The Boston Red Sox keep finding ways to win, and Monday night’s was the kind that defines a streak. Caleb Durbin homered in the bottom of the eighth to break a tie, and Boston beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 at Fenway Park for its 14th win in a row.
The streak is now the second-longest in franchise history. One more Tuesday would match the 1946 club’s 15-game run, a record that has stood for 80 years. It is a remarkable thing to write about a team that entered the night at 51-48, but Boston has spent two weeks turning a middling season into the story of the American League.
Willson Contreras did much of the early damage, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Starter Payton Tolle struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings but left trailing, charged with four runs on eight hits. The bullpen carried it home from there: Garrett Whitlock worked a scoreless inning for the win, and Aroldis Chapman closed the ninth for the save.
Baltimore had plenty to show for the loss, which is part of what made it sting. The Orioles arrived on a seven-game winning streak of their own, and they did not go quietly. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in two, Tyler O’Neill added two RBI, and Gunnar Henderson reached base three times. Starter Shane Baz gave Baltimore six innings of two-run ball and deserved better. The Orioles fall to 49-52, their own streak snapped on a night it looked like the more dangerous one.
For fantasy managers, Durbin is the name worth a second look. He plays a scarce position at third base and picked a high-leverage moment to go deep; in deeper AL-only leagues he is a reasonable flier while the everyday role holds. Contreras is a set-and-forget bat in the middle of the order, and Chapman’s grip on save chances is firm enough to trust as long as Boston keeps playing meaningful late innings.
