BOSTON -- On June 24, the Red Sox were 32-46 and 15 1/2 games back in the American League East. Not only that, but they were six games back in the Wild Card standings with eight teams to climb over.
It was hard to believe the club would be anything but sellers heading into the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, particularly with some coveted chips to offer contenders in Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman. In a few short weeks, everything has changed.
On June 25, the Sox started an 18-2 stretch and a 13-game winning streak (tied with the 1948 team for second best in team history) that puts them a mere six games back in the division while holding sole possession of the third Wild Card spot entering Monday’s action.
How did this happen? Let us count the ways.
Hitting has come around
The way the front office built this team in the offseason, the expectation was that the offense could just be average for the Red Sox to be contenders. Well, for the first three months of the season, the hitting was below average as a baseline and way below average at times.
It’s no coincidence that once the offense started producing, a scintillating stretch of baseball was put in motion. Nobody has symbolized how the club has gone from cold to hot more than Caleb Durbin. This surreal run started the night Durbin belted a clutch homer against Yankees ace Cam Schlittler after insisting he be in the lineup just a day after a left pinkie subluxation (partial dislocation) took him out of a game in Colorado.
Over this 20-game stretch, the Red Sox's offense has scored 106 runs, the fifth-most in MLB.
“There's a lot of differences,” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “Not much in the pitching. The pitching's been great. But we have put some things together offensively. We’ve found different ways to score runs. We're taking much better at-bats.
"We're grinding at-bats, having longer at-bats, we’re taking more walks, we’re finding ways to score runs without hitting the ball out of the infield, and we're finding a way to hit the ball over the fence to score runs. So, when you get like that, you become an offense that becomes difficult to defend because we can beat you in different ways."
Starting pitching the pillar
Even as two members of the rotation have gone on the 15-day injured list during this run in Connelly Early and Ranger Suarez, Boston’s rotation keeps on ticking. Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) has impressively anchored a rotation that hasn’t included ace Garrett Crochet (left shoulder inflammation) in nearly three months. Payton Tolle has taken a big step forward as a rookie.
Suarez, who is only expected to miss one start with his left groin strain, has provided stability and guidance for a lefty-dominated staff.
And the biggest surprise of all has been lefty Jake Bennett. Summoned from Triple-A when Brayan Bello was surprisingly optioned, Bennett is 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA in his last six starts. The strike-throwing machine hadn’t pitched above Double-A before this season.
During the 18-2 run, Boston sports the third-best ERA (2.46) in the Majors and is second only to the Tigers in WHIP (1.01), opponents' batting average (.202) and opponents' OPS (.576).
Don’t forget about the bullpen
The most underrated part of this year’s team has been the bullpen. Of late, it's been particularly stingy. In addition to the 1-2 tandem of Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero has become a big contributor. Setup men Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten have bounced back from slumps.
Starting with that win over the Yankees on June 25, the bullpen holds the third-best ERA (2.49) and opponents' BA (.196) in MLB, while leading in opponents' OPS (.565).
Tracy’s touch
Nobody will ever forget the instant impact Joe Morgan made when he took over for John McNamara after the All-Star break in 1988. Morgan Magic started on Day 1, as the club roared back from a nine-game deficit by winning 12 in a row, 19 out of 20, and 24 in a row at Fenway. The Red Sox went on to win the AL East.
Though Tracy’s team took longer to get hot after he took over for Alex Cora on April 26, Fenway has a Morgan Magic feel to it of late. Tracy’s ability to stay even during the ups and downs has served the Red Sox particularly well during a season that had the chance to fall into the abyss.
“I wish I was like him,” said first baseman Willson Contreras. "If we win or lose, he’s at the same level. That’s hard to do, especially with baseball. But he’s been good to us -- good with the communication with the younger guys and the veterans. Everybody seems to be cool with him. And we like him here."