MLB Baseball
2026-07-22 - Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Wednesday 22nd July 2026 - Scheduled 1:35pm EST
6:05pm (British Time)
Preview
Three weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox (51-48) looked like a team that were going to be considered huge underachievers and one that would be looking to be a selling club at the trade deadline. Fourteen straight wins have completely changed the narrative around the team and the Boston Red Sox are 6.5 games out of the lead in the American League East, while the run of wins has also moved them into the top three of the Wild Card race in the American League.
One more win would see the 2026 team join the record number of consecutive wins in the storied history of the Red Sox, but the aim for Boston is to win both of these games in a double-header against a Divisional rival and one that will also be challenging for Wild Card spots.
The Baltimore Orioles (49-52) had won seven in a row before dropping the opener of this series on Monday and they are 3 games out of the Wild Card positions.
The Orioles will turn to Dean Kremer to try and get back on track and the pitcher has a 1-2 record and 4.15 ERA in five starts made this season having missed a couple of months through injury. It is no surprise that there have been some struggles with the command on the mound, but the numbers are pretty steady compared with previous seasons and that is important for Baltimore.
Dean Kremer has a 3-4 record and 5.04 ERA in ten career starts against the Boston Red Sox, but he will be facing this Divisional rival for the first time since holding them scoreless into the 8th Inning at Fenway Park in May 2025.
Boston will counter by giving the ball to rookie Jake Bennett who has a 5-3 record and 2.35 ERA in his opening nine starts in the Major League. The challenge for young pitchers is how they will react once more and more game tape is available for opponents, but Jake Bennett has looked like he has been getting more and more comfortable on the mound.
Jake Bennett had lost three decisions in a row, but has bounced back to put together a 4-0 record and 0.82 ERA in his last five starts for the Red Sox. That includes throwing 13 Innings either side of the All Star Break without giving up a run and Jake Bennett should be operating with a lot of confidence as he prepares to face the Baltimore Orioles for the first time.
The Red Sox are leading the season series 4-3 with two games to be played on Wednesday.
Prediction
This winning run put together by the Boston Red Sox has come at just the right time as they have been able to turn things around after a really poor opening to the season.
Now they are approaching the final third of the regular season with confidence and rookie Jake Bennett can help this team match the longest winning run in franchise history at fifteen games.
The Orioles will have something to say about that, but Dean Kremeer is still finding his feet after an injury layoff and Boston can secure the series win before the second half of this double-header is played.
The Pick :
Boston Red Sox 5-2 Baltimore Orioles
