
The biggest question facing every WNBA team in training camp
WNBA training camps open with key questions for each team.
Ranger Suarez played a crucial role in the Boston Red Sox's recent offensive surge, contributing to a season-high seven runs in a win against the St. Louis Cardinals. The team's success was partly due to facing struggling reliever Matt Svanson, whose ERA has ballooned to 15.58 this season.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 5: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning of a game against the San Diego Padres on April 5, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During Saturdayâs win in St. Louis, the Red Sox scored a season high seven runs. So with that established, let me stop and ask you a question: What player in a Boston uniform was most responsible for this offensive outburst?
Perhaps it was Willson Contreras, who went 2-4 with 3 RBI against his former team. Or maybe youâd give the nod to Jarren Duran, who picked up his first multi-hit game since Opening Day and seems to be a spark plug for this offense whenever he gets going. Heck, if you wanted to get cute, you could even say Ceddanne Rafaela, who was on base twice in the final three innings, including a line drive RBI single in the ninth that knocked in the first of the five runs forfeited in the final frame by the Cardinals.
But do you know who Iâm going with as an answer to this question? Ranger Suarez. Why? Because the biggest reason the Red Sox lineup woke up and managed six consecutive singles in that ninth inning is because they were facing a reliever whose career might be in crisis if he doesnât figure things out soon. Matt Svanson, the man on the mound for the meltdown, has now pitched in seven games so far this year, and heâs given up at least three runs in four of those outings. His ERA on the season is up to 15.58.
You know the old adage of how good pitching generally beats good hitting? Well Iâd argue the opposite is also true. Bad lineups generally smack around bad pitching.
So from a Red Sox perspective, the biggest hero of the night is the guy most responsible for putting this puddle of pitcher on the mound. And well, the only reason the Red Sox offense got to face this guy is because they were winning a game where the Cardinals had already leaned heavily on their high leverage relievers in recent days. And guess what? They werenât winning this game because of their offense.
I know that sounds silly given itâs the game where the Sox scored a season high seven runs, but at the end of eight innings, the score was still only 2-1. The entire foundation of this victory is the six scoreless frames tossed by Ranger Suarez, who in some ways made his real Red Sox debut in this outing.
If the Soxâ starter went say the same six innings, but instead allowed two or three men to cross the plate, this lineup doesnât sniff seven runs! The Cardinals manage it completely differently with a lead. But they didnât one. They were down because of what Ranger Suarez did, and now theyâre thinking âitâs a long season, and weâre going to have to beat Chapman anyway, so letâs just call off the dogs and let it burn. Weâll get âem tomorrow.â
This is how you get a foolâs gold seven run game.
But hereâs the good news for this offense: Tonightâs formula is repeatable! Not down to every detail of course (guys with double digit ERAs tend to be endangered species in the MLB ecosystem), but the general framework is actually the exact blueprint for this squad to win the division. Get a good start from the starter, get a lead, and then get to face the soft underbelly of the opponentâs bullpen.
Even though this lineup isnât good â and oh boy might it stink! â the Sox probably donât have to score all that much to have lots of leads in the middle innings. In fact, even though the Sox scored just three runs on Tuesday, five runs on Wednesday, two runs on Friday after an off day Thursday, and two runs in the first eight innings on Saturday, the starter walked off the mound in each of those four games with a lead. If the rotation is really this good, and it might be, thatâs a winning formula.
The single best way to improve your offense is to face weaker pitching, and this rotation might actually be good enough to ensure that generally happens in the second half of most games. Youâve got to love baseball!
One last thought here because I think Alex Bregman and Ranger Suarez are forever linked as two possible paths the Red Sox could have taken last winter, and Saturday was a big day on both fronts. Hereâs Bregman with a game tying single in the for Cubs in their afternoon game:
These are the types of hits Alex Bregman gets, and these are the hits the Red Sox desperately need right now. But you know what? When you add up everything on Saturdayâs scorecard, what Ranger Suarez did for his offense in the ninth inning (getting them in position to face Matt Svanson) was more valuable than what Bregman did for his offense in the ninth inning. (And thatâs a pretty impressive bar considering Bregman came through with a clutch, two out, two strike, game tying RBI knock).
This is the calculus weâre going to keep revisiting. That second week of January changed everything when it comes to how these Red Sox are built, and for at least one Saturday night, it was actually for the better. Weâll keep checking back in.
Ranger Suarez's presence on the mound was pivotal as the Red Sox capitalized on facing struggling reliever Matt Svanson, leading to a season-high seven runs.
After the game against the Red Sox, Matt Svanson's ERA rose to 15.58 for the season.
Willson Contreras, who had 3 RBI, and Jarren Duran, who recorded his first multi-hit game since Opening Day, were among the standout performers in the win.
The Red Sox won the game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a score of 7-1, marking their highest scoring game of the season.

WNBA training camps open with key questions for each team.

Check out the top 10 plays from Victor Wembanyama's record-setting season!

NBA 2026 Awards: Key Ballot Insights from Bontemps

10 NFL draft prospects to watch for fantasy football this year!

Get ready for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs with our mega-preview of all 16 teams!

Spring football games feature 23 Power 4 matchups this weekend, with the ACC hosting eight and the SEC seven. Notable teams include Virginia Tech under new coach James Franklin and Michigan led by Kyle Whittingham.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.