Boston Red Sox vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Boston Red Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates (2026-08-16). Patrick Sandoval vs Lake Bachar at PNC Park.

Patrick Sandoval owns a 1-1 record alongside a 3.30 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, and 30 innings pitched while generating 8.70 strikeouts, 3.90 walks, and 0.90 home runs per nine innings. Across his recent downward trend, his previous three outings produced lines of 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, and 3 walks; 5 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, and 4 walks; and 5 innings, 2 earned runs, 7 strikeouts, and 2 walks. Maintaining a 1.08 WHIP across 65.2 innings of work, Lake Bachar carries a 3.97 ERA, 1-2 record, 9.32 K/9, 3.15 BB/9, and 1.64 HR/9 into this matchup. His upward-trending prior three appearances resulted in 3 innings, 3 earned runs, 1 strikeout, and 1 walk; 2 innings, 0 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, and 0 walks; and 2 innings, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts, and 1 walk.

Boston enters with a .722 OPS, .248 batting average, and 546 runs scored, supported by a pitching staff posting a 3.48 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, having gone 4-6 over their last ten games. Pittsburgh brings a .744 OPS, .256 batting average, and 625 runs into the contest, while their pitching staff holds a 4.32 ERA and 1.33 WHIP alongside a 3-7 mark in their past ten games.