The Boston Red Sox have turned their post-All-Star break surge into something that feels very real, and now they get a fresh test at home against a Baltimore Orioles club that’s riding a streak of its own.
Boston’s 13-game winning streak began on the road before the break, but the Red Sox have kept rolling once they got back home. After finishing off a four-game sweep of the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, they open a three-game series Monday night against the Orioles, who arrive in Boston with seven straight wins.
“I feel like we've flipped the script,” Boston third baseman Caleb Durbin said.
The Red Sox are now two games above .500 for the first time since winning on Opening Day, and they sit just two wins shy of the franchise record of 15 in a row, set in 1946. Interim manager Chad Tracy said the run has mattered because of who Boston has beaten and where it’s happening.
"You're winning games against clubs that have a chance to be in the playoffs. That's important," Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said.
"It's important that we're playing this way out of the All-Star break. It's important that we're doing it at home.
All those things matter."
Sunday’s 6-1 win over Tampa Bay was another clean example of what’s driving the streak. Willson Contreras delivered a two-run homer in the fifth inning to stretch the lead to 6-1, and that was more than enough behind another quality start from Sonny Gray. Contreras, back from a suspension, has now homered twice in three games and has four home runs in seven games since July 4.
Boston will hand the ball to Payton Tolle, who is 5-6 with a 3.11 ERA, for his first start since the All-Star break. The Red Sox limited him to 3 2/3 innings last Sunday against the New York Mets to manage his workload, and he still did the job: seven strikeouts, one run allowed, and just three hits surrendered in 3 2/3 innings.
Tolle has given up one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, and one of his three shutout outings this season came against Baltimore. In his first career start on June 3, he held the Orioles to seven hits over six innings and struck out five.
Baltimore comes in with momentum too, even if the record still sits two games under .500 at 49-51. The Orioles completed a three-game road sweep of the Houston Astros with a 5-2 win on Sunday.
That game didn’t come with a flood of hits - Baltimore had just six, including two from Dylan Beavers - but the offense kept creating chances. The Orioles drew seven walks, were hit by pitches four times, and got a steal of home from Gunnar Henderson on a double steal. Henderson said the approach is about wearing down the defense.
"(Our offense just wants to) continue to put pressure on defenses," Henderson said. "If you do that over the course of nine innings, you're bound to break through."
They did break through in the fifth inning, when Leody Taveras lined a two-run single.
As Baltimore gets set for Boston, manager Craig Albernaz is also monitoring catcher Samuel Basallo, who left Sunday’s game in the second inning with right shoulder discomfort during an at-bat. Albernaz said, "It's been a lingering thing, and obviously, he just aggravated it," and also noted that All-Star Adley Rutschman was experiencing left discomfort before the game.
The Orioles are scheduled to start Shane Baz, who is 4-9 with a 4.19 ERA and is still looking for his first win since June 12. He has struck out nine in two of his five starts since then, including a 4 2/3-inning outing last Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
Baltimore’s rotation had originally lined up Kyle Bradish for Monday, but he was pushed back a day after signing a five-year extension on Saturday. That deal made him the highest-paid pitcher in Orioles history.
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