performance in 2025. Kyle Freeland is a 33-year-old lefty in his 10th season with the Rockies and is in the middle of, perhaps, his worst season. He’s allowed 56 runs in 66 innings along with 88 hits. He does have 57 Ks against 16 walks, which is good. Although it’s also that batters aren’t waiting for a walk. They’re just hitting the ball. He’s from Denver, was drafted by the Rockies in the first round back in 2016, has played for his hometown team his entire career and is signed through this season, although there is a vesting option if he hits 170 innings. Neither strikeout rate or (18.7%) nor walk rate (5.2%) are particularly high, so there’s still something there. He just tossed 7.1 innings against the Pirates and only gave up 2 runs. But before that was 6. And before holding Milwaukee to 3 runs he was tagged for 6 but the Angels and 8 by the Dodgers. This feels like the “Danger! High ERA pitcher about to dominate Red Sox” start of the series.
Catcher Hunter Goodman leads the team with 21 homers.
Old friend Brennan Bernadino has a 3.86 ERA in 30 innings.
First baseman TJ Rumfield is slashing .280/.360/.475.
These aren’t the old Rockies with a big offense backed up by,well, poor pitching. But with a new front office maybe that will start to change.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Monday, June 22: Jake Bennett (4.79 ERA / 3.35 FIP) vs. Ryan Feltner (5.05 ERA / 4.96 FIP)
Tuesday, June 23: Sonny Gray (3.12 ERA / 3.88 FIP) vs. Sean Sullivan (10.29 ERA / 6.96 FIP)
Wednesday, June 24: Ranger Suarez (2.93 ERA / 2.84 FIP) vs. Kyle Freeland (7.36 ERA / 5.09 FIP)
When/Where to Watch
Monday, June 22: 8:40 PM ET on NESN
Tuesday, June 23: 8:40 PM ET on NESN
Wednesday, June 24: 3:10 PM ET on NESN
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