BOSTON — The story of Christian Encarnacion-Strand is one of instant success and an almost immediate humbling process. Injuries played their part. The infielder, who burst onto the scene with 13 home runs in 63 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, soon found himself on the fringes of major league life.

In April, this former hot prospect was designated for assignment. He was then traded to the Orioles for cash. He grinded away in Triple-A for the Reds and Orioles for much of 2025 and 2026.

That all happened by the time he was 26.

But at Fenway Park on Wednesday, playing his second straight game for the Orioles after he was promoted to replace the injured Blaze Alexander, Encarnacion-Strand was the brightest part of a dismal defeat in the first game of a doubleheader.

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Encarnacion-Strand (or CES, for short), recorded three hits in his third game for the Orioles. He belted a home run for the second straight game and added two singles. He was the offensive force for a team with little bite.

Baltimore went on to lose, 6-3, against the Red Sox, which ensured Boston’s winning streak progressed to 15 games — tying a franchise record. The Orioles will have an opportunity to salvage at least one game from this series at 7:10 p.m., when the nightcap begins at Fenway Park.

There was little hope in salvaging a win in the first game of the doubleheader because Boston jumped all over right-hander Dean Kremer immediately. The Red Sox notched four singles among their first five batters, and Jarren Duran’s two-run triple capped the four-run first inning.

Kremer allowed a sacrifice fly and a solo homer from Ceddanne Rafaela later as part of his poor six-inning display. Right-hander Kyle Bradish, fresh off a five-year, $90 million contract extension, will attempt to put a stop to the red-hot Red Sox later today.

Baltimore got on the board through a bit of luck in the third inning against left-hander Jake Bennett. Pete Alonso doubled, and with two outs, Tyler O’Neill lofted a high fly ball into shallow center. Rafaela lost it in the sun, which allowed Alonso to score on an asterisk-worthy double.

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In the fourth, Encarnacion-Strand showed off his power once more by throttling a first-pitch sinker 424 feet. And in the sixth, after Coby Mayo doubled, Encarnacion-Strand capped a strong individual showing with an RBI single off the Green Monster.

When Encarnacion-Strand debuted in 2023, he found immediate success. He held an .805 OPS in those 63 games. But he hardly played because of injuries and underperformances over his next three seasons with Cincinnati.

“I think injuries had a role in that,” he said of his decline. “I feel like when you get injured and you’re not playing every day, it just gets hard. But other than that, I don’t know, the league does learn you and you have to make adjustments, but it’s kind of hard to make adjustments when you can’t be on the field because you’re injured.”

That has been the best part of 2025 with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate, and with Baltimore in 2026 following the trade. Encarnacion-Strand received everyday playing time with Triple-A Norfolk. He found his stroke once more.

“I feel like getting healthy again at the end of last season, it wasn’t the place I wanted to be, in Triple-A, and I wasn’t playing the best, but getting those at-bats and getting those reps was huge. And this year I’ve been able to get all the at-bats and get the reps, so I’m just rolling along.”

While he rolls along, though, the Orioles have hit a snag. After seven straight wins, they’ve fallen back to Earth with two losses to the Red Sox.