The Red Sox are rolling into their next series with momentum to spare, but the Orioles are bringing their own surge to Fenway Park.
Boston’s 13-game winning streak has turned the club into one of the hottest teams in baseball, and that run included a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays coming out of the All-Star Break. Now the Red Sox get another AL East test, and this one comes against a Baltimore team that has caught fire at the same time.
The Orioles arrive on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping the Houston Astros to open the second half. They were well under .500 when that stretch started, but they’ve climbed to within two games of an even record. Boston, meanwhile, sits two games over .500 after its 13 straight wins.
That sets up a series where something has to break. Both clubs are trying to gain ground on the Rays and Yankees at the top of the division, and this early-second-half matchup carries real weight. The winner of the series will walk away with even more momentum, while the loser will have to watch a streak end.
For the Red Sox, the path is clear: keep Baltimore from getting any closer and keep strengthening their own position in the race.
The three-game series opens Monday night at Fenway Park with these probable pitchers:
Monday: Shane Baz vs. Payton Tolle
Tuesday: Kyle Bradish vs. TBD
Wednesday: Dean Kremer vs. Jake Bennett
Boston will then have an off day Thursday before welcoming the Blue Jays to town.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Face A Risky Deadline Reunion Debate
The Red Sox have spent enough of this season building a legitimate pitching staff and staying in the playoff race that any deadline conversation now comes with a different kind of pressure. Boston does not need a splash for the sake of it, but the market is already starting to point toward names that would force the front office to weigh present-day help against long-term flexibility.
One scenario making the rounds would test that balance in a hurry, because it involves a familiar face with a hefty contract and a reliever who would instantly become one of the most coveted arms available. For Boston, the appeal is obvious on paper, but so is the risk of getting pulled into a deal that is as complicated financially as it is intriguing on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Story Suddenly Looms Over Red Sox Wild Card Push
Bostons sweep of the Rays has the club rolling at exactly the right time, and the timing only sharpens the intrigue around Trevor Story. The Red Sox are sitting in the No. 3 American League Wild Card spot and are just one game behind Cleveland for No. 2, which means every bit of help matters as the calendar turns toward the stretch run.
Story has been out since May 14 after sports hernia surgery, but his return is starting to feel close enough to matter in the standings conversation. A minor league rehab assignment appears near, though he has stopped short of putting a date on it, and once that assignment begins Boston will have a limited window before it has to make a decision on activating him. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans May Need To Take Gage Ziehl More Seriously
Gage Ziehl keeps giving the Red Sox reasons to pay attention, even if his path to Boston still looks like a longer-term project. The right-hander turned in another sharp outing for Double-A Portland, working five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and showing the kind of command and swing-and-miss stuff that can make a prospect start to move up the organizational ladder.
Ziehls rise is worth tracking because he has already been through a lot of movement for a pitcher still trying to establish himself. Boston got him this offseason in the deal that sent Jordan Hicks to the White Sox, and he had previously been traded from the Yankees to Chicago, so there has been plenty of roster churn around him already. He is not likely to reach the majors this season, but if the strong outings keep coming, Triple-A Worcester could be the next stop. [Read more 🡒]