Sunday will provide bounce-back opportunities for Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox will turn to Crochet (2-2, 7.58 ERA) for the first time since his career-worst outing last week when their four-game home series against the Detroit Tigers — tied at a game apiece — continues on Sunday afternoon. First pitch was pushed back three hours to 4:35 p.m. due to a forecast for rain in Boston.

Crochet allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits, three walks and a hit by pitch in just 1 2/3 innings in his most recent start Monday at the Minnesota Twins, a 13-6 loss. His ERA more than doubled from 3.12.

The major league strikeout leader in 2025 (255 in 205 1/3 innings) did not have a strikeout on Monday.

The ace left-hander had allowed just 13 runs over his eight prior outings, including one postseason appearance in 2025. He gave up more than five runs and pitched less than five innings only once last season — a 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Aug. 11 — and had worked at least six frames in two of his first three starts this season.

“Trying to look at it like I would any start. It’s tough to say following the last one, but that’s the only way to separate,” Crochet said.

He also will look to help the Red Sox turn around their fortunes following their 4-1 Saturday loss in which they struck out 10 times and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position across six innings against two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Boston, a 1-0 winner in 10 innings in Friday’s series opener, has gone back-to-back games scoring one or fewer runs on five or fewer hits.

“You have to chip away with aces,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You have to make sure when you have your chances to cash in, get it close enough.”

“A 4-0 game in the big leagues, we can turn it around anytime. We couldn’t find the way (against Skubal),” added first baseman Willson Contreras.

Both of Crochet’s career starts against the Tigers came in 2024, but he’s made nine total appearance against them. He is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in those games.

Detroit has had mixed results lately, having won seven of its past eight games while also snapping a nine-game road losing streak on Saturday.

“I don’t think any of us are too concerned about our road record (3-9),” Skubal said. “Obviously, it needs to get better and needs to improve. We need to win games on the road, but it’s such a small sample size. … We’re just trying to win every single day we show up to the yard.”

The Saturday game saw the Tigers take a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish when Kerry Carpenter drew a bases-loaded walk in the first. He added a solo home run in the fourth.

It also was a multi-hit day for Detroit’s touted infield prospect, Kevin McGonigle, who had an RBI single in the fourth and scored a run in the first.

“It was a well-played game all around,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought our at-bats were really tough early.”

With an opportunity to swing the series, the Tigers wil turn to their own southpaw in Framber Valdez (1-1, 3.75 ERA), who is coming off a season-long outing of seven innings on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals. He allowed just one run on four hits in a 2-1 Detroit win but wasn’t part of the decision.

Valdez has appeared in six games (four starts) against Boston, going 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays will turn to right-hander Kevin Gausman in an attempt to escape an early-season funk when they meet the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game set in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.

The Diamondbacks secured the series win with a 6-2 victory Saturday on Corbin Carroll’s grand slam that broke a tie in the eighth, keeping each team on its current path.

Arizona has won four games in a row and 10 of its past 13, and has not lost a series since being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the season.

Carroll’s homer secured the Diamondbacks’ 10th comeback win of the season.

“We’ve played a lot of (close games),” Carroll said. “Maybe when you are in those situations, you know you don’t have to press.”

The Blue Jays have lost four straight games, six of their past seven, and have not won a series since a season-opening sweep of the Athletics.

Toronto has played through injured-list stints to George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger this year.

Gausman (0-1, 2.42 ERA) will oppose Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-1, 3.54) on Sunday.

Gausman has given up three runs or fewer in each of his four starts this season but remains winless despite his low ERA. In two of Gauman’s starts, the Blue Jays have managed just one run.

“We’re not scoring, but we’re definitely not scoring when he’s out there,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “I feel like he’s been as steady as he has ever been here. So looking for him to continue do that.

“He’s in a good place. Physically his delivery is sound. That’s the only time Kevin has been in trouble, with his delivery, and that’s been really good.”

Gausman gave up one run and three hits, striking out 21, over his first two starts, both no-decisions. He gave up three runs and six hits in his last outing, when he went five innings of a no-decision in the Blue Jays’ 9-7, 10-inning victory at Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Gausman has been successful against the Diamondbacks, going 6-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts).

Nelson, meanwhile, has been betrayed by his defense at times. He has given up 14 runs in four starts, but only eight runs were earned. Atlanta scored five unearned runs off him in his second start, a 17-2 loss on April 2.

Nelson gave up two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, a no-decision in a 9-7 loss at Baltimore on Monday, when the bullpen could not hold a 7-1 lead.

Nelson has increased his slider and curveball usage this season to complement his high-90s fastball. Against the Orioles, he had seven strikeouts — three on a fastball, three on a slider, and one on a curve.

“He’s had success pitching with velo (velocity) and only velo, but we want to allow him to go out there and change speeds, side-to-side as well as up-and-down,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “It’s a very conscious effort to have him pitch a little bit more than just going out there and let it eat with straight veto for 100 pitches.”

Nelson is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three career outings (all starts) against the Blue Jays.

–Field Level Media

Less than one month into the 2026 season, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are two trains speeding in opposite directions.

The Braves have won eight of their past 10 games and will try to complete a three-game sweep in Philadelphia on Sunday night.

The Phillies have lost eight of 10, including 9-0 and 3-1 defeats in the first two games of this weekend set. Philadelphia had no answers for Chris Sale on Saturday, as the veteran left-hander allowed just one run over seven innings.

“My main focus was really just following his lead and just trying to execute good pitches,” Sale said of his rapport with catcher Jonah Heim, adding he wanted to “make good, quality pitches, because that’s a hell of a lineup.”

The Phillies managed only five hits — including four singles — and struck out 10 times against Sale and a pair of relievers. Philadelphia has a total of seven runs during a current four-game slide.

“It’s frustrating, but we’ve got to keep fighting,” said manager Rob Thomson, whose squad allowed three unearned runs on Saturday. “We’ve got to keep fighting. … But we’ve got to play better.”

The lone offensive highlight for Philadelphia was a home run by Felix Reyes off of Sale. The homer came in the first major-league at-bat for the 25-year-old outfielder.

Another promising Phillies rookie will take center stage Sunday as Andrew Painter (1-0, 3.77 ERA) will start following an unconventional appearance last weekend.

The 23-year-old right-hander was supposed to start last Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but a migraine led to a late scratch. However, Painter felt well enough to come on in relief, where he allowed one run over five innings, striking out seven and walking one in his team’s 4-3 loss.

“I didn’t know the extent of how long I was going to be able to go out, how good I was feeling,” Painter said. “But I wanted to go out there and at least get a couple innings to take that (workload) off the bullpen.”

Painter has yet to face the Braves in his young career.

Atlanta will counter with Grant Holmes (1-1, 3.32 ERA), who was pulled after allowing three runs in four innings Monday in his team’s 10-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. Braves manager Walt Weiss later noted that Holmes had thrown 99 pitches in his previous outing and that he was looking out for the right-hander’s long-term health.

Still, Holmes wasn’t pleased with his abbreviated performance.

“I started rushing too much and being too quick down the mound,” he said.

Holmes has made four career appearances (one start) against Philadelphia, posting a 1-1 record with a 1.17 ERA. He certainly doesn’t want to let Bryce Harper get going. The Phillies’ slugger had three hits in the series opener but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday.

Philadelphia likely will be without J.T. Realmuto in the series finale after the veteran catcher felt some back tightness on Saturday.

“We’re checking on him now,” Thomson said after Saturday’s game. “I doubt he’ll play (Sunday).”

For Atlanta, Austin Riley has been a pest over the first two games of the series. He has multiple hits in each contest — a pair of opposite-field home runs and four RBIs on Friday and two singles on Saturday.

–Field Level Media