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Red Sox signee Nathaniel Lowe

The Red Sox squandered another brilliant outing from Garrett Crochet on Sunday, blowing a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning to take a 5-3 loss and miss the chance to sweep the Marlins. But the team bounced back with some good news by the end of the night: They are signing first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, the former Rangers and Rays star who struggled this season with the Nationals and was let go this week.

Lowe won a Gold Glove in 2023, as well as helping the Rangers to a World Series title. He was the AL’s Silver Slugger winner in 2022 when he batted .302 with 27 home runs.

As Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported: “Boston is finalizing a contract with Nathaniel Lowe and could have him in the lineup before Monday’s game against the Orioles, according to major league sources. Lowe, a former Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner, could be active as soon as Monday, though the Sox will likely start lefty masher Romy Gonzalez against southpaw Trevor Rogers in the series opener against Baltimore.”

Red Sox Need 1B Help

The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas to a knee injury in May and since then, have used a platoon of righty Romy Gonzalez and switch hitter Abraham Toro. Boston’s first basemen have combined to bat .238 this season, with an OPS of .686, which ranks 22nd in MLB.

As Cotillo references, Gonzalez is still likely to remain in the lineup as half of the team’s platoon. He is batting .295 this season, with a .856 OPS, and is hitting .354 against lefties. Toro, though, has been a weak spot, with a slash line of .247/.297/.382.

Lowe has hit 16 homers this season, but was batting just .216 for the struggling Nationals. He has hit just .235 against righties but his on-base percentage is .312 and his slugging mark is .421. He has a .786 OPS against righties in his career.

Yankees Series Looming

The Red Sox will open a quick, two-game series against the Orioles on Monday at Fenway Park before hitting the road for a critical series in New York against the Yankees.

In blowing Sunday’s game, the Red Sox not only missed a chance to pick up a game on the Blue Jays in the AL East, but they lost ground to the Yankees, who have managed three straight wins, and have won five of their last six after hitting the skids for much of July and August.

The Red Sox and Mariners are tied atop the AL’s wild-card race at 67-58, with the Yankees a half-game behind. The Guardians (3.5 games back in the WC race) and Royals (4.0 games back) are the only other AL teams over .500.

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney