Red Sox 14, White Sox 2: Caleb Durbin's Slam Sparks a Six-Game Winning Streak

August 4, 2026 - Boston - Boston didn't need to grind this one out. Caleb Durbin made sure of that before most fans had settled into their seats.

Durbin's grand slam highlighted a six-run first inning, and by the time the night was over, the Red Sox had run their winning streak to six games with a 14-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox, Boston's 24th win in its last 27 games.

Six runs before the White Sox found their footing

This wasn't a comeback story. It was a first-inning statement. Durbin's slam did the bulk of the damage, and the rest of the lineup piled on before Chicago starter Sean Burke could find any rhythm. Wilyer Abreu added his own exclamation points later in the game, two separate solo homers, giving Boston four home runs for the second straight night and turning what was already a comfortable lead into a laugher.

Every previous win in Boston's six-game streak had required coming from behind. This one didn't need any of that. The Red Sox simply took the lead in the first inning and never gave the White Sox a real window to get back into it.

Sandoval's long road back

The pitching story matters as much as the offense did. Patrick Sandoval struck out five and allowed two runs on six hits and four walks over five-plus innings, his first major league win since May 7, 2024. He missed half that season and all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery, and a win of any shape, let alone one backed by 14 runs, is the kind of milestone that means more than the box score line suggests.

A White Sox lineup still finding its footing

Chicago's roster has changed considerably since the trade deadline. Miguel Vargas and a retooled pitching staff are still adjusting to life after the White Sox added Luis Castillo, Huascar Brazobán, and Joey Bart in the same deadline window. Burke's rough outing was a step back for a rotation that's shown real promise this season, but one bad night against a red-hot lineup isn't a crisis.

AthX Engine angle

Durbin's grand slam was worth 14 hitting fantasy points, and Abreu's two-homer night added 13 more, part of a Red Sox offense that posted 29 AthX Engine team fantasy points, the single highest team total anywhere on the August 4 slate. Sandoval's return start didn't clear the same bar on the pitching side, but the win itself matters more than the fantasy line for a pitcher two years removed from elbow surgery. Chicago finished the night at negative-11, the worst team score of the day by a wide margin, a clean illustration of how quickly a rout compounds on both sides of the ledger.

Track Caleb Durbin, Wilyer Abreu, and the Red Sox and White Sox boards on the marketplace. Information only; not financial advice.

What it means

Boston's six-game streak, and a 24-3 stretch over its last 27 games, is the kind of run that turns a good season into a genuine contender's case. Chicago has real building blocks after an active deadline, but nights like this one are a reminder that the roster overhaul hasn't fully settled in yet.

*Sources: MLB.com gameday final, ESPN recap, AthX Engine daily scoring for August 4, 2026. Information only; not financial advice.*