The Boston Red Sox are set to play a split-admission doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday after Tuesday’s game was postponed due to rain. The Red Sox will seek to extend their current winning streak, which is the longest in Major League Baseball this season. Their last loss occurred on July 1, when the team held a 37-48 record and was positioned in last place in the AL East, 14 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. At that time, the Red Sox had the third-worst record in the American League for wild-card purposes, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals.
The Red Sox’s current winning streak stands at 14 games, following a 6-5 victory over the Orioles on Monday night at Fenway Park. This win ended Baltimore’s seven-game winning streak. The Red Sox are now 51-48, and a victory in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader would tie the franchise record for consecutive wins, a mark set by the 1946 Red Sox, who amassed a 15-game winning streak from April 25 to May 10.
Doubleheader Schedule and Pitching Matchups
The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and will feature left-hander Jake Bennett on the mound for the Red Sox. Bennett, who holds a 5-3 record with a 2.35 ERA, will be facing the Orioles for the first time in his career. The Orioles will counter with right-hander Dean Kremer, who has a 1-2 record with a 4.15 ERA this season. Kremer has a career record of 3-4 with a 5.04 ERA in 10 starts against the Red Sox.
The second game of the doubleheader is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The Red Sox have not yet announced a starting pitcher for this game. One possibility is activating Ranger Suarez, though interim manager Chad Tracy noted that they would need to assess how Suarez feels on Wednesday. Alternatively, the team could opt for a bullpen game, with Eduardo Rivera potentially serving as the opener. The Orioles plan to start right-hander Kyle Bradish in the night game; Bradish has a 1-6 record with a 6.75 ERA in 10 career starts against the Red Sox.
Team Performance and Historical Context
The Red Sox’s current streak is the longest in Major League Baseball this season and the longest in the majors since the Brewers achieved a 14-game winning streak last August. The last MLB streak of at least 15 wins occurred in September of 2021, when the Cardinals won 17 straight games. The Red Sox are the only team in the majors this season to have a 19-2 record or better over a 21-game span, during which they posted a plus 53 run differential.
The team’s bullpen has been a significant factor in their recent success, leading MLB in ERA with 3.09 and ranking second in WHIP at 1.17, trailing only the Braves. The Red Sox also boast a strong record when leading after seven innings, with a 47-1 (.979) mark, which is tied with the Rays for the best in MLB. After Wednesday’s games, the Red Sox will have a day off on Thursday before hosting the Blue Jays for a three-game series that begins on Friday.
Lineups for Game 1
The announced lineups for the first game of the doubleheader are as follows:
- Orioles (49-52): Ward LF, Alonso 1B, Henderson SS, O’Neill RF, Mayo DH, Taveras CF, Encarnacion-Strand 3B, Holliday 2B, Huff C. Pitching: RHP Dean Kremer (1-2, 4.15 ERA).
- Red Sox (51-48): Yoshida DH, Rafaela CF, Abreu RF, Contreras 1B, Durbin 3B, Gonzalez 2B, Duran LF, Wong C, Cheng SS. Pitching: LHP Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35 ERA).
Notable matchups against Kremer include Jarren Duran with 5-11, Masataka Yoshida with 5-10, and Willson Contreras with 2-3. Jake Bennett has not previously faced any Baltimore batters.
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Source: bostonglobe.com
