When Willson Contreras had his suspension reduced from seven games to five games, it was after the Boston Red Sox were beginning their winning streak. Little did anyone know that they wouldn’t miss a beat without him.
Boston won all five games in his absence, with a little help from the New York Mets‘ defense. They hit the All-Star break last week winners of nine straight. One question was whether or not they could continue their streak following the break. Turns out they could.
After sweeping the first-place Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, the Red Sox rallied late on Monday night at Fenway Park to beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5, to run their winning streak to 14 games. It was a solo home run from Caleb Durbin in the bottom of the eighth that broke a 5-5 tie. After surviving a ninth-inning threat from the Orioles, Contreras didn’t beat around the bush about what’s happening right now.
Boston Red Sox First Baseman Willson Contreras Drops Honest Quote After Win Over Orioles
Who saw this streak coming from the Red Sox? After dropping series to the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies, things were heading in the wrong direction. Now, after a 14-game winning streak, there is a different feel around Boston. However, Contreras had a cautious warning for his teammates.
“There’s a lot of games to be played, but if we keep playing with the energy we’re playing right now, good things are going to happen,” Contreras said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “Special things are going to happen.”
After the win over Baltimore, the Red Sox are six games back of the Rays in the American League East Division and are sitting in an AL wild-card spot. There are still two months of baseball left, and Contreras isn’t looking too far ahead, and neither should his teammates.
Caleb Durbin Big Part of Boston Red Sox Winning Streak
However, given the way the winning streak is going, anything is possible. At the beginning of the season, Durbin struggled after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been a big part of the turnaround.
According to Browne, since May 28, Durbin is slashing .304/.353/.551 with 10 doubles, nine homers and 26 RBIs. All of that has been done in just 44 games. He knew that wasn’t him.
“In the beginning for me, I knew that wasn’t me,” said Durbin, per Browne. “I felt like if I could turn things around, it’d make a big difference. And that was weighing on me heavily. That added extra motivation to get right.”
The news just keeps getting better and better for interim manager Chad Tracy. Left-handed pitcher Ranger Suárez is expected to come off the injured list and make the start on Tuesday night against Baltimore. The prize free-agent offseason signing hasn’t pitched since before the All-Star break, but will take the ball, looking to lead the Red Sox to a 15th straight victory.
After two more games with Baltimore, the Toronto Blue Jays visit for three games before Boston heads back to the West Coast. Where they are when that happens remains to be seen. However, if they take it game-by-game, special things could really happen.
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