When the Red Sox returned from their West Coast trip about 10 days ago, they actually owned a losing record at Fenway Park -- 13-14.
On Wednesday night, the Red Sox finished up a nine-game homestand with a 6-2 thumping of the Detroit Tigers that gave them a 7-2 mark in that stretch. Overall, the Sox are 16-7 in their last 23 home games, which translates into a .696 winning percentage.
Finally, home field feels like an advantage again.
"Solid, really good,'' said Alex Cora. "We talk about playing well here and it was fun. We played well against Oakland, and the game we lost, we have traffic at the end. Solid series against the Cardinals. They scored (some) at the end of games, but overall, I think we did an amazing job. And this (series) they've got some good arms in the bullpen, but we got the leads. We played well, we played clean baseball. We got some big swings that we need to do their part -- Christian (Vazquez) started swinging the bat well, Trevor (Story), too.
"Overall, it was good. A lot of people here. It was good. We haven't had one of these in a while at home, and for us to go to where we want to, we have to do this.''
A cynic would note that two of the three winning series the Sox just posted came against losing teams. And indeed, Oakland and Detroit are one and two in the American League when it comes to losses. But part of having a successful season includes winning the games you should and taking advantage of lesser opponents.
Meanwhile, in taking 2-of-3 from St. Louis, the Sox took a series from a first-place club. No apologies necessary there.
It's worth noting, too, that the Sox had this recent run despite a rash of injuries that have tested their depth. Even before the Sox returned from the West Coast, they lost their starting center fielder (Kike Hernandez) and 40 percent of their starting rotation (with both Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock sidelined).
It didn't impact the Sox much. Between Jarren Duran and Rob Refnsyder, the Sox have gotten big contributions from two outfielders recalled from Worcester. On Wednesday, the two occupied the top two spots in the lineup and combined for three runs scored, three hits and four RBI. Duran also reached base to lead off the bottom of the first when the mere prospect of his speed made Javier Baez rush a throw for an error. Duran's speed has resulted in him beating out three infield groundballs in the last five days.
On the mound, Eovaldi and Whitlock were barely missed. Josh Winckowski gave them two solid starts and allowed just two runs over two outings. Whitlock will likely rejoin the Sox in their second road series, but WInckowski will get one more start in Cleveland this weekend.
In recent seasons, having to rely on call-ups from Triple A would have doomed the Red Sox. In the last two weeks, however, the Sox are 3-1 in spot starts handled by Winckowski and Kutter Crawford.
Now, however, things are about to get more difficult. Of the three series on the upcoming road trip, two are against playoff-caliber opponents: first, the Cleveland Indians, and then the Toronto Blue Jays. The Indians have overcome the Minnesota Twins to take possession of first place in the American League Central, while the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of the Sox for the top wildcard spot in the American League.
Play time is over.
And that's just the beginning of a tougher schedule staring at the Red Sox.
After a weekend in Cleveland, the Red Sox will conclude a stretch of 50 games -- nearly one-third of the season -- during which they played just five games against teams in the East. Starting Monday in Toronto, 20 of their next 23 games will come against teams in the East, including each of their last 14 taking them up to the All-Star break.
With the lowly Tigers out of the way, 33 of the next 36 games, taking them up to Aug. 3 -- the day after the trade deadline -- the Sox will play games against winning teams. The only exception will be a three-game set at Wrigley against the rebuilding Cubs.
Even then, it's highly unlikely that the division (and the wild card race) will be decided. There are plenty of intra-division games in September and the first week of October, too.
But home or away, the Red Sox are about to be tested in ways they mostly haven't been since they've climbed back into contention. We're about to see whether the team's 16-4 record in June was a mirage, or a reflection of how much they've improved.