Victorious Chicago Cubs snap Boston Red Sox’s win streak.
Reporting by Coleman Robbins for SRN
Coming off their hottest stretch of the season, the Red Sox entered Wrigley Field for the first time since 2022, riding a 10-game winning streak. Two historic franchises clashed in the midst of a playoff race, each looking to build on their early-summer momentum.
Ceddanne Rafaela continued to pace Boston’s offense, hitting .271 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in the first half. His recent two-run homer against the Rays secured the Red Sox’s third consecutive series sweep.
Chicago, meanwhile, came in having won two of three against the Yankees, capped by a 4–1 victory on Sunday behind Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer and Michael Busch’s solo shot. The Cubs had gone 6–4 over their last 10 games.
On the mound, Boston sent Lucas Giolito (6–1, 3.36 ERA) against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (7–3, 3.91 ERA).
The game started rough for Lucas Giolito, who walked the first two batters and gave up a three-run homer to Seiya Suzuki. He settled down afterward, lasting 5 1/3 innings. Rookie Roman Anthony extended his hitting streak to 10 games—the longest by a Red Sox player his age since Tony Conigliaro in July 1965—going 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk. Still, Boston’s seven-year-best win streak came to an end.
Colin Rea worked five innings for Chicago, allowing one run on four hits and four walks before turning things over to a dominant bullpen. The Cubs’ relief corps—Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Pressly, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller, and Daniel Palencia—combined for four scoreless innings, yielding just three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
Chicago’s offense, powered by Suzuki’s three-run blast and Nico Hoerner’s RBI single, capitalized on Boston’s miscues, including a costly baserunning blunder when Carlos Narvaez was doubled off second on a flyout in the fifth.
With the 4–1 win, the Cubs improved to 58–39, maintaining sole possession of first place in the NL Central. The Red Sox fell to 53–46, now 3.5 games back in the AL East.
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