The Red Sox just keep on rolling, extending their incredible streak to 14 consecutive victories with a nail-biting 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. Caleb Durbin blasted a solo homer onto the Monster seats in the bottom of the eighth, breaking a 5-5 tie and sending Fenway into an absolute frenzy. This was a battle between two red-hot teams: the Red Sox were already on a 13-game tear, and the Orioles had ripped off seven straight themselves. Something had to give, and Durbin made sure it was Baltimore. This squad has now bagged 19 wins in its last 21 games, a run that is just insane.
Rookie Fire and Reliever Heroics
It was a wild night on the mound, starting with rookie lefty Payton Tolle. The kid isn’t trying to fool anyone; he just rears back and challenges hitters with his fastball, usually winning that battle. He mixed in some sinkers and cutters, but mostly it’s that four-seamer. Tolle was dealing early, racking up seven strikeouts in the first four innings. But that aggressive approach drives up his pitch count, and sure enough, he came unglued in the sixth. The Orioles tied it, then took the lead, with three straight two-out hard-hit singles as Tolle was one strike away from escaping. That’s when Tyron Guerrero stepped in, and man, does he shine in high-leverage spots. He took over with two runs in and runners on the corners, and immediately got Sam Huff looking at a called third strike. Guerrero had only given up an earned run in one of his previous 17 appearances, though he did yield a run in the seventh this game.
Small Ball, Big Errors, and Defensive Mishaps
The Red Sox offense really leaned into small ball and capitalized on Orioles’ mistakes, which were plentiful. In the second inning, Willson Contreras moved from second to third on a flyout and then scored on a sacrifice fly. The third inning saw the Red Sox plate two more runs, both unearned, thanks to two Baltimore errors. It was a classic example of what happens when you put the ball in play, and it paid off again in the seventh when the tying run scored on yet another Baltimore error, their fourth of the night. On the defensive side for the Sox, things got a little hairy too. In the top of the seventh, it looked like second baseman Anthony Seigler had a shot at turning two on a Tyler O’Neill grounder, but he bobbled it, leaving him with only the out at first as the go-ahead run crossed the plate. Plus, catcher Connor Wong hasn’t had much luck throwing out base stealers this season, only nabbing three in 27 attempts coming into Monday, though he did make a strong throw in the top of the fifth.
What’s next for this Red Sox team? They’re back at it Tuesday for another AL East showdown against the Orioles. The over/under for that game is set at 8.5 total runs on BetMGM. After 14 straight wins, this team is absolutely humming. Can they keep it rolling? You bet everyone’s watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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