​Rephrased version of By the Numbers: How the Red Sox Turned Around Their Season in July from NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Boston Red Sox are finally showing the most productive baseball of the season. After sweeping the Chicago White Sox on July 9, Boston has racked up a season-high six-game win streak and has won 14 of its past 19 games. What started as a rough patch in the AL East has blossomed into a legitimate push for the postseason, with the club now just 2.5 games behind a Wild Card berth as they head to New York for the last series before the All-Star break. Here’s a breakdown of how Boston flipped the script in July and what’s fueling this hot stretch.
The Red Sox have put themselves back in the playoff chase, going 14-5 over the last 19 games and sweeping the Yankees, Angels, and White Sox along the way. Pre-July, the team languished in stagnation through late June, but the current hot streak has them back on track. The disparity in records is stark: 29-43 prior to July versus 14-5 in the last 19 games, with a maximum six-game win streak versus a prior best three-game run. The Wild Card deficit stood at 2.5 games back and looked increasingly tenuous, but that has begun to change.
First baseman Willson Contreras earned a spot on the AL All-Star team, joining teammates Aroldis Chapman and Ranger Suarez (who will miss the event). Contreras has answered the call by slashing .285/.379/.542 with 20 home runs, giving the lineup the middle-of-the-order punch it desperately needed. Over the last 15 days, his production has been extraordinary, boasting a slugging near .800 and an OPS around 1.199. He will also be the first Boston player to participate in the Home Run Derby since 2011.
Even without Garrett Crochet, the pitching staff has delivered, with Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez anchoring the rotation. Boston has climbed into the top ten in MLB with a 3.67 team ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, a significant improvement. Gray, Suarez, and Tolle have all made notable contributions in their first seasons with the Red Sox, posting ERAs at or below 3.15 and a strikeout rate per nine innings above 8.0. With the rotation stepping up in Crochet’s absence, the team has reaped the benefits of solid starting pitching and deeper bullpen support.
Injuries to key players, including Crochet and star outfielder Roman Anthony, have tested the club, but others have stepped forward. Caleb Durbin has been a standout contributor, rebounding from a slow start to post an .815 OPS with three home runs and seven RBIs over the past 15 days. The defense behind him has also been solid, with Romy Gonzalez providing reliable infield play and Ceddanne Rafaela using his elite center-field range to cover plenty of ground, helping reduce the risk on balls in play and bolster run prevention.
When the offense stalls, the bullpen has kept the team’s floor from sinking. During the six-game stretch, contributors like Garrett Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero, and veteran Aroldis Chapman have provided important innings, supporting a bullpen that has tightened the game in crucial moments and helped sustain the club’s winning cadence.