By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk
BOSTON – Usually, the Major League Baseball All-Star break is greeted by both fans and players with glee. MLB’s 162 game season is a long haul, so it’s usually a welcome time to get some rest, take a quick trip, relax and take a much deserved break, unless you’re one of the chosen few who gets to party with the All-Stars.
The 2025 MLB All-Star break is coming at a terrible time for the Boston Red Sox, but a really high time for the team as a whole (or on a roll). The team has compiled a 10-game winning streak, and won 12 of their last 13 games. They’re eight games over .500 mark, a 2025 season high. Boston has just swept three consecutive series and has now won as many games in this first half of 2025 (53-45) as they did in the first half of 2024 (53-43), a major feat considering the team was (30-35) and 10.5 games out in the American League East on June 6.
July has been a magical time for Boston, so this is the worst possible time for a break. But, the schedule is the schedule and its time to see if the newly found momentum can be sustained.
The team is relatively healthy, although 3B All-Star and new team leader Alex Bregman could use a few more days of rehab on his injured quad. Only Sox pitchers like Hunter Dobbins (out for season), Liam Hendriks, Zack Kelly, Tanner Houck, and, of course, first baseman Tristan Casas (out for the year) are on the mend.
Starting pitcher Bryan Bello brought the juice again Sunday. In earning his sixth win of the season (6-3), Bello threw 6.1 innings of one run ball, he gave up only six scattered hit and struck out five Tampa batters. After throwing a complete game victory against the Colorado Rockies on July 8 (107 pitches), Bello followed with a 105-pitch gem, only to give way to All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman who made quick work of the Rays by striking out the side in the visitor’s ninth inning and earned his 17th save.
Boston centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela was the hometown hero in Boston’s 4-1 win on Sunday. His sixth inning two-run home run sealed the 10th straight victory for the Red Sox. It was Rafaela’s fifth home run in the 10-game streak. He’s carrying a career high 10-game hitting streak while batting .421 (16-for-38) with 10 runs scored, six doubles, and 15 RBI.
Since trading their franchise third baseman, Rafael Devers, on June 15 and enduring a six-game losing streak from June 21-to-27, Boston has won 12 of their last 13 games. That includes an 11-1 mark in this magical month of July. It’s only the third time in franchise history (1968 and 1939) that they’ve started July winning 11 of 12.
Shortstop Trevor Story has been another major contributor to the surging Sox. In 38 games since June 1, Story is hitting .319 (46-for-144) with 27 runs scored, ten doubles, eight home runs, and 35 RBI. The 35 RBI ranks a T-3rd in all of MLB since June 1.
Rookie OF Roman Anthony became the youngest Red Sox player to record a nine-game hitting streak since the great Tony Conigliaro did so in 1964-and 1965. Anthony is only 21 years, 61 days old as MLB takes its break.
Tampa limps into the break, seriously needing a break. The rays have lost four in a row (by way of the Red Sox sweep), but Tampa’s dropped eight of 10 and 12 of their last 16 games, dropping the Bay to (50-47), teeting ever closer to the .500 mark they saw back on May 25th (26-26).
Tampa was swept in a series for the fourth time this season, but the first time being swept in a four-game series, dating back to July 7-10, 2024 by Baltimore.