Red Sox Win 12th Straight 7-6 Over Rays, Seizing AL Wild Card Spot

Q: Can Wilyer Abreu's historic power surge carry Boston through one of the league's toughest remaining schedules?

Probably not by himself, but Abreu’s surge can be a major reason Boston stays in the race. Abreu is on a real heater, not a fluke headline. He has four homers in two games, 15 on the season, a .266 average, a .794 career OPS, and strong quality-of-contact indicators, including a 12.8% barrel rate and 90.1 mph average exit velocity. He is also giving Boston value beyond the bat with high-end defense and baserunning, which matters over a difficult second half. Still, the evidence says Boston’s turnaround is bigger than one hitter. The Red Sox have won 12 straight because they are getting contributions across the roster, including Rafaela, Yoshida, Jones, a strong bullpen led by Chapman, and elite team defense that leads MLB in Defensive Runs Saved. Under interim manager Chad Tracy, they have gone from 10-17 to 49-48 and into the wild-card picture. That broader formula will matter because Boston’s remaining schedule is among the tougher ones in the AL wild-card chase. One estimate puts the Red Sox’s remaining strength of schedule at .501, around the 12th-hardest in MLB. That is manageable, but not something one hot bat usually carries alone. If Abreu keeps producing at this level, he can absolutely swing close games and help Boston survive the schedule. But for the Red Sox to hold a playoff spot, they will need the same mix that fueled this streak: run prevention, bullpen stability, lineup depth, and likely reinforcements from injured players or the trade deadline.

3 articles · Updated · MLB Trade Rumors · Jul 19

A four-run seventh inning lifted Boston past Tampa Bay 7-6, pushing the Red Sox to 12 straight wins and into the final AL Wild Card position at 49-48.
Wilyer Abreu drove the rally with two homers, including a go-ahead two-run shot in the seventh after a solo blast in the third.
The 12-game run is tied for the third-longest winning streak in franchise history, and Abreu became the first Red Sox player since Mookie Betts in 2016 to homer at least twice in back-to-back games.
Boston’s surge has flipped its season quickly: on July 2, the club was 37-48, 6.5 games out of the Wild Card race and behind five teams.