Is the turnaround for real? How does it impact the...
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- Boston Red Sox won their 14th straight game Monday, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 at Fenway Park on Caleb Durbin's go-ahead two-out homer in the eighth and a game-ending catch by shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng in the ninth.
- The Red Sox's turnaround began June 25 after a mechanical delay forced a five-hour wait in Denver; interim manager Chad Tracy pushed report times back an hour and the team swept the Yankees to start a 19-2 stretch.
- Boston's starting rotation has posted a 2.66 ERA during the 19-2 run, led by Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) and rookie Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35 ERA in nine starts), without injured ace Garrett Crochet.
- Caleb Durbin, acquired in a trade that drew criticism when Kyle Harrison thrived for Milwaukee, is now hitting .330 with seven homers and a .986 OPS over his past 28 games, up to 2.3 WAR.
- The Red Sox's playoff odds jumped from 9.4% on June 24 to 63.9% after Monday's win, per FanGraphs, and they have climbed from 15½ games behind in the AL East to 6½ back of the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Boston has flipped its trade-deadline posture, going from potential sellers (Gray and Chapman as trade chips) to buyers, with needs at shortstop and second base as Trevor Story rehabs and Marcelo Mayer lands on the IL.
Why it matters: Boston's 19-2 stretch has vaulted them from worst-in-the-AL to legitimate playoff contention, with FanGraphs playoff odds leaping from 9.4% to 63.9% in three weeks. A team that looked headed for deadline sell-off mode is now hunting for an infielder upgrade, and the rotation's depth — built through offseason moves by Craig Breslow — has carried them even without ace Garrett Crochet.
