Red Sox tie franchise record, beat Orioles for 15th straight win

The Red Sox tied the longest winning streak in franchise history Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Orioles, 6-3, in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park for their 15th consecutive victory.

The Red Sox joined the 1946 club, which won 15 straight games from April 25 through May 10. Boston became the first major league team to win at least 15 consecutive games since the 2021 Cardinals won 17 straight from Sept. 11-28.

After Tuesday night’s rainout delayed their pursuit of history, the Red Sox wasted little time taking control.

Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela opened the bottom of the first inning with singles before Willson Contreras loaded the bases with a one-out hit. Caleb Durbin, the hero of Monday night’s series opener, followed with a two-run single to center.

Jarren Duran then drove a two-run triple into the right field corner, giving Boston a 4-0 lead before Orioles starter Dean Kremer could escape the inning.

“The first inning was tremendous,” interim manager Chad Tracy said.

Duran's two-run triple was his third of the season, tying him for fourth-most in the American League. It was his first triple since June 2, also against Baltimore, and he finished with three RBI. The left fielder has driven in 13 runs in 15 games this month, including four multi-RBI performances. He finished the afternoon with three RBI. 

Baltimore cut the deficit to 4-1 in the third when Tyler O’Neill hit a fly ball that Rafaela lost in the shifting sun and clouds. O’Neill was credited with an RBI double, but Boston answered in the bottom half.

Durbin singled and Romy Gonzalez doubled before Duran lifted a sacrifice fly to center, extending the lead to 5-1. Since May 28, Durbin has hit safely in 32 of his last 45 games with 20 extra-base hits and has driven in a run in three straight games for the fourth time this season.

Rafaela's hitting streak reached nine games, tying the second-longest of his career and leaving him three games shy of his career-high 12-game streak. During the stretch, he's batting .289 (11-for-38) with four doubles, a homer and four RBI. 

Jake Bennett kept Baltimore in check despite working around traffic throughout his outing. The rookie left-hander allowed three runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four without issuing a walk while throwing 64 of his 83 pitches for strikes.

Bennett generated 14 swings and misses, including seven with his changeup, and left to a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 35,039.

“He was outstanding,” Tracy said of his starter. “They took good swings. The top of the order has been for most of the series, so there were some spots there that he had to work through, but just a really, really good outing.”

Christian Encarnacion-Strand pulled Baltimore within three with a solo home run in the fourth, but Rafaela responded with one of his own in the bottom of the inning. His 377-foot drive landed in the Green Monster seats for his ninth homer of the season and gave Boston a 6-2 advantage.

Encarnacion-Strand went 3-for-4 with a home run, giving him two homers in the series. He became the first opposing player to homer in three consecutive games at Fenway Park since George Springer, with the first coming while he was a member of the Reds.

The Orioles placed runners on base in each of the first six innings but struggled to cash in, finishing 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranding six during that stretch.

Bennett picked up his fifth straight win, joining Aaron Sele (1993) as the only Red Sox pitchers since 1993 to win at least five consecutive decisions within their first 10 career games. Overall, he's just the fifth pitcher in franchise history to do it.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be a part of it, and just as a fan, just to watch it was really awesome,” said Bennett. “It’s just super special.”

Justin Slaten recorded the final out of the sixth after inheriting a runner at first and returned for a scoreless seventh. Garrett Whitlock followed with a clean eighth before Aroldis Chapman closed it out in the ninth.

Chapman allowed a leadoff single to Jackson Holliday, but Boston quickly erased it when Tsung-Che Cheng, Gonzalez and Contreras turned a double play on Chadwick Tromp’s ground ball.

After walking Taylor Ward with two outs, Chapman retired Pete Alonso on a grounder to shortstop to secure his 23rd save, which is third-most in the American League. 

The All-Star closer earned his 390th career save, moving into a tie with Dennis Eckersley for ninth on Major League Baseball's all-time saves list. 

Boston’s bullpen improved to 7-0 with a 1.08 ERA and nine saves during the winning streak.

The Red Sox have now won 20 of their last 22 games, transforming their season in less than a month. They have gone from 14 games under .500 at 32-46 to four games above it at 52-48.

They are also 6-0 on the homestand after going 17-27 at Fenway Park before the All-Star break.

Now, the Red Sox have a chance to stand alone with a win on Wednesday night. 

“We’re talking about a franchise that’s been around for a very long time, so it’s an amazing thing,” Tracy said. “They should relish in that, that your names are going to be forever etched right at the top of that list for what they’ve done. So believe me, I know I’ve kept it pretty low-key, but that’s not lost on us, what they’ve done. But we’ve got to keep going.”

Boston will try to set a franchise record with its 16th consecutive victory in Game 2 of the doubleheader Wednesday night. Kyle Bradish is scheduled to start for Baltimore, while Boston will pivot with left-hander Eduardo Rivera.