Eleven games in a row is one thing. Doing it to the team in first place is another.
Boston Doesn't Just Win Anymore, It Sweeps
The Red Sox took both ends of a doubleheader from Tampa Bay, winning the opener 10-0 behind Jake Bennett before closing the nightcap 5-3 with Aroldis Chapman finishing the job. That is eleven consecutive wins for Boston, and it came directly at the expense of the team it is chasing. Tampa Bay is still in first place in the AL East, but its cushion is down to two and a half games. The Red Sox looked like a club finished a month ago, and the Rays have now lost three straight while Boston has forgotten how to lose at all.
There is a version of this race where the Rays shrug off one bad day against a hot opponent. There is another version where a sweep like this becomes the moment a season tilts. Nobody knows yet which version this is. What is certain is that eight games with more than two months left is not the sort of lead anyone should feel comfortable with, not against a team playing the way Boston is right now. Eleven wins in a row is the kind of number that starts showing up in historical context rather than just the standings, and every game Boston keeps winning adds a little more pressure on Tampa Bay to answer before the gap becomes something closer to a formality.
Two Lopsided Wins Worth Knowing About
Atlanta reminded the NL East why it still leads the division, beating Texas 15-1 behind a dominant start from Chris Sale. The Braves have won two in a row and now sit three games clear of Philadelphia, who dropped their own game and continue to feel the absence of any real separation from the rest of the division.
Washington did Atlanta one better in terms of pure carnage, beating the Athletics 23-4 behind Cade Cavalli. That kind of score barely needs explanation. Oakland has now lost ten games in a row, the longest active losing streak in baseball, and last night did nothing to suggest it is close to ending.
Milwaukee and Chicago Keep Their Grip
Milwaukee edged Miami 2-1 behind Craig Yoho, snapping its own three-game skid and pushing its NL Central lead back out to six games over the Cubs, who lost to Minnesota 5-2 and dropped their own game in the standings. Chicago's White Sox, meanwhile, blew out Toronto 12-4 to stay a half game up on Cleveland in an AL Central race that refuses to produce a clear leader. Detroit, Minnesota, and even Kansas City are all playing well enough right now to keep that division interesting through the end of the month, and it would not be a surprise to see the top of that division change hands more than once before September arrives.
Around the Rest of the Slate
Los Angeles beat the Yankees 2-1 in a tight one, with Jack Dreyer getting the win and Tanner Scott closing it out for a Dodgers team that continues to hold the best record in baseball. Baltimore extended its own winning streak to five, beating Houston 3-2 behind a Cam Sanders win and a Tyler Wells save. St. Louis edged Arizona 5-4, Cincinnati handled Colorado 7-2, Detroit beat the Angels 2-1 to extend Los Angeles's losing streak to three, San Francisco shut out Seattle 7-0 behind Landen Roupp, and Kansas City somehow outlasted San Diego 7-6 in a game that had no business being that close given both teams' records.
What to Watch Today
Boston's streak is now impossible to ignore, and the next question is whether Tampa Bay can find a way to slow it down before the gap disappears entirely. Atlanta's lead in the East looks steady for now, but Philadelphia has shown it can close ground quickly when given the chance. Keep an eye on the AL Central too, where four teams remain within six and a half games of first, and on the Athletics, whose ten-game skid has become one of the defining stories of the season for all the wrong reasons. Pour the coffee. This one is worth reading slowly.
Yesterday's Scores
Tampa Bay Rays (56-40) @ Boston Red Sox (48-48) — Final: 0-10
Los Angeles Dodgers (62-36) @ New York Yankees (54-43) — Final: 2-1
Tampa Bay Rays (56-40) @ Boston Red Sox (48-48) — Final: 3-5
Chicago White Sox (51-45) @ Toronto Blue Jays (45-52) — Final: 12-4
Texas Rangers (49-48) @ Atlanta Braves (56-40) — Final: 1-15
Miami Marlins (52-46) @ Milwaukee Brewers (60-37) — Final: 1-2
Minnesota Twins (49-49) @ Chicago Cubs (54-43) — Final: 5-2
San Diego Padres (48-49) @ Kansas City Royals (39-59) — Final: 6-7
Baltimore Orioles (47-51) @ Houston Astros (47-52) — Final: 3-2
Cincinnati Reds (44-52) @ Colorado Rockies (39-60) — Final: 7-2
Detroit Tigers (45-52) @ Los Angeles Angels (38-60) — Final: 2-1
Washington Nationals (49-49) @ Athletics (41-56) — Final: 23-4
St. Louis Cardinals (51-45) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (49-48) — Final: 5-4
San Francisco Giants (42-55) @ Seattle Mariners (48-50) — Final: 7-0
