Red Sox and Orioles split series as Boston's streak ends and Baltimore eyes trade deadline moves
Boston won two of three games in a July series at Fenway, extending its win streak to 15 before losing the finale, while Baltimore extended its own winning run to seven and secured a long-term deal for pitcher Kyle Bradish.
Boston and Baltimore entered the three-game series at Fenway with contrasting momentum: the Red Sox were on a 13-game winning streak, the longest since 1948, and the Orioles had just posted a season-high seven straight victories. After Boston broke the Orioles' streak in the opener, a rainout forced a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Red Sox took the first game, 6-3, tying the franchise record of 15 consecutive wins set in 1946. Baltimore answered in the nightcap, scoring four runs in the first inning and holding on for a 5-1 win, ending Boston's run.
The series highlighted several player developments. Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett, pressed into the Red Sox rotation by injuries, delivered a solid 5⅔-inning outing in the doubleheader, raising his ERA to 2.58 and showing effective command of his changeup. Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who posted a breakout season two years ago, has struggled this year, seeing his OPS fall to .701 and his on-base percentage drop to .296, despite matching his previous home-run total in fewer games.
Boston’s former top prospect Caleb Durbin, after a slow start, has rebounded since late May, climbing into the AL’s top 15 in OPS and providing a key middle-lineup bat, highlighted by an eighth-inning home run that lifted the team over the Green Monster. In Baltimore, right-hander Kyle Bradish signed a five-year, $90 million extension, joining Shane Baz as a long-term rotation anchor, though both pitchers still need to translate strong performances into more wins for the club.
With the August 3 trade deadline approaching, Boston’s front office faces decisions on whether to add offensive depth. The team’s recent surge has moved it into a wild-card position, but gaps remain at catcher, second base, shortstop and left field, where several players rank near the bottom of the league in weighted runs created plus (wRC+).