BOSTON -- The two hottest teams in MLB will square off for three games at Fenway Park starting Monday night.
For much of the season, neither the Red Sox nor the Orioles appeared to be legitimate postseason contenders in the American League. But quite a bit has changed of late, and now, both Boston and Baltimore are making pushes up the AL Wild Card standings -- and making the AL East race a bit more interesting as well.
The Red Sox (50-48) have won 13 games in a row, the longest winning streak by any team in the Major Leagues this season. (The next closest is 10, which the Cubs accomplished twice from both April 14-24 and April 28-May 8.)
It’s tied for the second-longest winning streak in Boston’s long history. The Sox had a 15-game run from April 25-May 10, 1946, and they had a 13-game streak from July 18-27, 1948.
The Orioles (49-51), meanwhile, have won seven in a row. It’s their longest winning streak since a seven-game run from Sept. 2-9, 2023.
Prior to this streak, Baltimore hadn’t won more than three games in a row this season -- though it had won three straight seven times up to that point.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Monday will mark the fifth time in the Expansion Era (since 1961) that two teams face off while each sported at least a seven-game winning streak. The previous four occurrences were:
June 23, 2023: Reds (11) beat Braves (eight), 11-10
Aug. 23, 2021: Yankees (nine) beat Braves (nine), 5-1
Sept. 19, 2008: Marlins (eight) beat Phillies (seven), 14-8
June 30, 1975: White Sox (eight) beat A’s (eight), 6-1
It's also just the second time in history that two opponents have entered a matchup while both holding win streaks that spanned at least seven games and added up to at least 20 games, according to Opta STATS. The only previous instance was in 1884, when the St. Louis Maroons (12 straight wins) and Washington Nationals (11) squared off.
How the Red Sox got here
The first time Boston and Baltimore met this year turned out to be a pivotal point for the Red Sox. Following a 17-1 win at Camden Yards on April 25 to improve to 10-17, the Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora and five members of their coaching staff.
The Red Sox were 27-31 under interim manager Chad Tracy (and 37-48 overall) entering July 3, at which point they embarked on a three-city road trip that turned everything around.
Boston swept three-game road series against the Angels, White Sox and Mets to cap its first half in remarkable fashion. Then, the Sox came out of the All-Star break and promptly swept the AL East-leading Rays in four games (including a Friday doubleheader) at Fenway Park.
All of a sudden, the Red Sox have a winning record, trail Tampa Bay by only six games for the AL East lead and are sitting in the third AL Wild Card position.
“It's really cool, but go to the next game,” Tracy said Sunday. “Baltimore tomorrow, and get prepared for them and keep doing it. I won't shy away from what we're doing. It’s pretty incredible and it's a fun ride, and we want to keep it going. But focus on tomorrow and get ready to play again tomorrow.”
How the Orioles got here
Things were looking a bit bleak for Baltimore entering July 9, as the O’s were 42-51, marking the second time they had sat a season-worst nine games below .500. Even after notching a 3-2 victory in a series finale vs. the Cubs, the Orioles still needed to prove they could get hot and go on a long run.
Sure enough, the O’s swept a three-game home series against the struggling Royals to end the first half. Then, they came out of the All-Star break and traveled to Houston, where they swept a three-game set from the Astros (47-54), another team trying to keep pace in the competitive AL Wild Card picture.
It hasn’t always been pretty. Games such as Saturday’s 4-2, 11-inning win at Daikin Park (which featured multiple twists and turns) have been prime examples of that. But Baltimore has fought and scrapped to stay in the mix.
“With good teams, you win a lot of games. To be able to win a lot of games in this league, you have to win a lot of ugly games, and it’s a byproduct of that,” first-year manager Craig Albernaz said over the weekend. “That’s why since Spring Training I’ve been preaching about our ability to win in a bunch of different areas and a bunch of different facets. Yes, we want to be able to slug with guys and have a pitchers’ duel and go toe-to-toe there.
“All those little things to get where we want to go, we have to be able to do, and that’s what good teams do.”
Pitching matchups
Monday, 7:10 p.m. ET: RHP Shane Baz (4-9, 4.19 ERA) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.11)
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. ET: RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61) vs. TBA
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET: RHP Dean Kremer (1-2, 4.15) vs. LHP Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35)
Fun facts
- The Red Sox are two games above .500 for the first time this season. The O’s are two games below .500 for the first time since they were 31-33 after play on June 5.
- Boston has won eight straight matchups vs. AL East opponents. The Sox are currently playing a 10-game homestand against exclusively division rivals, as the Blue Jays will come to town this weekend for a three-game set.
- Bradish’s Tuesday start will be his first outing since signing a five-year, $90 million extension on Saturday. The 29-year-old right-hander became the third core player on the Orioles’ roster to sign an extension in the past year, joining catcher Samuel Basallo (eight years, $67 million last August) and Baz (five years, $68 million in March).