Neither team came in fully healthy, and that context mattered more than the coin-flip price on the moneyline suggested. The Red Sox bullpen took a fresh hit this week, while the Pirates' lineup is still missing key everyday pieces — the kind of subtraction that shapes a game late more than it shows up on a scoreboard graphic.
Pittsburgh did its damage in chunks — a run in the 2nd, three in the 4th, and three more in the 5th built an 8-1 cushion before Boston could get anything going. The Red Sox didn't fold, though: they scratched across 2 in the 5th, added a run in the 7th and another in the 9th to make it a game, but the deficit was too much to climb out of. Both teams finished with 9 hits and an error apiece — a tighter game than the final score let on, just not tight at the finish.
Boston had dropped 4 straight against Toronto before salvaging the finale of that series 7-0, so Friday was a chance to show that result meant something more than a one-off. Instead the Red Sox spotted Pittsburgh a big early lead and spent the rest of the night playing catch-up. The Pirates, for their part, backed up their own series-ending blowout — a 13-1 rout of Miami — with another complete performance from top to bottom.
Both rosters are stretched thin enough that Friday's box score only tells part of the story. Boston is still waiting on Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Garrett Crochet, and just lost Garrett Whitlock to the injured list this week. Pittsburgh is missing its top starter in Mitch Keller for the year and is piecing things together in the outfield with Oneil Cruz still on a rehab assignment. Whichever team gets healthier first probably has more staying power for the stretch run.