Sox Edge Jays Late (7/24/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made some roster moves. The Florida Complex Red Sox season ended and the Sox released three guys as soon as the final game was over. Venezuelan right handed pitchers Denison Sanchez and Yoelvin Chirino was released as well as 2025 14th round pick, right handed pitcher Carter Rasmussen. Chirino allowed 25 runs in 33 innings for the Complex Sox last year and 37 runs in 23 innings this year. That wasn't going to get it done. Sanchez at least had one moment in the sun when he was apart of a combined no-hitter but still allowed 24 runs in 21 innings. The 6 foot 5 Rasmussen was a head scratcher as he was AWFUL at Brown University when the Sox drafted him and he allowed 27 runs in 16 innings for the FCS. Goes to show Sox GM Craig Breslow can't turn everyone that's over 6'4 into a stud. Apart from a wasted draft pick, no big loss.

                                                                       OUT

As for the game, rarely this season are games considered "must win" but this was certainly one of them for the Red Sox. The Sox win streak was snapped on Wednesday night and contrarian Sox fans and radio hosts spent all of Thursday saying to sell the team, trade all the stars and blow up Fenway Park. Coming back against the Toronto Blue Jays was a must tonight, and they nearly blew it. Patrick Sandoval lasted just 4 2/3 innings but the Sox built a 4-0 lead. Anthony Seigler hit a leadoff home run off Trey Yesavage and two innings later Ceddanne Rafaela went yard. Andruw Monasterio hit a sac fly and things looked great with one out in the seventh inning....and it fell apart. Greg Weissert allowed a 3 run home run to Kazuma Okamoto in the seventh and Garrett Whitlock allowed the tying run to score in the eighth. Game over right? WRONG! Romy Gonzalez came off the bench to knock in a run and Seigler drove in yet another run to give the Sox the lead back. Aroldis Chapman slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox had gotten back on the winning track with a 6-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                          Smarty Pants approves of the win

Sandoval got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ernie Clement immediately reached on an error by Patrick to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to left and Kazuma Okamoto took strike three. Clement took second on a wild pitch, George Springer walked and both runners moved over on a passed ball. Alejandro Kirk walked to load the bases but Davis Schneider took strike three to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Yesavage in the bottom of the first as Anthony Seigler smashed his third home run of the season to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu lined out to left, but Willson Contreras beat out a roller to old pal Luis Urias. Contreras stole second and Masataka Yoshida walked, but Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                         Seigler is fired up for this one

Daulton Varsho beat out a roller to second to start the top of the second but Urias struck out swinging. Myles Straw lined out to right and Clement lined out to short to end the inning. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Andruw Monasterio did the same. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Guerrero Jr popped up to first to start the top of the second and Okamoto grounded out to short. Springer flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Seigler got a base hit to left to start. Rafaela blasted his 10th home run of the season to increase the lead but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                         Rafaela gets a piece of one

Kirk got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Schneider forced him at second. Varsho got a base hit to center but Urias popped up to first. Straw lined out to left to end the inning. Durbin took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Duran grounded out to first. Monasterio got a base hit to right but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Clement grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth inning but Guerrero Jr got a base hit to left. Naturally Okamoto doubled to left but Springer hit one up the elevator shaft. That was it for Sandoval as Sox manager wasnt going go take any chances with a rested bullpen. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings but allowed no runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. Tyron Guerrero came in and Kirk flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                             Not great but it'll do

Mason Fluharty came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Seigler flied out to right to start. Rafaela and Abreu both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Nathan Lukes pinch hit for Schneider to start the top of the sixth and struck out swinging. Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob Varsho of a hit and Urias grounded out to third to end the inning. Braydon Fisher came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida walked, Durbin was hit with a pitch and Duran beat out a roller to short to load the bases. Monasterio hit a sac fly to center to score Yoshida to increase the lead and Wong got a base hit to left. Unfortunately Durbin was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                             Monasterio drives in a run

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Yohendrick Pinango pinch hit for Straw. Pinango took strike three but Clement was hit with a pitch. Naturally Guerrero Jr got a base hit to center and Okamoto hot a home run all the way to Finland to cut the lead. Springer flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to short to end the inning but the Jays were back in it down 4-3.

                                                           Dammit

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Seigler doubled to left to start. Naturally Rafaela failed to get him over by grounding out to short but Abreu walked. Contreras flied out to center but Yoshida reached on an error by Guerrero to load the bases. Naturally Durbin grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The inevitable happened as Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock got tagged in the top of the eighth as Lukes doubled to left to start. Varsho got a base hit to right to move Lukes to third and Andres Gimenez pinch hit for Urias. Gimenez hit a sac fly to center to score Lukes to tie the game but Pinango struck out swinging. Clement flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                Blue Jays tie it

CJ Van Eyk came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran got a base hit to left to start. Monasterio popped up to Guerrero and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Wong. Gonzalez doubled into the left field corner to score Duran to give the Sox the lead. Seigler doubled off the Monster to score Gonzalez and Rafaela got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. That was it for Van Eyk as Adam Macko came in to face Abreu. Abreu popped up to Clement and Contreras was intentionally walked to load the bases to get to Yoshida. Sox manager Chad Tracy countered by sending in Jahmai Jones to pinch hit. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with Carlos Narvaez now behind the plate. Naturally Guerrero Jr walked but Okamoto struck out swinging. Springer flied out to center but Guerrero took second on defensive indifference. Kirk struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 6-4.

                                                              Sox win
                                                         

Hero of The Night is Romy Gonzalez. He came in ice cold off the bench and delivered the rbi to put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 Hero Gonzalez

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 4 for 5 with a home run, 2 rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Patrick Sandoval tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and 2 walks.

Tyron Guerrero tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 24th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jahmai Jones struck out as a pinch hitter.

Greg Weissert allowed a 3 run home run in the seventh.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Honorable Mention:

Carlos Narvaez caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about going from an easy victory to a potential heartbreaking loss to a gutty win. The Sox had this game in the bag with the bases empty and one out in the seventh inning and found a way to blow it. Between April and June you could have penciled in a ninth or tenth inning loss but these days the Sox find way to get it done. Romy Gonzalez comes in ice cold to deliver the big hit and a guy who slumped for 3 weeks getting the insurance knock wasn't happening 2 months ago. Too bad Sandoval couldn't go longer but like mentioned before, this was a must win game. Pundits and critics were saying for 48 hours that the Sox crashed back to earth and another loss might have justified their absurdity. Instead the Sox claw their way back to victory to shut them up. The bad news was both the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees lost so the Sox gained no ground on them, but the good news was Tampa beat Cleveland. Mostly due to games in hand, the Sox are now currently in possession of the second wild card even though the Indians have one more win than they do. The funny thing is the Sox have a better record than the AL West front runner Texas Rangers and are one game behind the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. Somehow in one calendar month the Sox went from one game in front of the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in baseball to the fourth best record in the American League. The Sox still have a lot of work to do and we're still one week from the trade deadline. Craig Breslow has to make a choice of doing nothing at the deadline and banking on the injured players coming back or sacrificing prospects to make a trade for a big bat. Either way things will work itself out in the next week or so. The win improved the Sox to 53-49, 6.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays tomorrow afternoon in a battle of aces. Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) takes on Dylan Cease of Toronto. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Durbin, Sox Drop O's for 15th Straight Win in Game 1 (7/22/26)

2 months ago the Boston Red Sox had won of the worst offenses in franchise history, today they tied the franchise record for most consecutive wins with the 1946 American League Champion Red Sox. A rainout turned today into a double-header and the Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1. Jake Bennett (6-3, 2.58 ERA) tossed 5 2/3 gutty innings holding the Orioles to just 3 runs despite nine hits. The story of the game was the rally in the first inning against Baltimore starter Dean Kremer. Caleb Durbin drove in the first two runs and a Jarren Duran triple drove int he next two. Duran added another rbi and Ceddanne Rafaela belted a home run to put the game out of reach. The Triangle of Terror Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox made it 15 wins in a row with a 6-3 victory in Game 1 over the Orioles at Fenway Park.

                                                  Tex Hughson approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Taylor Ward struck out swinging to start. Pete Alonso grounded out to short but Gunnar Henderson singled past Jake. Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning. Kremer got the ball in the bottom of the first and Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit in the hole at second but Wilyer Abreu lined out to first. Willson Contreras got a base hit to left to load the bases and Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center to score both Yoshida & Rafaela. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Jarren Duran tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                         Run Duran! Run!

Coby Mayo popped up to second to start the top of the second and Leody Taveras lined out to right. Christian Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to center and Jackson Holliday got a base hit to left but Sam Huff struck out swinging to end the inning. Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Yoshida walked. Rafaela flied out to center and Abreu popped up to third to end the inning. 

The O's struck back in the top of the third as Ward lined out to right to start. Alonso hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill doubled to center to score Alonso but Mayo flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 4-1.

                                                            O's get a run back

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Durbin beat out a roller to third, Gonzalez doubled off the Monster and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Durbin. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1

                                                         Duran drives in another run

The Os refused to give up in the top of the fourth as Wong snuffed out a bunt by Taveras to start. Encarnacion-Strand hit his second home run of the series to cut the lead but Holliday grounded out to first. Huff grounded out to third to end the inning with the Os down 5-2.

                                                           Strand again?

The Sox got the run back in the bottom of the fourth as Cheng grounded out to second to start. Yoshida flied out to left but Rafaela launched his 9th home run of the year to increase the lead. Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                        Rafaela jacks one

Ward lined out to Bennett to start the top of the fifth but Alonso got a base hit to center. Henderson flied out to right and Henderson struck out swinging to end the inning. Contreras flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Durbin grounded out to second. Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Bennett ran out of gas in the top of the sixth as Mayo doubled to left to start. Taveras grounded out to first to move Mayo to third and Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to left to score Coby. A wild pitch moved Strand to second but Holliday flied out to left. Johnathan Rodriguez pinch hit for Huff and Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled Bennett. He was game, allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and the O's swapped out Rodriguez with Dylan Beavers. Beavers popped up to third to end the inning with the Os down 6-3.

                                                                Good work Jake

Chadwick Tromp took over behind the plate for the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to first to start. Wong grounded out to second and Cheng lined out to right to end the inning. 

Ward got a base hit to left to start the top of the seventh but Alonso lined out to center. Henderson flied out to right and O'Neill took strike three down the middle to end the inning. Anthony Nunez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to third to start. Rafaela popped up to first and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Colton Cowser pinch hit for Mayo. Cowser flied out to rightt, Taveras grounded out to second and Strand also grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Durbin forced him at second. Gonzalez popped up to first and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Holliday got a base hit to center to start. Tromp banged into a double play but Ward walked. Ward took second on defense indifference but Alonso grounded out to short to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His two run single in the first set the tone for the game

                                                             Hero Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 3 rbis.

Jake Bennett got the win allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits.

Justin Slaten tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 23rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

This is absolutely unbelievable. They were dead in the water, 14 games under .500 and 1 game ahead of the worst team in baseball that just beat them 2 out of 3 games......and one month later they've won 15 in a row and 20 out of 22 to tie a franchise record. Its gotten to the point where one loss will have a certain amount of fans going "Thats it, its all over. Sell the team, sell all the players, fire Breslow and blow up Fenway Park. Its over." The solution is to just not lose. The franchise hasn't won 15 games in a row in 80 years and that team went on to the World Series. Meanwhile this win streak just put them just 4 games over .500. Bennett tired by the end of the sixth and that's the big concern is the rookie wall is going to hit Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Bennett hard. Its important to get Ranger Suarez back physically healthy and Brayan Bello mentally healthy because they're going to need them with Garrett Crochet out. It was good to see Duran contribute big time and the turnaround for Durbin has been Dustin Pedroia 2007-esque. Sox fans still want to trade Chapman but the three headed monster with Chapman, Whitlock and Slaten is as good as anyone in the league. One of the way they've won 15 in a row is by shortening games with lights out relief pitching. The Sox just need to keep doing what they're doing and they'll be right there in the end. Sox GM Craig Breslow might pull some voodoo magic at the trade deadline or he might stand pat and hope Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Garrett Crochet come back. Just enjoy this streak while it lasts. The win improved the Sox to 52-48, no sense posting the standings yet. The Sox look to set an all-time franchise record with their 16th win in a row in Game 2 of the series in a few hours with Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ERA) going for the Sox against Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past O's For 14th Straight Win (7/20/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made a roster move. Outfielder Matt Lloyd was released by the Worcester Red Sox after hitting just .206 with 5 home runs in 30 games. With the incoming crop of draft picks and Dominican kids, not to mention the trade deadline, a lot of guys are going to be coming up. Lloyd hitting just .206 wasn't going to cut it.

                                                                     Bye bye Lloyd

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox came into this game riding a 13 game win streak while the Baltimore Orioles had won 7 in a row themselves. Somebody's O had got to go and luckily for the Red Sox, they hung on to win this one. In what was arguably the best back and forth game of the year the Sox rallied against the Orioles three times after the O's took a 1-0 lead off the bat against Payton Tolle of Boston. The Sox answered in the bottom of the second and scored two more in the third to take the lead. The O's rallied for 3 runs in the top of the sixth but the Sox got one back to tie it in the bottom of the frame. The O's got to Tyron Guerrero for a run in the seventh but Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Tsung-Che Cheng to tie it again. Caleb Durbin then struck the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth and Cheng made a game saving stab in the ninth to save Aroldis Chapman & the streak. The Sox made it 14 straight with a 6-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                               Stephanie McMahon approves of the win

The O's wasted not time getting to Tolle in the top of the first inning as Taylor Ward popped up to first to start. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Gunnar Henderson doubled into the gap in left. Old friend Tyler O'Neill hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Gunnar but Coby Mayo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            It had to be him?

Baz got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Anthony Seigler lined out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Leody Taveras walked to start the top of the second but Jeremiah Jackson struck out swinging. Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out swinging and Sam Huff also went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras got a base hit to center to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right and Contreras moved to third on a fly ball to right by Caleb Durbin. Jarren Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Contreras to tie the game but Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Duran ties it

Ward grounded out to third to start the top of the third and Alonso flied out to right. Henderson doubled to left but O'Neill popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start. Seigler flied out to left but Jackson threw a grounder by Rafaela away for an error. Abreu ripped a double to center to score Rafaela and Henderson's throw home got away to move Wilyer to third. Contreras got a base hit off the glove of Henderson to score Abreu and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        4 errors in this one for Baltimore

Mayo struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Taveras struck out looking. Jackson grounded out to first to end the inning. Durbin flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Duran got a base hit to right. Wong grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The O's fought back in the top of the fifth as Strand hit a home run all the way to Portugal to start. Huff struck out swinging and Ward grounded out to third. Alonso was hit with a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Seiger grounded out to first. Rafaela took strike three to end the inning. 

Henderson grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but O'Neill beat out a roller to third. Mayo struck out swinging but Taveras singled to center. Naturally Jackson singled to left to score O'Neill and Strand got a base hit to center to score Taveras, putting Baltimore on top. That was it for Tolle who once again ran out of gas after 75 pitches, allowing 4 runs off 8 hits and a walk. Tyron Guerrero froze Huff for strike three to end the inning with the O's ahead 4-3.

                                                           Wasn't good enough

The Sox refused to quit in the bottom of the sixth as Baz threw a ball away allowing Abreu to reach second. Contreras doubled to left to score Abreu and took third on a grounder to second by Yoshida. Unfortunately Durbin grounded out to short and Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                     "This is MY house" - Contreras

Naturally the Os rallied in the top of the seventh as Ward doubled to right to start. Alonso got a base hit to center but somehow Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill grounded out to second to score Ward to put the O's up again. Dylan Beavers pinch hit for Mayo and took strike three to end the inning with the Orioles up 5-4.

                                                           He did it again

The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the seventh as Yennier Cano came in to pitch. Wong got a base hit to left but was forced at second by Cheng. Seigler grounded out to second to move Cheng to second Rafaela got a base hit to left. Cheng came around third and Ward threw the ball away to allow Cheng to score & Rafaela to take second. Tyler Wells came in to face Abreu and Wilyer flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                          Sox tie it again

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Taveras struck out swinging to start. Jackson grounded out to second and Jackson Holliday pinch hit for Strand. Holliday grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida did as well. Suddenly Durbin crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-5.

                                                             Durbin puts Boston on top

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with Colton Cowser pinch hitting for Ruff. Naturally Cowser walked after sitting all game but somehow Ward struck out swinging. Alonso struck out swinging but two strikes away from victory, Henderson doubled to left. Naturally O'Neill hit a bullet....RIGHT TO CHENG TO END THE GAME. THE RED SOX WIN 6-5!

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Caleb Durbin. His home run in the 8th inning put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Garrett Whitlock got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4.

Payton Tolle got rocked for 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 8 hits and a walk.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run and made the game saving catch.

Final Thoughts:

Something special might be happening here. Its one thing to go on a win streak, its another thing to run into another red hot team and find a way to win. The O's had won 7 in a row and fought to the bitter end, the Sox just happened to come out on top. The O's looked better on paper by battering the Sox for 11 hits and 5 runs but committing 5 errors and allowing the home run to Durbin was the backbreaker. The Sox got contributions from just about everyone including the unsung Tsung-Che. Fans were asking if Marcelo Mayer or Trevor Story makes that catch and the fact Cheng made it means something's brewing. The Sox have won 14 in a row and 19 out of 21 to claw their way back to respectability. Unfortunately the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays all won so the Sox didn't gain any ground on them, but the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays and the Sox beat the O's to knock both Toronto & Baltimore another game back. The roar of the crowd when Durbin hit the home run was matched by the reaction in the dugout. Every big hit the last 3 weeks has the dugout pouring out for support. Anyone who wants to sell now is an absolute fool. It would be unfair for Sox fans to expect the streak to go any longer but, why not? The win improved the Sox to 51-48, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 15 in a row and match a franchise record tomorrow night against the Orioles when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) comes off the Injured List to face Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Rays for 12th Straight Win (7/18/26)

In 1988 the Boston Red Sox won 12 straight games after Joe Morgan was named interim manger and 22 straight at Fenway Park. Well this year its Tracy's Turnaround as the Boston Red Sox went from 14 games out, last place and a 32-46 record to winning 17 out of 19, 12 straight and are just 7 games behind first place. The Sox made it three straight wins against the first place Tampa Bay Rays in one of the most exciting games of the year. The Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Patrick Sandoval and the Red Sox only for Jahmai Jones to get his first Fenway Park hit in the form of a game tying 2 run home run. A Wilyer Abreu home run put Boston ahead but the Rays rallied for 3 runs against Sandoval and 1 more against Ryan Watson (1-0, 4.62 ERA) to give the Rays a 6-3 lead. The Sox were 0-43 when trailing by 3 runs but tonight the Sox rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the seventh with Abreu hitting the 2 run killshot. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox had beaten the Rays 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Dallas Rea approves of the win

Sandoval got the ball in the top of the first inning after an hour long rain delay and Yandy Diaz walked to start. Jonny DeLuca struck out swinging and Junior Caminero grounded into a double play to end the inning. Ian Seymour got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Anthony Seigler struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to first but Wilyer Abreu walked. Willson Contreras flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Ryan Vilade doubled to left to start. Chandler SImpson hit a routine grounder to Seigler....thrown away for an error to allow Vilade to score. Ben Williamson struck out swinging and Victor Mesa Jr flied out to right, but Nick Fortes got a base hit to right to score Simpson. Richie Palacios grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                         Rays strike first

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Romy Gonzalez grounded out to second to start. Caleb Durbin took strike three but Andruw Monasterio used ABS to change strike three to ball four. Jahmai Jones got his first hit with the Red Sox when he smashed his third home run of the season to tie game. Carlos Narvaez took strike to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                          Welcome to Boston

Diaz popped up to second to start the top of the third and Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob DeLuca of a triple. Caminero singled to right but Vilade struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox surged ahead in the bottom of the third as Seigler took strike three to start. Rafaela popped up to short but Abreu clocked his 14th home run of the season to put Boston ahead.

                                                              Abreu watches it go

The Rays struck back in the top of the fourth as Simpson doubled to center to start. Narvaez threw the ball away on a steal attempt and Simpson came home to tie the game on an error. Williamson grounded out to short but Mesa hit a home run into the Charles River to put Tampa ahead. Fortes struck out swinging but Palacios doubled to left. A passed ball moved Palacios to third and Richie scored on the Diaz base hit to left. DeLuca doubled to center but Diaz was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Rays up 5-3. 

                                                  Rays take command

Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Gonzalez was hit with a pitch to start. Durbin struck out swinging but Gonzalez stole third....only to get up from the slide and keep going where he was thrown out at third. That proved costly as Monasterio hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Jarren Duran pinch hit for Jones. Duran popped up to third to end the inning.

Sandoval returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth and Caminero grounded out to third to start. Vilade did the same and Simpson took strike three to end the inning. Sandoval got rocked for 5 runs in 5 innings off 9 hits and a walk.

                                                       He wasn't good enough

Narvaez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Seigler grounded out to first. Rafaela lined out to right to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Williamson grounded out to first to start. Mesa Jr flied out to left and Fortes struck out swinging to end the inning. Casey Legumina came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Abreu flied out to left to start. Contreras was hit with a pitch but Gonzalez flied out to right. Durbin also flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the seventh as Palacios struck out swinging to start. Diaz grounded out to short but DeLuca hit a home run all the way to Skyrim to increase the lead. Caminero grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rays up 6-3.

                                                                The game looked over

Suddenly the Sox exploded in the bottom of the seventh as Monasterio doubled to left to start. Cole Sulser came in to pitch and Vilade threw a grounder away by Duran for an error to move Andruw to third. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Narvaez and grounded out to short to score Monasterio. Seigler struck out swinging but Rafaela doubled to center to score Duran. Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch to Abreu and Wilyer responded by smashing his 15th home run of the season to put Boston ahead. Contreras walked but Gonzalez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                          Sox jump in front

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Connor Wong behind the plate. Jonathan Aranda pinch hit for Vilade and flied out to left to start. Simpson lined out to left and Williamson grounded out to short to end the inning. Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Durbin popped up to first to start. Monasterio lined out to center and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mesa Jr popped up to third to start. Fortes grounded out to third but Palacios walked. Taylor Walls ran for Palacios and immediately stole second. Diaz walked and Cedric Mullins ran for him. Both runners pulled off a double steal but DeLuca grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won their 12th straight game, 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Wilyer Abreu. He launched two home runs and the second put the Sox up for good.

                                                               Abreu Hero

The Good:

Willson Contreras was hit with a pitch and walked in four plate appearances.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jahmai Jones hit a 2 run home run in his only at bat.

Masataka Yoshida drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 21st save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Patrick Sandoval allowed 5 runs in 5 innings off 9 hits and a walk.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch and stole a base.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Ryan Watson allowed a run but earned the win in 2 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Are you a believer now? The last two weeks the Sox have been winning games in the fashion they weren't the first two months of the season. Yesterday Lou Merloni said a 2-0 lead for Tampa meant the game was over in April and May and the last two days the Sox rallied to win. This one was even bigger as the Sox hadn't won a game all year when trailing by three and they did it. The offense has finally come around even if today was simply the Wilyer Abreu & Andruw Monasterio show. Patrick Sandoval disappointed but he's still rusty after not pitching since 2024. If the Sox can survive his starts until he gets his wind back....or until Ranger Suarez and Connelly Early come back, they'll be in good shape. Jones showed why the Sox picked him up when he hit his home run off a lefty. Better late than never to replace Rob Refsnyder. Speaking of better late than never, Wilyer Abreu turned into 1967 Carl Yastrzemski the past few days and that's not going to last, but its been fun to watch. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles both won so the Sox didn't gain any ground on them, but they're already ahead of them anyway. This has been a hell of a run to get back in contention and if the Sox can get good pitching with even just this mediocre offense, they'll be contenders in the second half of the season. The win improved the Sox to 49-48, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for the series sweep and 13th win in a row tomorrow afternoon when Sonny Gray (11-1, 2.54 ERA) takes on Tampa's ace Shane McClanahan. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Abreu, Sox Drop Rays For 11th Straight Win (7/17/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox activated Willson Contreras from the suspended list. Hopefully he can continue to hit home runs the way he was hitting before he went nuts against Washington.

                                                                    IN

As for the game, the red hot Boston Red Sox swept both games of today's doubleheader against the first place Tampa Bay Rays. Eduardo Rivera allowed 3 runs to the Rays including a Junior Caminero home run and left after just 2 1/3 innings. The Boston bullpen tossed the next 6 2/3 innings while allowing no runs to the Rays. Meanwhile the Sox bats got to Mason Englert with a two run home run by Wilyer Abreu and a bomb by Willson Contreras to put the Sox on top. After Caminero's home run, Abreu went yard again to put the Sox up for good. The Sox got another run for insurance as the bullpen locked it down. Aroldis Chapman got a huge ovation in the ninth inning as the Sox beat the Rays 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Eleven approves of the eleventh in a row

Rivera got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz flied out to right to start. Jonathan Aranda grounded out to second but Junior Caminero drilled a base hit to right. Ryan Vilade walked on 10 pitches and Cedric Mullins walked on nine to load the bases. Naturally Jonny DeLuca lined a base hit to left and both Diaz and Aranda scored. The throw home hit Diaz so both remaining runners moved over. Ben Williamson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                           Rays strike first

Englert got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler popped up to third to start. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to the left field wall and Wilyer Abreu hit his 12th home run over the bullpen to tie the game. The returning Willson Contreras then pounded his 21st home run of the season off the Monster Seats to put the Sox on top. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second but Caleb Durbin got a base hit to left. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to en the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                              Contreras was fired up

Hunter Feduccia struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Taylor Walls did the same. Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning. Connor Wong grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third but Tsung-Che Cheng blooped a base hit to center. Seigler hit a double play ball to second but Walls threw the ball away on the relay, allowing Seigler to reach first. Rafaela hit a bullet to Aranda to end the inning.

Aranda took strike three to start the top of the third but Caminero hit a home run all the way to New York to tie the game. That was it for Rivera who got clobbered for 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks. Greg Weissert came in and Vilade hit a bullet to Cheng for the second out. Mullins caught Weissert asleep with a bunt single but DeLuca flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                         Not the best opener

The Sox took the lead back when Abreu hit his second home run of the game to start the bottom of the third. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida grounded out to first, but Durbin beat out a bunt single down the first base line. Durbin was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                             Sox are back on top

Naturally Williamson beat out a roller to second to start the top of the fourth to chase Weissert. Jovani Moran came in to pitch and Williamson foolishly took off for second....on a popped up bunt to Moran by Fedducia. Williamson was doubled off first but Walls ate up Durbin a grounder to third for an error. Diaz forced Walls at second to end the inning. Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Wong grounded out to third. Cheng walked and Seigler doubled into the right field corner to score Tsung, increasing the lead. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

Aranda lined out to left to start the top of the fifth and Caminero flied out to center. Vilade lined out to short to end the inning. Abreu lined out to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Contreras struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to the centerfield wall to end the inning.

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and blew away Mullins on a 102 moh fastball to start. DeLuca split the D on a line drive past both Seigler & Cheng, but was forced at second by Williamson. Fedducia flied out to center to end the inning. Old pal Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Durbin grounded out to short to start. Duran popped up to short but Wong walked. Cheng struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela failed to come up with a line drive by Walls to start. Diaz grounded into a double play and Aranda struck out swinging to end the inning. Cole Susler came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Seigler walked to start. Rafaela lined out to right, Abreu popped up to third and Contreras took strike three to end the inning.

Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Caminero broke two bats in a row before grounding out to second to begin. Vilade grounded out to second and Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning. Old pal Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Duran to start. Jones made his Sox debut by grounding out to first and Durbin grounded out to third. Duran lined out to left to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and DeLuca struck out swinging to start. Williamson popped up to first. Fortes struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Wilyer Abreu. He hit two home runs and his second put the Sox up for good.

                                                         Hero Abreu

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the third inning to earn the win.

Jovani Moran tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Tyron Guerrero tossed a scoreless inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 20th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Jahmai Jones was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jarren Duran was 0 for with a strikeout and an error.

Eduardo Rivera allowed 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Eleven wins in a row, a doubleheader sweep and 16-2 in their last 18 games. The Sox are absolutely scorching and the fans got very LOUD in the ninth on the final strikeout. The fans are starting to believe again and more importantly, the team is as well. The all-star break didn't slow them down and this was a complete team effort. Alec Gamboa saving the bullpen in Game 1 was the key to Game 2. The Sox made it a bullpen game and they didn't allow a run after Rivera left the game. The offense picked it up again with 3 big home runs from Abreu & Contreras combined. Even guys like Seigler, Cheng and Durbin just getting base hits when guys in their positions, Durbin himself, weren't doing that 2 months ago. Sox analyst Lou Merloni said during the broadcast that 2 months ago when the Sox were down 2-0 the game was over and now its a minor inconvenience. Even better news, the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays lost so the Sox picked up 1.5 games on both of them. The Sox were 14 games under .500 and 14 games out and now they're only 8 back of the Rays and 5.5 behind New York. The Sox offense fixed itself although they are still a bat away from October success. If the Sox get some of their injured guys back healthy, with the American League as mediocre as it is, they have as good as chance as any. Taking care of business against the Rays and Cleveland Guardians coming out of the break will be key to the stretch run. All in all this was a fun day and hopefully they can keep the momentum going. The win improves the Sox to 48-48, 8 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 12 wins in a row and third against Tampa tomorrow afternoon when Patrick Sandoval takes on Ian Seymour of the Rays. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.