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By the Numbers: How the Red Sox Turned Around Their Season in July originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox are officially playing their best baseball of the year. With a fresh sweep of the Chicago White Sox wrapped up on July 9, Boston has strung together a season-high six-game winning streak and won 14 of their last 19 games.
Once buried in the AL East standings, this sudden surge has pulled them right back into the thick of the postseason race, sitting just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot heading into New York for the final series before the All-Star break.
Here is a breakdown of how the Red Sox flipped the script to start July and what is driving this hot streak.
By The Numbers: Red Sox Turnaround
The Red Sox have put themselves back into playoff contention, winning 14 of 19 games. This includes sweeps over the Yankees, Angels and White Sox.
| Metric | Pre-July Stagnation (Until June 18) | The Current Hot Streak (Last 19 Games) |
| Record | 29-43 | 14-5 |
| Win Streak | Max 3 games | 6 games |
| Wild Card Deficit | Looking remote | 2.5 Games Back |
The All-Star cornerstones
First baseman Willson Contreras was just added to the AL All-Star squad — joining teammates Aroldis Chapman and Ranger Suarez (who will miss the event) — and he's earned it. Shrugging off external distractions, Contreras is slashing .285/.379/.542 with 20 home runs, providing the middle-of-the-order teeth this lineup desperately needed.
In the last 15 days, Contreras has a slugging percentage near .800 and a 1.199 OPS. He will also be the first Boston player to participate in the Home Run Derby since 2011.
Strong starting pitching
Even in the absence of Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox pitching staff has performed valiantly, with Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Suarez leading the way. Boston has climbed into the top ten in MLB with a 3.67 team ERA and 1.23 WHIP, which is a drastic improvement.
Gray, Suarez and Tolle have all added major contributions in their first season in Boston, all with an ERA of 3.15 or under and a K/9 over 8. Boston needed its starters to step up in the absence of the reigning MLB strikeout leader, and it has seen it pay off recently.
Unexpected depth contributions
The Red Sox have dealt with injuries to major players throughout the season, including Crochet and star outfielder Roman Anthony, but that hasn't stopped others from stepping up in their absence. This includes Caleb Durbin, who had a slow start to his Red Sox career but has been instrumental to the surge; Durbin has a .815 OPS, 3 home runs and 7 RBI over the last 15 days.
Combined with the steady glove of Romy Gonzalez and elite defensive range from Ceddanne Rafaela tracking everything down in center, Boston's run-prevention identity has drastically improved.
Strong performances by the bullpen
When the offense cools down, the bullpen keeps the floor from dropping out. During this six-game streak, arms like Garrett Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero, and ageless wonder Aroldis Chapman (who just broke the all-time MLB relief strikeout record) have routinely slammed the door in tight, one-run windows.
AL wild card standings
Here's where Boston stands in the AL wild card race heading into the weekend (as of July 10):
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| N.Y. Yankees (WC1) | 51 | 42 | .548 | +4.5 |
| Cleveland (WC2) | 48 | 46 | .511 | +1.0 |
| Seattle (WC3) | 47 | 47 | .500 | — |
| Minnesota | 46 | 48 | .489 | 1.0 |
| Houston | 46 | 49 | .484 | 1.5 |
| Toronto | 44 | 49 | .473 | 2.5 |
| Boston | 43 | 48 | .473 | 2.5 |
| Detroit | 43 | 50 | .462 | 3.5 |
| Baltimore | 43 | 51 | .457 | 4.0 |
| Athletics | 41 | 52 | .441 | 5.5 |
| Kansas City | 38 | 56 | .404 | 9.0 |
| L.A. Angels | 37 | 57 | .394 | 10.0 |
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