Boston Red Sox vs Chicago White Sox

Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox (2026-07-08). Jake Bennett vs Davis Martin at Rate Field.

Bennett brings a 3.10 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 40.2 innings, and his profile is built on strike-throwing more than pure swing-and-miss, with 6.86 K/9 against just 1.55 BB/9. His recent run has been sharp: across his last four starts he has allowed only 5 earned runs in 25.1 innings, and the trend line is clearly improving after opening the year less efficiently. Martin’s season line is similarly strong at a 3.08 ERA over 96.1 innings, but the shape is different, with a higher 8.41 K/9, a 2.71 BB/9, and a noticeably heavier 1.26 WHIP. His last seven starts show more volatility than Bennett’s, including a nine-earned-run blowup against the Yankees and a five-walk outing last time out, even though he has still held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in five of those seven.

At the team level, Chicago has the better offensive production, carrying a .734 OPS and 429 runs with 125 home runs, while Boston sits at a .702 OPS and 365 runs with 80 homers. Boston does have the cleaner overall pitching staff, posting a 3.74 team ERA and 1.24 WHIP compared with Chicago’s 4.25 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, which matters in a game where the starting matchup looks relatively even on paper. Recent form also leans toward Boston’s side of the broader roster picture, with the Red Sox winning eight of their last ten and scoring 8, 7, 8, and 5 runs in four of their last five wins, while Chicago is 5-5 over its last ten and coming off an 8-1 loss.

The recent head-to-head sample from 2025 slightly favors Boston, which won four of the last seven meetings, though the scoring mix was varied enough to support both low and high totals. There were four games in that span with seven runs or fewer and three with at least ten runs, so the 7.5 total sits in a reasonable middle ground. Given Bennett’s low-WHIP efficiency and Martin’s stronger strikeout rate but less stable recent command, this number asks whether the starters can control the game before the more vulnerable team bullpens and middle relief layers become decisive.