The Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore to win their second straight game and quell some of the noise from a tumultuous weekend in which the franchise fired manager Alex Cora and several staff members.

The Red Sox are now 11-17 and remain in last place in the American League East and there's no way to know what will happen moving forward. New manager Chad Tracy is likable, but the players don't appear too happy with what happened to Cora and his staff.

As for the game itself on Sunday, the Sox got a home run from Willson Contreras and a 2-for-4 day from Ceddanne Rafaela, while also getting 6.2 solid innings from Connelly Early on the mound.

Aroldis Chapman locked down his fifth save of the season and with two strikeouts, he moved into second place all-time for the most strikeouts among relievers. Having never started a game in his 17-year career, he has 1,341 strikeouts out of the bullpen.

He surpassed Goose Gossage for the No. 2 spot and is only behind Hoyt Wilhelm (1,363). As long as he stays healthy, he should pass him in relatively short order.

Long-lauded for his triple-digit fastball, Chapman has played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Red Sox. Owner of a 60-49 career record, he has 372 saves and a 2.50 ERA. At the age of 38, Chapman is pushing toward some serious Hall of Fame consideration. 

An eight-time All-Star, Chapman won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016 and the Rangers in 2023. He's a two-time Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year winner and he had 32 saves for Boston last season, earning himself a contract extension through the rest of this campaign.

This season, he's 0-1 with a 1.04 ERA. He's struck out 10 batters in 8.2 innings.

Boston will start a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night at Rogers Centre. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET and it's a very interesting series in that each pitching matchup mirrors each other.

On Monday? A battle of high-priced signings with big resumes (Ranger Suarez vs. Dylan Cease)

On Tuesday? A battle of high-value prospects (Payton Tolle vs. Trey Yesavage)

On Wednesday? Pitchers in need of positive momentum (Brayan Bello vs. Max Scherzer).

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