Aug. 9, 2025: Red Sox beat the Padres 10-2 as Masataka Yoshida drove in five, Wilyer Abreu homered, and Brayan Bello tossed six innings—road streak at four.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
If you were waiting for a statement win on this road swing, Saturday in San Diego delivered. Masataka Yoshida capped a five-RBI night with a two-run homer in the seventh, Brayan Bello carved six steady frames, and the Red Sox rolled the Padres 10-2 to make it four straight away from home. Wilyer Abreu added a two-run shot off ex-Sox righty Nick Pivetta as Boston’s lineup stacked quality at-bats and piled on late. The victory lifts the Sox to 65-52 (.556), keeping them firmly in second place in the AL East and within striking distance—three games—of the Blue Jays.
“Yoshida’s two-run blast capped a five-RBI night as Boston rolled 10-2—and stayed within three games of the Blue Jays.”
From the jump, Boston played like a club that understood the moment. Abreu’s two-run blast gave Bello working room, the middle of the order wore down Padres pitching, and Yoshida’s late missile blew it open. Add in clean defense and opportunistic baserunning, and you’ve got a road blueprint that travels in August.
Yoshida didn’t just provide the exclamation point; he wrote most of the sentence. Driving in five runs and punctuating it with a seventh-inning two-run homer, he showed the all-fields damage that lengthens this lineup. When he’s on time and getting pitches in the zone, he turns long innings into crooked numbers—and that’s exactly what Boston needed to slam the door.
No frills, just strikes and soft contact. Bello went six innings, allowed two runs, and punched out four—exactly the kind of start that keeps the bullpen fresh and the dugout relaxed. He mixed enough to avoid barrels and let his defense work. On a night the offense feasted, Bello’s pace and poise were the quiet stars.
Abreu’s early two-run homer off former teammate Nick Pivetta was more than a fun subplot; it set the tone. He’s up to 21 home runs and 64 RBIs, a testament to the growth in his approach and the thump he’s added to the heart of the order. When Abreu punishes mistakes, opposing pitchers have no place to hide from the Devers–Yoshida–Abreu cluster.
Connor Wong’s aggressive baserunning turned ninety feet into momentum, and Trevor Story vacuumed would-be bleeders with calm, routine efficiency. Those touches won’t show up next to the homers, but they’re the separators in comfortable wins—and necessities in October-style games.
At 65-52 (.556), Boston remains three back of Toronto but continues to bank road wins and confidence. Four straight on the road in August is not just a streak—it’s a signal. This is the part of the calendar where separation happens, and the Sox are playing like a team determined to close a gap rather than watch the scoreboard.
No new injuries, no roster shakeups, no panic. Alex Cora’s club rolled out a familiar lineup and let it cook. Craig Breslow’s front office has preached continuity alongside depth, and nights like this validate the plan: a stable core producing while complementary pieces steal edges.
The organization’s top-three-ranked farm remains a backbone, with Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell continuing to draw rave reviews for mature approaches and readiness. No promotions today, but the depth matters. It lets the big club be patient with roles and pounces on matchups without mortgaging the future.
The team accounts showcased Yoshida’s blast and Bello’s efficient six, plus a lively clubhouse. Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers chimed in with shoutouts, a small but telling window into a group that’s pulling in the same direction during the dog days.
The series in San Diego continues Sunday, and Boston will look to push the road streak to five and keep pace in the East. The formula isn’t complicated: attack in the zone, keep the line moving, and play the clean, pressure-packed defense we saw tonight. Keep stacking these, and the standings will take care of themselves.
This is the version of the Red Sox that wins series and changes standings math: power when it counts, a starter in command, and mistake-free baseball behind him. Do it again on Sunday, fly home with momentum, and make Toronto feel the footsteps.
