Every good streak has to come to an end, and on Wednesday, it was the Boston Red Sox's turn. A 15-game winning streak reached by the team in Game 1 of a doubleheader was snapped in the second game, as Boston lost 5-1 to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Red Sox's first chance to tie the franchise record with a 15-game winning streak was postponed due to rain on Tuesday. Boston was then able to pull off a 6-3 victory over the Orioles to open the doubleheader and match the record, with a chance to break it in Wednesday's second game.
Rookie pitcher Eduardo Rivera was tasked with starting Game 2, and his third career MLB start did not go as hoped. Rivera allowed four runs in the first inning and was taken out after recording just two outs.
Brayan Bello then entered the game with the hopes of turning things around. The 27-year-old starter kept Baltimore scoreless for the next 5 1/3 innings, but the damage was already done.
Boston finally got on the board in the fourth, thanks to a Masataka Yoshida RBI single, but that was all the offense the Red Sox could muster. Gunnar Henderson scored another for the Orioles in the seventh off a wild pitch to make it 5-1 Baltimore.
It was the Red Sox's first loss since July 1.
Shortly after the game, Rivera was optioned to the minors, per the Boston Globe's Tim Healey.
Boston's 15-game winning streak tied a franchise record set in 1946. That year, the Red Sox finished the season 104-50 and won the AL pennant.
The 2026 team fired manager Alex Cora in April after a bleak start to the season, but their hot streak has helped completely turn things around. A 37-48 record before this streak has transformed into a 52-49 record after Wednesday's loss.
The Red Sox now sit third in the AL East and hold the third AL wild-card spot, two games clear of the Seattle Mariners.