Jake

Bennett

Bennett made it through the first inning without any issues but gave up a solo homer in the second inning to Rafael Flores to put his team down 1-0. The Pirates would add three more runs in the fourth inning after the first three batters reached base, with Esmerlyn Valdez doubling to drive home two runs. Bennett would make it through the inning but did not return in the fifth. He has now allowed three earned runs or more in each of his last five starts, and has a 5.67 ERA over that span. He’ll look to get things back on track in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Diamondbacks.

Bennett tossed three scoreless innings, then gave up a run on three hits in the fourth. The A’s brought two more runs in to score in the fifth on a hit batter, a single, and a double. Bennett returned for the sixth and issued a walk with one out before he was pulled at 88 pitches. The inherited runner would come in to score. The 25-year-old left-hander will take a 3.17 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 55/16 K/BB ratio across 76 2/3 innings into a start against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Thursday.

All of the runs came in the third after a Teoscar Hernández grounder that really should have been handled rolled through the infield. There was also a very debatable intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani that preceded a two-run single from Andy Pages. Fortunately, the Boston offense picked Bennett up afterwards. He’s 7-4 with a 2.90 ERA ahead of a favorable home start next weekend against the A’s.

Bennett pitched a clean first inning, then gave up a run on two hits in the second. He settled in to hold the A’s from scoring again into the seventh before Brian Serven took him deep for a two-run homer. That would do it for Bennett, ending his day with one out in the seventh at 88 pitches. He struck out four. The 25-year-old left-hander will take a 2.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 46/11 K/BB ratio across 65 2/3 innings into a start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Bennett’s weakest showing in over a month didn’t prevent him from winning a fifth straight start. He gave up nine hits, including a Christian Encarnacion-Strand homer, but he walked none and struck out four. Since getting his full-time rotation spot last month, he’s walked just five in 49 innings, with one of those being intentional. He’s 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA overall, and in spite of his below average 18.3 percent strikeout rate, he’s worth using in mixed leagues right now. He’ll pitch in Sacramento next week.

The Red Sox are going to wait until the last possible second before making a decision whether to activate Ranger Suarez (groin) for the nightcap at Fenway Park. Bennett was brilliant in his previous outing, tossing six scoreless innings to defeat the Rays last Friday. He’s a viable option in all fantasy leagues at this point.

Somehow, Bennett returned. He struck out just three, but allowed only one hit, a single to Junior Caminero, in a gem. Bafflingly, he only found four whiffs in 26 swings and his velocity was down a full tick. He also allowed only four hard-hit balls. Bennett has a 1.87 ERA over his last seven starts and should be viewed as a locked-in 12-team starter against the Orioles next week.

He’ll head up the first game of a double-header. The Red Sox don’t have a declared starter for Game 2 of the doubleheader yet, but Patrick Sandoval and Sonny Gray will follow on Saturday and Sunday. Bennett finished the first half 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 47 2/3 innings while striking out 35. The Rays aren’t an easy matchup, but we can understand giving Bennett a chance in mixed leagues.

He struck out four. Bennett is on an excellent roll, having allowed a total of three runs over 27 innings in his last four starts. In eight starts overall, he’s 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA and a 35/8 K/BB in 47 2/3 innings. It’d be nice to see more strikeouts before giving him a stamp-of-approval as a full rest-of-season option, but he’s in a groove right now.

Bennett kept the Angels hitless until the fifth and scoreless until the eighth while striking out six and walking none. He’s been a really nice surprise in posting a 3.10 ERA and a 31/7 K/BB in 40 2/3 innings over seven starts, but it’d still be nice to see more than a 20 percent strikeout rate before recommending him. He’ll face the White Sox next.