Did Red Sox Trigger Division Rival's Stunning Collapse?

Did Red Sox Trigger Division Rival's Stunning Collapse? originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

It's been nearly four weeks since the Baltimore Orioles hosted the Boston Red Sox for a three-game weekend series at Camden Yards in late April, and the two teams have gone in different directions ever since. The Orioles started the series with a bang, crushing the Red Sox 10-3 in the series opener and running out of celebratory fireworks after smashing six home runs. Baltimore improved to 13-13 with a plus-three run differential at the time but has completely collapsed since then, going 8-15 with a negative-60 run differential and plummeting from third place to last place in the AL East.

The Red Sox are out of last place in the AL East. pic. twitter.

com/VjOLmGBrWL — Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) May 20, 2026 Meanwhile, Boston has played much better baseball and started to turn its season around after starting 9-17, going 12-10 with a plus-17 run differential and climbing out of last place. The Red Sox immediately bounced back from that embarrassing loss in Baltimore, routing the Orioles 17-1 in the middle game and winning the series finale after firing much of their coaching staff. Their offense has continued to struggle , but their pitching has rounded into form and their defense has been exceptional.