Richard Fitts looks for his first big league win; Vaughn Grissom gets the night off after three hit night

Image courtesy of The Associated Press

The Red Sox are winners of four straight and remain alive in the hunt for the final American League wildcard spot, albeit their on-life support.

Boston enters the series finale with the Blue Jays 3 1/2 games out looking for a series sweep. Prior to the Sox’ winning streak, FanGraphs had their playoff odds at 0.1 percent; that number has now risen to a robust 0.8 percent.

After trailing 3-0, the Red Sox came back to defeat the Blue Jays 6-5 in extra innings on Tuesday night. Alex Cora called the comeback one of the more gratifying wins he’s had over his six-year tenure as skipper in Boston.

Image courtesy of NESN

"It was fun," Cora told reporters following the game. "We put ourselves in this position. Obviously, it's not a perfect one. For us, just go out there and try and make it count. The boys did an amazing job fighting all the way to the end. We use everybody. It was one of the most gratifying wins since I've been here."

Cora acknowledged his only World Series championship as manager back in 2018 as being special and the pinnacle of his career. He expressed how he liked the fight from his team to comeback and defeat the Blue Jays.

"The way we did it," Cora added. "Of course, Oct. 28, 2018 is the biggest one. Kind of like grinding and fighting in the dugout. The guys that pitch and the guys that ended up playing that game. Yeah, I'm telling you, man. It was a lot of anxiety, and we were very nervous, but we pulled it out."

Red Sox offseason debate: Alex Bregman or Willy Adames?

The Sox will hand the ball to Richard Fitts, who has a 0.00 ERA over his first 15 2/3 innings pitched at the big league level. The right-hander has tossed three scoreless outings since his promotion from Triple-A Worcester. Unfortunately for Fitts, despite pitching well on the mound, the bullpen hasn’t helped his cause, and the Red Sox have lost all three of those starts.

Toronto will counter with righty Kevin Gausman, who has faced the Red Sox 30 times over the course of his career. The veteran righty is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA against the Red Sox in 2024 and 8-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 30 career outings (25 starts) against Boston.

Jarren Duran will bring a five-game hitting streak into the series finale. He is 7-for-25 with two doubles, one triple, four runs, four walks, and two RBI during that stretch.

Enmanuel Valdez will bat last and play second base, giving Vaughn Grissom the night off. Grissom went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, stolen base, and a run scored in the win on Tuesday.

Key stats and Red Sox lineup

Red Sox vs. Gausman: Wilyer Abreu 0-3, Triston Casas 1-6, Jarren Duran 6-16, Romy González 1-3, Tyler O’Neill 2-10, Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2, Trevor Story 3-25, Enmanuel Valdez 2-6, Connor Wong 0-3, Masataka Yoshida 5-9

Blue Jays vs. Fitts: Has not faced any Toronto batters

Red Sox (80-78) lineup at Blue Jays (73-85):

Image courtesy of Getty Images

1. Jarren Duran CF

2. Wilyer Abreu RF

3. Triston Casas 1B

4. Tyler O’Neill LF

5. Masataka Yoshida DH

6. Trevor Story SS

7. Nick Sogard 3B

8. Connor Wong C

9. Enmanuel Valdez 2B

SP: RHP Richard Fitts (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, Fubo, and Sling TV, and it can be heard on WEEI 93.7 FM.