It’s been a familiar refrain this season, but the Boston Red Sox have to find a way to produce more offense.

That will be among Boston’s goals Thursday afternoon, when the Red Sox wrap up a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto will be seeking a sweep after winning 6-1 on Tuesday and 3-0 on Wednesday.

Boston has left 13 runners on base in each of the first two games of the series while going a combined 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox stranded at least one runner in each of the first eight innings of their shutout loss on Wednesday.

“Got a really good effort out of Jake (Bennett, the starting pitcher), and again we had our opportunities,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “In the first six innings (we) had a lot of guys in scoring position, so it was similar (to Tuesday).

“I just think (the players are) pressing, in general. They want it bad. You can feel the frustration. They know we’re getting the chances. They’re working hard at it, and we’re getting some spots and not getting a hit, but then we’ll have a stretch where it will come.”

Boston has failed to score more than three runs in 39 of its 71 games. Thanks to the current three-game losing streak, the Red Sox are a season-worst 13 games below .500.

The Red Sox enter the Thursday contest with a .695 OPS (25th in the majors) thanks to a .314 on-base percentage (21st) and a .381 slugging percentage (26th).

“We took some walks, we got some baserunners,” Tracy said. “Some of the opportunities that we created were the result of taking walks and getting a guy out there. We need to drive a ball with two outs, one out and find a gap. Usually you get one swing and it turns things, but just a struggle right now.

“We had some stretches in the latter part of May where it felt like we came through a lot, and right now we’re struggling. There’s a lot of baserunners out there in scoring position and you’re looking for a knock. So we’re gonna keep plugging away at it.”

Toronto’s Andres Gimenez had two hits, three stolen bases and two runs on Wednesday. He had a solo home run and a double while scoring twice on Tuesday. Gimenez entered the series batting .179 (12-for-67) with one homer and one steal over his previous 22 games.

“I’ve been working a lot in the (batting) cage and obviously it feels great when you’re helping the team win,” Gimenez said. “(Stealing bases) feels great. That’s something that I do. That’s how I play. If I’m healthy and my legs are feeling good, obviously it’s part of my game.”

The Thursday pitching matchup features Boston’s Sonny Gray (8-1, 3.03 ERA) and Toronto’s Trey Yesavage (3-3, 3.78) in a battle of right-handers.

In his past eight starts, Gray is 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA, and he won each of his past three outings. Most recently, he threw six innings of one-run ball to beat the Texas Rangers 10-1 on Friday.

Gray is 4-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) against the Blue Jays.

Yesavage wasn’t effective but earned a win his last time out, permitting five runs and walking six in five-plus innings during an 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

He faced Boston for the first time in his career on April 28, and he fired 5 1/3 shutout innings en route to a 3-0 victory in Toronto.

The Blue Jays had lost four of their past six games before arriving in Boston this week.

–Field Level Media

With the Baltimore Orioles leading by three runs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday at Seattle, closer Ryan Helsley began warming up.

Activated from the injured list a day earlier after being out since late April with right elbow inflammation, Helsley was eager to build on his strong start to the season. He was 7-for-7 in save opportunities with a 2.53 ERA before the injury.

When teammate Jackson Holliday homered with two outs in the ninth, Helsley no longer had a chance to get a save.

Maybe that caused Helsley to lose a bit of focus, as he allowed back-to-back homers to the first two batters he faced — Dominic Canzone and Cole Young. But Helsley bounced back to retire the next three in order, closing with a pair of strikeouts.

The three-game series wraps up Thursday afternoon in Seattle.

“I’m pain-free, and (the rehabilitation assignment) was about making sure I could bounce back and feel kind of like my normal self,” said Helsley, who signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Orioles in the offseason.

“It’ll probably take a couple of outings to feel like that here in the big leagues. You can’t replicate that, but overall I feel really good and I’m just excited to be back up on the team.”

Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz stressed the importance of Helsley rejoining the bullpen.

“Getting Helsley back right now, it trickles everyone down,” Albernaz said. “Even though the bullpen did an outstanding job navigating these two months, it feels good having Helsley back. His rehab outings were very bullish on what he can bring to the back end of the ‘pen, and also now it kind of sets the rest of the guys up into certain pockets of hitters, and also innings as well, so it’ll be a nice little trick in that effect for us.”

Gunnar Henderson also went deep and Kyle Bradish allowed one run on five hits over 7 2/3 innings, with a career-high 12 strikeouts, as the Orioles snapped a three-game skid.

The ailing Mariners, without first baseman Josh Naylor (wrist) and outfielder Luke Raley (back) for the second straight game, got another scare when center fielder Julio Rodriguez left after six innings with what manager Dan Wilson called a “little bit of a spasm in his hamstring.”

Rodriguez apparently tweaked the hamstring when making a leaping catch of a ball hit by Adley Rutschman to start the sixth.

“We thought it best to get him out with what we’ve got going on right now in terms of injuries,” Wilson said. “We thought it was smart to get him out of there and give it a little bit of a rest.”

The Mariners activated catcher Cal Raleigh (oblique) and third baseman J.P. Crawford (hand) from the injured list Tuesday, while losing left fielder Randy Arozarena (hamstring).

“Injuries are just part of the season,” Wilson said. “It happens to every team. It seems to have happened kind of simultaneously here with us, with a lot of different guys, but that’s just the way the game goes.”

The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers in the Orioles’ Shane Baz (4-6, 4.06 ERA) and the Mariners’ Bryan Woo (5-5, 4.28).

Baz hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his past five starts, going 3-1. He beat visiting San Diego 7-3 on Friday as he gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits over five innings. Baz is 1-0 in one career start against Seattle, pitching six scoreless innings last September.

Woo has dropped two straight decisions and three of four. He suffered a 7-5 loss last Thursday in Baltimore as he gave up seven runs on seven hits over five innings. He’s 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles, including a seven-run outing on June 11.

–Field Level Media

At long last, Sean Manaea is back to being a first-inning starter for the New York Mets.

Manaea will look to build off a productive outing Thursday when the Mets open a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Throughout the majority of the season, New York has used an opener for Manaea (1-2, 4.78 ERA), who clearly has improved over the past month. In particular, the veteran left-hander has a 3.00 ERA in three June outings.

Manaea was allowed to start the first inning for the first time in 2026 in his most recent outing, and he backed up the team’s confidence by allowing two runs and four hits in six innings against the Atlanta Braves. Still, he took a 3-1 loss in the Saturday game.

“He earned it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the start. “He continues to put himself in a position where days like (Saturday), it was an easy call for us.”

Manaea has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight appearances heading into Thursday’s meeting with Philadelphia, though of those outings were very brief relief stints.

“It feels really good,” he said after his most recent outing. “I’ve put in a lot of work with the coaches here, the staff. It feels good just to put in some hard work and have a game like (Saturday).”

Manaea has made eight career appearances (six starts) against the Phillies and is 2-3 with a 5.30 ERA.

On Thursday, he’ll likely be facing a lineup with several left-handed hitters. Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 25 home runs, while Brandon Marsh’s .323 batting average ranks fourth in the National League entering play Thursday.

Bryce Harper is having a solid season as well, although he is just 1-for-19 over his past six games.

The Phillies are coming off a series victory against the Miami Marlins despite a 12-4 setback in Wednesday’s finale. Leadoff hitter Trea Turner had three hits to highlight the offensive effort by Philadelphia.

“Your vision for your best team is with Trea at the top, or the top couple,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said amid suggestions that the inconsistent Turner should be moved down in the order. “If we’re gonna get where we need to go, he needed to get going.”

Philadelphia will give the ball to Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.86), who has been inconsistent as well. After closing May on a positive note, the right-hander has a 6.43 ERA and no wins so far in June. Nola gave up three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 9-8 victory.

“With Noles, I think he matches up good with anybody if he’s doing his thing,” Mattingly said earlier this month. “If he’s locating and using all his pitches and able to use his mix, he matches up with anybody.”

Nola is 11-10 with a 3.42 ERA in 30 career appearances (all starts) against the Mets but will be facing them for the first time this season. In fact, this is the first matchup of 2026 between the National League East rivals, who will play each other 13 times over the final 88 games.

New York and Philadelphia essentially have had opposite results this week, as the Mets lost their first two against the Cincinnati Reds in lopsided fashion before notching a comfortable 9-1 win on Wednesday afternoon.

Bo Bichette recorded multiple hits for the sixth straight game, finishing with three singles and three runs.

“I don’t know about satisfying, but it felt good,” Bichette said. “We needed to come out here and win a game.”

–Field Level Media