The dream run ended Saturday at Fenway Park. The Athletics snapped the Red Sox’s nine-game winning streak with a 7-3 victory. Lefty Gage Jump turned into the nemesis for the Sox again. He struck out a career-high 11 batters over six stellar innings. The Red Sox managed only six hits and two runs against him. This loss stopped a hot and humid day from turning into a celebration.
Bennett Runs Out of Gas
Rookie lefty Jake Bennett started strong but faded fast. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. Then he wore down in the mid innings. In 5 1/3 frames, he gave up five hits and four runs. He walked a career-high three batters while striking out five. This performance snapped a streak of nine straight starts where he allowed three or fewer earned runs. According to MLB.com, the bullpen had to clean up the mess after Bennett tumbled.
It hurts to see a rookie break his own streak. The team needed a quality start to keep the momentum going. Instead, they got a career-high walk total and a loss. The pitch count seemed to catch up to him too soon. Fans expected him to go deeper into the game like he did in June.
Contreras Has a Bad Night
Willson Contreras returned after missing two games with an illness. He looked weakened and struggled at the plate. He struck out in his first three at-bats. In his fourth at-bat, he hit a weak groundout to short. Frustrated, Contreras threw his bat down and failed to reach first base. This drew some boos from the crowd. In the bottom of the ninth, he appeared to shed rust during his final at-bat by hitting a single to center. But the rally fell short.
It was a tough return for the cleanup hitter. The crowd reaction was harsh but understandable. You don’t toss the bat when you’re trying to win. Contreras had to shake off the rust to get that late single. The loss wasn’t his fault, but his night was rough. He needs to find his swing speed before the next game.
On the bright side, Andruw Monasterio extended his on-base streak to 20 games. No Red Sox player has recorded more since Triston Casas in 2023. He got the team off to an early lead with a two-run single. The right-handed hitter added a walk later in the game. He is the one bright spot in a loss that felt heavy.
The Streak Was Unprecedented
This loss ends a historic run for the team. The Red Sox are now the 10th team since 1900 to go 27-3 or better in a 30-game span. They entered that span 10 or more games under .500. No other team in MLB history has done that before. They went from 14 games under .500 to 13 games over in just 44 days. That is the fastest turnaround in MLB history. The previous quickest was 59 days by the 1914 Braves. Even with this loss, the season remains a fairytale stretch. The team still holds a 13-game lead over .500 entering Saturday.
Winning nine straight series is rare too. This is the second-longest streak in franchise history. Only the 1912 team won more in a row. The team went 21-4 in July with a .840 winning percentage. That is the highest in a calendar month in franchise history. One loss doesn’t erase those numbers. But it does show that Gage Jump is a problem they can’t solve yet. He beat them in West Sacramento on July 28. Now he beat them again at Fenway. The Red Sox must find a way to beat him next time.
What do you think about the bullpen usage after Bennett faded? Let us know in the comments.
