Red Sox try to finish homestand sweep of Giants, turning to Jake Bennett on the mound

The Red Sox close their homestand with an attempt at a sweep of the Giants after winning a second straight series with a comeback victory the previous night. The focus today is on whether Boston can keep building on that momentum while navigating a pitching plan that leans heavily on its bullpen, especially if the starter does not reach deep into the game.

Jake Bennett is set to take the mound after what the game preview described as a brief hiatus. The Red Sox are not asking for anything elaborate from the start, but they will want efficiency, with a key benchmark mentioned in the preview of getting through at least five innings. That matters in a matchup where bullpen usage can quickly dictate leverage late.

Boston’s recent comfort has come in part from the quality of its preceding pitching performances. The preview credited Sonny Gray and Patrick Sandoval with solid starts around this series, reinforcing that the Red Sox have been able to turn the early innings into a manageable workload for their relief corps.

The bullpen staffing picture is also shaped by scheduling rhythm. With an off day on either side of the series, Boston’s relief group enters the weekend stretch with what the preview characterized as a decent setup. Even so, the homestand finale still carries the practical reality that late-inning matchups often decide whether a sweep attempt stays on track.

San Francisco counters with Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, a left-handed pitcher described as throwing from the low-90s range. The preview notes this will be his second career appearance, which is part of why the Giants are not expected to extend his outing. The expectation outlined is that Wilkinson is unlikely to go more than three or four innings, pushing San Francisco toward another bullpen-centric plan.

For the Giants, the strategic implication is straightforward: they likely need their relievers to bridge a short start into a late-game opportunity. For the Red Sox, that same implication points to the same theme, making it crucial to hold early leads, avoid letting the game drift into high-leverage bullpen territory without control, and capitalize if San Francisco’s relief group faces traffic.

What to watch next is the shape of Bennett’s first time through the order and whether the Red Sox can turn starting-pitcher innings into at-bat pressure rather than defense-by-default. If Boston hits the five-inning target and keeps the game within reach, the sweep attempt becomes less about survival and more about execution. If not, the day’s outcome may swing quickly to how well both teams’ bullpens handle late innings.