Nine games in a row is not a streak anymore. It is a statement.
Boston Will Not Stop Winning
The Red Sox beat the Mets 3-2 last night, with Aroldis Chapman picking up the win and Garrett Whitlock closing it out, and that makes nine consecutive victories for a team that spent much of the spring looking like an afterthought. Boston is still ten games out of first in a stacked AL East, so the standings won't tell this story the way it deserves to be told. But a nine-game streak this deep into July is rare, and it tends to mean more than the record around it suggests. Teams that get hot like this in the summer are the ones nobody wants to see in October.
Two Contenders Hit a Wall
Milwaukee owns one of the best records in the National League, and none of that mattered last night in Pittsburgh. The Pirates hung fourteen runs on the Brewers in a 14-5 rout, with Paul Skenes doing the damage and Robert Gasser taking the loss. That is three straight defeats for Milwaukee now, and while a five-game division lead over the Cubs is still plenty of cushion, it is the first real crack in a season that had looked close to settled.
Los Angeles found its own version of that trouble out west. The Dodgers own the best record in baseball, full stop, and they still fell to Arizona 5-3, with Ryan Thompson getting the win and Paul Sewald closing it out. That is a third straight loss for Los Angeles too. The Diamondbacks have now won four in a row and climbed to within striking distance of respectability in the NL West, even if the division still belongs to the Dodgers by a wide margin. Two of the best teams in baseball, both stumbling on the same night, is not something that happens often, and it is worth remembering the next time either team looks unbeatable. Records built over four months do not disappear in three bad games, but they do get a little more interesting to watch.
The AL Central Has Company at the Top
Cleveland and Chicago are still deadlocked atop the AL Central, and both kept winning. The Guardians beat Miami 5-2 behind Joey Cantillo for their fourth straight, while the White Sox blew out the Athletics 9-1 behind Noah Schultz for their third in a row. Minnesota is not far off either, sitting three back after a 4-2 win over the Angels that pushed its own streak to two. This division has three teams playing well at the same time, which is a difficult way to build a lead but a fun one to watch.
A Pitching Duel Worth Remembering
Philadelphia and Detroit put two of the sport's better arms on the mound, and Zack Wheeler won that matchup clearly, shutting out the Tigers 5-0 and outdueling Tarik Skubal in the process. The Phillies stay within two games of Atlanta in the East, and a shutout like that against a pitcher of Skubal's caliber says as much about where Philadelphia is right now as any single number could.
Around the Rest of the Slate
New York's Yankees beat Washington 5-3 behind Ryan Yarbrough, extending their own winning streak to four and keeping the pressure on Tampa Bay, who dropped an 8-2 decision to Seattle. Baltimore handled Kansas City 8-2 for a fourth straight win of its own, and Atlanta held off St. Louis 4-3 behind a Raisel Iglesias save to protect its lead in the NL East. Texas edged Houston 6-5, San Francisco beat Colorado 3-1, and San Diego survived Toronto 5-4 on a Mason Miller save, its second straight win.
What to Watch This Week
In addition to the All-Star Game activities, Boston's streak is the story worth checking first thing, because nine in a row rarely stops on command. Keep an eye on Milwaukee and Los Angeles too, since two of the sport's best teams are now on losing streaks at the same time, and how each responds will say something about the rest of the summer. The AL Central remains the tightest race in baseball, and it is worth a look every single morning until somebody finally pulls away. Pour the coffee. There is a lot to watch this week.
Milwaukee Brewers (59-37) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (50-47) — Final: 5-14
New York Yankees (54-42) @ Washington Nationals (48-49) — Final: 5-3
Kansas City Royals (38-59) @ Baltimore Orioles (46-51) — Final: 2-8
Cleveland Guardians (51-46) @ Miami Marlins (52-45) — Final: 5-2
Boston Red Sox (46-48) @ New York Mets (40-57) — Final: 3-2
Seattle Mariners (48-49) @ Tampa Bay Rays (56-38) — Final: 8-2
Chicago Cubs (54-42) @ Cincinnati Reds (43-52) — Final: 8-4
Philadelphia Phillies (54-43) @ Detroit Tigers (44-52) — Final: 5-0
Los Angeles Angels (38-59) @ Minnesota Twins (48-49) — Final: 2-4
Athletics (41-55) @ Chicago White Sox (50-45) — Final: 1-9
Atlanta Braves (55-40) @ St. Louis Cardinals (50-45) — Final: 4-3
Houston Astros (47-51) @ Texas Rangers (49-47) — Final: 5-6
Colorado Rockies (39-59) @ San Francisco Giants (41-55) — Final: 1-3
Arizona Diamondbacks (49-47) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (61-36) — Final: 5-3
Toronto Blue Jays (45-51) @ San Diego Padres (48-48) — Final: 4-5
