The Red Sox went 4 and 0 this week, and this was a good stretch to be watching. They opened with a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, July 9, then went to Citi Field and swept the New York Mets, winning 6-2, then 4-0, then 3-2. That sweep pushed the winning streak to nine games in a row, and the last ten games now sit at 9 and 1.
That run mattered in the standings too. The Red Sox moved from tenth games back in the wild card race down to just half a game back, and they climbed from fifth to fifth... actually they moved up to third place in the American League East, from fourth, cutting the division deficit from 12 games back to 10. The Tampa Bay Rays still lead the division, and they went 2 and 2 in this stretch while Boston kept winning. The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles each went 4 and 0 too, so this was a stretch where a lot of teams won, but Boston's sweep of the Mets did the real work of closing ground in the wild card picture.
Wilyer Abreu (RF) had a big day on July 10, going 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI. Anthony Seigler (2B) also homered that day, driving in 2 runs. Andruw Monasterio (SS) homered on July 11 with 2 RBI of his own. On the mound, Sonny Gray picked up the win on July 10, throwing 6 innings and allowing just 1 earned run with 3 strikeouts. Caleb Durbin (3B) was steady all week, hitting .286 over the four games with a home run and 2 RBI.
Since Sunday, July 12, the league has been on its All-Star break, with the All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14. The Red Sox are back at Fenway Park on Friday, July 17, opening a four game series against the Rays.