The Boston Red Sox’s 15-game winning streak came to a halt the same way so many bad nights start: with the game getting away from them before they could settle in. Baltimore put up four runs in the first inning on three hits, plus a walk and a wild pitch, and Boston never dug out of the early mess.
Eduardo Rivera took the ball for the Red Sox, but he barely made it through the opening frame. He was pulled after 0.2 innings, and Brayan Bello came on to record the final out without issue. Not long after that rough outing, Boston sent Rivera back to Triple-A, where he has spent most of the season.
Rivera’s big-league numbers are still a mixed bag. In 10 innings in the majors, he has given up seven runs on eight hits with 10 strikeouts and six walks. In the minors, though, he has been much sharper, posting a 2.44 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 62 strikeouts and 24 walks over 48 innings split between the Sea Dogs and WooSox.
The move wasn’t only about one bad start against Baltimore. Boston also expects Ranger Suarez to come off the injured list in the coming days.
The club had hoped to activate Suarez to start against the Orioles on July 21, but that game was washed out. He also didn’t start either game of the doubleheader the next day because of an illness.
Now, the Red Sox could bring him back to face the Toronto Blue Jays on July 24, or they could hold him until his next turn in the rotation.
Rivera’s outing drew an ugly reaction from some fans at Fenway Park and online, with boos in the ballpark and hurtful comments on social media after some blamed him for the end of the streak. But Rivera is only 23 and is still in his first MLB season, and he was never supposed to be in that spot in the first place with Suarez expected to be available.
Boston came one win short of a franchise record, but the streak was always going to end eventually. Rivera simply got stuck with the tough assignment on the night it happened.
He could still be part of the picture later this season. With Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle now established as key rotation pieces, the Red Sox do not have much minor league pitching depth left, which means Rivera could be back in the mix if injuries hit again.
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