The All-Star break did nothing to cool off the Boston Red Sox, who have now rattled off 13 consecutive victories heading into a highly anticipated series against another AL East team on a roll.
Boston wrapped up a sweep of first-place Tampa Bay on Sunday, pushing their streak to 13 straight wins. The franchise’s all-time record of 15 consecutive victories dates back to 1946, and the Red Sox now have a real shot at topping it this week when the Baltimore Orioles come to Fenway Park — a Baltimore squad that has itself won seven games in a row.
With the August 3 trade deadline approaching fast, teams hovering around the playoff picture may use the next week or two to decide whether to buy or sell. Boston sits at 50-48, just above the .500 mark, and currently holds the American League’s third wild card spot. Cleveland, which holds the second wild card, is only one game ahead of the Red Sox.
Seattle trails Boston by a game, and Baltimore is another game back after sweeping Houston in a three-game series. That sweep dropped the Astros to 4.5 games outside a playoff position.
Houston does have another route to October baseball, however. The Astros are actually four games out of the AL West lead — closer than they are to a wild card berth.
Detroit finds itself in a comparable situation. The Tigers are 4.5 games out of a wild card but only 6.5 games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox. How Detroit handles the trade deadline — particularly regarding star pitcher Tarik Skubal — will be closely watched around the league.
On the All-Star front, the American League defeated the National League 4-0 on Tuesday night. Cody Bellinger became the fourth New York Yankee in history to earn All-Star MVP honors. The other three? Giancarlo Stanton in 2022, Mariano Rivera in 2013, and Derek Jeter in 2000 — an award that has existed since 1962.
In other action, Colorado’s Hunter Goodman slugged three home runs in a 9-6 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. It was his second three-homer game in less than a month — he also accomplished the feat at Minnesota on June 27. Goodman is the first player in Rockies history to hit three home runs in a single game twice in the same season.
Meanwhile, Arizona pulled off a stunning comeback against St. Louis, winning 8-7 in 10 innings despite trailing 7-0 heading into the sixth. The Cardinals surrendered two bases-loaded walks during Arizona’s three-run sixth inning. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a two-run inside-the-park home run in the seventh, and Nolan Arenado knotted the score with a two-run blast in the eighth.
St. Louis then squandered a golden opportunity in the top of the 10th. With runners on first and third and no outs, Jordan Walker hit a broken-bat flare toward shortstop Perdomo, who charged and caught the ball on the fly. Baserunner Bryan Torres, apparently anticipating the ball would drop, had strayed too far off first base and was doubled off.
Max Kepler’s hit in the bottom of the 10th sealed the victory for Arizona. According to Baseball Savant, the Diamondbacks’ win probability dipped as low as 1.5% during the sixth inning. Despite that near-miracle, Arizona’s playoff odds sit at 27.4% according to FanGraphs — and the team is just a half-game behind St. Louis for the National League’s final wild card spot.
