Going into the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox were riding a nine-game winning streak. Somehow, they’d find a way to keep that rolling, winning their first four games out of the break against the Tampa Bay Rays to extend that streak to 13 games.
For the Red Sox, it’s their longest winning streak since 1948. Back then, Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Dominic DiMaggio all dominated for Boston. That same group holds the franchise record with 15 wins in a row, back in 1946.
“Wow, that’s incredible,” Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin said. “I mean, especially a historic organization like this. You hear something like that, and to feel like you’re a part of history is super cool.”
This comes in a season where fans were chanting to “sell the team” at one point. It’s in a season where manager Alex Cora was fired and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has consistently been on the hot seat. It’s also in a season where the Red Sox looked like they’d need to sell at the Trade Deadline. That’s no longer the case. Instead, the Red Sox are positioned to make a playoff run, and possibly even make a run at the division.
“It’s starting to feel like that,” Durbin said. “It’s definitely feeling like that… To be able to get within six games against the team that’s in first place definitely feels good… We’re just trying to get that number as small as possible until we’re able to get back into it.”
The Red Sox are now 50-48 on the season. That’s good for third place in the AL East, 6.0 games out of the first-place Rays. They’ve also moved into a playoff position with the third Wild Card spot.
Boston Red Sox 3B Caleb Durbin Has Had His Own Turnaround
GettyBoston Red Sox 3B Caleb Durbin
A newcomer to the Boston Red Sox, third baseman Caleb Durbin was heavily criticized early in the season. As the replacement for Alex Bregman, Durbin’s defense had been good, but he also wasn’t hitting for the first two months of the year.
On May 31st, Durbin was hitting .183 with a .250 OBP, a .280 slugging percentage, and a .530 OPS. That was with just one home run off a position player.
Around that time, something changed for Durbin, though. He made adjustments to his approach, and he’s quickly become one of the more reliable bats in the Red Sox lineup. That’s also led to him being a key piece of the team’s current winning streak.
Even with that extremely slow start offensively, Durbin has gotten his number to respectability. He has a .236 average with a .299 OBP, a .392 slugging percentage, and a .691 OPS. He’s also up to 9 home runs and 41 RBIs.
Looking Ahead for the Red Sox
GettyRed Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
The Red Sox are looking to continue their winning streak on Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles. That series is set to be played in Fenway Park and is the second of three series against division rivals at home to open the second half of the season.
At 49-51, Baltimore is 2.0 games behind Boston in the standings. So, this series could once again shake up the standings for the division race. On top of that, the Orioles are hot, going 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Meanwhile, CBO Craig Breslow is turning his attention to the Trade Deadline in a couple of weeks. That’s something he recently touched on.
“For a while, we had talked about feeling like our best baseball was in front of us, and believing in the players and in the group that we have in the clubhouse… I don’t think a 12-game streak should determine exactly what we do,” Breslow said. “But we’ve absolutely taken notice. We’ve put ourselves in a good position, and that’s going to be very influential in how we approach the deadline.”
For now, all the Red Sox themselves can worry about is what happens on the field. That means taking care of business against Baltimore.
Red Sox 3B Caleb Durbin Honest About Win Streak, Plans for Division