The Red Sox Are Actually Playing Real Baseball Again

Eight games below .500 isn’t a playoff team. Eight games below .500 with genuine momentum is a team that’s figured something out. The Red Sox swept the Angels and suddenly they’re 8-2 in their last ten, cutting their deficit nearly in half. That’s not luck. That’s not a fluke run against weak competition. That’s Alex Cora’s fingerprints all over a roster that’s starting to hit.

Here’s what matters: the third Wild Card is absolutely in play now. We’re talking about a race where games matter again—where every series against a rebuilding team isn’t a referendum on the season. The Red Sox are within striking distance of .500 in early July, which means they’re not dead weight in the division anymore. They’re a threat to actually accumulate wins in the second half.

The pitching staff with Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Brayan Bello anchoring the rotation has the depth to compete. The lineup—Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and whoever else is clicking on any given night—is capable of offensive outbursts. Caleb Durbin’s home run in Anaheim isn’t just a moment; it’s proof that this team has found its footing. Willson Contreras behind the plate provides stability. Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock out of the bullpen give them late-inning credibility.

The real test starts now. Cutting eight games off a fourteen-game deficit is meaningful. Getting to .500 would be the next milestone. But this streak shows something we weren’t always certain about: this team can play winning baseball when the lineup is healthy and the pitching is sharp. Craig Breslow’s roster construction is finally paying dividends.

Don’t crown them yet. But don’t count them out either.