The Boston Red Sox open a three-game interleague road series tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks in one of the last weekends of the 2025 MLB regular season.
Boston enters play 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East race and in second place in the Wild Card standings, just half a game behind the New York Yankees. But their postseason push has taken a hit with the loss of rookie sensation Roman Anthony.
Anthony, who debuted on June 9, transformed the Red Sox offense from the leadoff spot. Boston was three games under .500 before he arrived. After that, they surged to 16 games over .500 — a 19-game turnaround.
Boston ranked 16th in the majors in runs scored over the month of May. In June, they had climbed to fifth.
Anthony was hitting .311 over his last 30 games with six home runs and 15 RBIs before his injury. Without him, the lineup has already struggled. They scored just one run in their first game without their catalyst at the top of the order.
Tonight, the Red Sox turn to another rookie standout: left-hander Payton Tolle, who impressed in his MLB debut last weekend, striking out eight over 5.1 innings while allowing only two earned runs.
Arizona sends veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound. He’s a familiar face in Boston — he spent seven years with the team and helped them win the 2018 World Series.
Rodriguez has endured an uneven season, entering at 6–8 with a 5.40 ERA. He’s alternated between poor outings and sharp ones — most recently throwing six scoreless innings of four-hit ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks will need more strong outings from Rodriguez to make a postseason push in these final weeks of the regular season. They’re just 5.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, but they face a brutal closing stretch, with upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Dodgers, and two matchups against the San Francisco Giants. If they can string together wins, Arizona could still mount a push, but the road ahead is steep.
Prediction
Given Rodriguez’s inconsistency and Boston’s urgency, expect the Red Sox offense to do just enough to back Tolle for his first MLB win.
Prediction: Red Sox 4, Diamondbacks 3
Starting Lineups
Boston Red Sox
1. Carlos Narváez – C
2. Jarren Duran – LF
3. Alex Bregman – 3B
4. Trevor Story – SS
5. Romy González – 2B
6. Rob Refsnyder – DH
7. Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
8. Nick Eaton – RF
9. Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
Starting Pitcher: Payton Tolle (LHP)
Arizona Diamondbacks
1. Ketel Marte – 2B
2. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
3. Corbin Carroll – RF
4. Gabriel Moreno – C
5. Blaze Alexander – CF
6. Israel Vargas – DH
7. Josh Lawlar – 3B
8. Thomas Locklear – 1B
9. Jhoan Barrosa – LF
Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP)
How to Watch Red Sox vs. Diamondbacks
First pitch for tonight’s game between the Boston Red Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks is set for 9:40 PM Eastern / 6:40 PM Pacific at Chase Field in Phoenix.
The game airs live on NESN in Boston and Dbacks.TV. Fans in Phoenix can also watch the game on 12 News KPNX, available for free via antenna and at no additional cost through most cable, satellite, and live streaming packages.
Boston Red Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Date: Friday, September 5, 2025
First Pitch: 9:40 PM Eastern / 6:40 PM Pacific
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
TV: NESN (Boston), Dbacks.TV (Arizona)
Streaming: MLB.TV (out-of-market) and regional platforms as available
Globely News covers the game changers transforming the worlds of business, sports, politics, and technology. From AI and electric vehicles to the rise of China and the NFL's next stars, we've got you covered.