The Boston Red Sox have won 13 straight games. Yeah, thirteen! And the Baltimore Orioles are right behind them with a 7-game winning streak of their own. Forget about the rest of MLB, where the next best is a measly 3 games by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Peacock broadcast called Boston “white hot” last night, and now these two unstoppable forces are about to smash into each other for three games. This isn’t one of those “we’ll split it” situations either: one team is taking this series, and the other is losing it.
Game One Drama and a Five-Year Extension
Game one kicks off with the O’s throwing Shane Baz to the mound. This is the same “send a Shane” strategy the Tampa Bay Rays tried and, well, it didn’t work. Baz is leading the league with 9 losses, but the source says it’s more about being on the Orioles than his performance. He actually held the Sox to just 2 runs over 7.0 innings back on June 2. But let’s be real, the early June Sox ain’t the July Sox. Boston counters with Payton Tolle, the newlywed. He ended the first half strong, with a designed short day of 3.2 innings but still striking out 7 Mets. The Sox even pulled off a dramatic 10th-inning win in that game.
Tuesday sees Kyle Bradish for the Orioles, a guy they recently locked up for five more years! He was picked up for one-time phenom Dylan Bundy and has been a beast for the O’s, racking up 9 bWAR. He faced the Sox way back on April 26, the first game of the Chad Tracy era, where he went 5.0 innings and allowed 3 runs in a loss. Bradish has been looking good lately, aside from one 4-run, 4.0 inning outing against the Nationals. The Red Sox starter for Tuesday is still TBD, but it’s looking like Ranger Suarez might come off the IL. Brayan Bello is another option if he doesn’t pitch on Monday.
Kremer’s Return and Bennett’s Brilliance
The series finale pits Dan Kremer against the Red Sox. Kremer missed all of May and June, only returning in July. This will be his fourth start back. In 15 innings, he’s given up 5 homers, 7 runs, walked 5, and struck out 14. He’s pitched up to 92 pitches deep, so his results are mixed. He gave up both runs over his 4.0 innings when the Orioles held the Astros to just two total. It’s too early to say if he’s finding his rhythm, but Boston could definitely do some damage there.
Boston is closing this whole thing out with Jake Bennett, and seriously, what a trade that was! This dude has tossed 13 scoreless innings in a row. He’s handled tough lineups like Tampa, the White Sox, and the Yankees, proving he’s legit. In 9 starts, he’s already at 1.5 bWAR. For context, Sonny Gray, who’s in Cy Young talks, is at 2.6 bWAR over 17 starts. Bennett isn’t just hanging around, he’s absolutely claimed a spot in that rotation.
So get ready, because this is going to be a wild one. Two of the hottest teams in baseball, going head-to-head, and only one can walk away with the series win. With Pete Alonso already crushing 21 homers this season and Taylor Ward leading the league with 77 walks, there are some serious bats around the league, but these two teams are where the real action is right now. Someone’s streak is ending, and someone’s getting a major boost. Don’t miss a single pitch!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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