Can The Red Sox Stay Hot Against The Cardinals With Matt McCarthy

April 10, 2026·16 min·1 clip

Matt McCarthy analyzes whether the Red Sox can secure a winning road trip against the Cardinals with Dustin May pitching tonight.

Host Travis Thomas welcomes Matt McCarthy from 98.5 The Sports Hub to preview the Red Sox road trip. McCarthy says a four-and-two road trip against the Cardinals and another series is the minimum expectation for a team that should compete in the American League. The discussion shifts to Jaron Duran after the hosts note he was pinch-hit for in the eighth inning against a tough lefty during the weekend Padres series and then not started against a lefty at Fenway on Wednesday. McCarthy calls this a sneaky emerging story from the homestand, questioning whether Duran is becoming a platoon player. He notes that Duran played 160 games two years ago but the Red Sox have not asked that of him recently. McCarthy explains the outfield depth problem: the team has five outfielders — Duran, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida, and others — for three spots, and Alex Cora has a difficult management task ahead. He argues Yoshida's contract is essentially immovable and that Duran's trade value, while still higher than Yoshida's, makes a mid-season deal unlikely given the team is in playoff contention. On Roman Anthony, McCarthy says the Red Sox have put too much pressure on a 21-year-old by making him a leadoff hitter, and proposes moving him to the three spot in the order with Wilson Contreras behind him for protection. He suggests moving Duran back to leadoff as a run-scorer. McCarthy and the hosts discuss the history of the Portland Sea Dogs as a development pipeline, with McCarthy having covered the 2013 team that included players like Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, and Matt Barnes — the core of the 2018 World Series team. Guest Manny reflects on joining the Red Sox roster alongside veterans Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz and how those experienced players guided younger ones. McCarthy raises the concern that today's young Red Sox players lack comparable veteran mentors. The episode then pivots to the Patriots, with McCarthy addressing the reported relationship between head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL insider Diana Russini. He argues it is a legitimate sports story because a reporter with a connection to the head coach could create locker room trust issues, drawing a parallel to a situation involving former manager John Farrell. The episode closes with a brief mention of Celtics forward James Higgins and whether he will see action before the playoffs.

As heard by us

A brisk Red Sox check-in that turns lineup shuffling into an argument worth having.

Matt McCarthy has a blunt Boston baseball read on whether the Red Sox's recent uptick is real and what the lineup should look like if it is. The focus stays on a winning road trip, Roman Anthony's place in the order, and the case for moving Jarren Duran back to the top instead…

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Why you'd press play

You want a Red Sox lineup argument with actual stakes.

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