What happened: On July 2, the Red Sox sat last in the AL East, held the fourth-worst record in baseball and trailed the final wild-card spot by 6.5 games, per Jeff Passan. Ten days later, Boston is a half-game behind Minnesota and Seattle for that spot. The stretch includes a seven-game winning streak and consecutive wins over the Mets, 4-0 and 6-2.
Why it matters: Boston leads its series against New York 2-0 entering Sunday's finale. The reversal comes a month after the club were positioned as sellers after sliding to AL East basement, a swing that complicates their approach to the trade deadline.
By the numbers: Red Sox are 44-48 with a seven-game winning streak, going 5-0 in their last five and outscoring opponents 4.1-3.9 per game this season. They've beaten the Mets 4-0 and 6-2 in the two most recent meetings.
What to watch: Boston plays the series finale against New York Sunday with the wild-card race tightening.