Can Sox turn Yanks sweep into second-half run? 

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON – For weeks, the Red Sox have been teetering. Players have acknowledged the team will have no choice but to become sellers at the Trade Deadline unless things change dramatically, and soon.

They need to rip off a long stretch in which they win a lot more than they lose. Is it possible they at last generated some momentum during a memorable weekend at Fenway Park in which they pulled off a four-game sweep of the rival Yankees, capped by a walk off hit by Jarren Duran in the bottom of the 10th?

It marked the first time the Sox have had a four-game winning streak this season, and there was a vibe throughout the four games that hadn’t been felt at Fenway all season.

There is still work to do. Boston is 36-46. Yet, thanks to a watered-down American League, interim manager Chad Tracy’s team is in semi-striking distance for the third AL Wild Card spot, trailing by 4 1/2 games.

With 12 games left before the All-Star break, this is survival time for the Sox and everyone knows it. These next two weeks will likely determine the direction the front office takes in advance of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

“I mean, it has to be,” said Sonny Gray, who pitched brilliantly on Sunday (7 1/3 scoreless innings, one hit). “This is coming down to [the wire] for us. So that was a fun weekend for us, for sure.”

Tracy has stayed even-keeled throughout, and has also tried to stay realistic.

“There's a long way to go,” said Tracy. “We talked to the guys, just said we still got a lot of work to do, but we have some momentum now and maybe the best momentum we've had. We haven't had a four game winning streak, so this is the best momentum we've had. We got to just try to keep riding it for as long as we can. We're playing really good baseball.”

Sunday, when Aroldis Chapman blew the save after Gray’s masterpiece, and the Sox trailed by two entering the bottom of the 10th inning, could have been a gut punch of a defeat. Instead, the Sox rose up and pulled off a stirring three-run comeback to win in the bottom of the inning.

Maybe it will wind up being the start of something?

“Let’s hope so,” said Duran. “It's baseball and stuff happens, but it was a good sweep. Four hard fought games, and we’ve just got to keep carrying it over. We’ve got a lot of energy on this team, and I'm excited to see what we can continue to do.”

The Nationals come to Fenway for a three-game set that starts Monday. After a day off on Thursday, the Sox go to Anaheim for a weekend series. In the final week before the All-Star break, they’ll play three in Chicago against the White Sox and three in New York against the Mets.

By that time, the front office should have a better idea of what lane they will take on the trade market.