The Boston Red Sox were one of the worst teams in baseball for most of the first half, until they entered the All-Star Break on a historic hot streak.
After sputtering through the first three months of the season, the Red Sox finally turned their campaign around in late June, just like last year. They went 14-2 over their last 16 games, improving from 32-46 to 46-48.
Boston closed out the first half on a nine-game winning streak, sweeping three straight road series from the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. It was the club's first 9-0 road trip since 1977 and second in franchise history, tying the second-longest single-season road winning streak in team history as well.
The Red Sox enter the break just half a game out of a playoff spot in the AL Wild Card standings, positioning themselves as potential buyers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. While their season seemed dead just a few weeks ago, it's now very much alive.
Time will tell if Boston can stay hot after the break. Its schedule is about to get considerably harder with 10 straight home games against AL East opponents with the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays coming to town for a make-or-break stretch.
The Red Sox have been elite on the road this year, going 29-21 with a plus-51 run differential away from Fenway Park. They've struggled at home, however, with a 17-27 mark at Fenway, so they'll need to reverse that trend in the second half if they want to make a serious postseason push.