There is no hotter team in baseball than the Boston Red Sox, who have won 11 straight games, their longest winning streak since 2016, entering play on Saturday. Thanks to the hot stretch, Boston went from the basement of the American League and surefire sellers to sole possession of the third wild card position. Now, the pressure is on Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow to make a decision ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline as the Red Sox pursue a historical comeback. 

On June 24, the Red Sox fell to the Colorado Rockies, becoming the worst team in the American League. Still though, Breslow reiterated his belief that the team would go on a run and get back into the American League playoff picture. Well, the players have answered the call, now winning 11 games in the exact way Breslow envisioned when he constructed the roster in the offseason: through strong pitching. 

The Red Sox pitching staff has posted a 1.53 ERA during the winning streak, the lowest mark in the league, while holding opponents to a .180 batting average, tied with Detroit for the lowest average allowed in baseball. The 17 runs the team has allowed in that stretch are the fewest any Red Sox team has allowed of any 11-game stretch in the live-ball era, which dates back to 1920. 

While the pitching staff has propelled the team to 11 straight wins, the Red Sox offense has done its part, scoring 63 runs in 11 games, the fourth-most in baseball through that stretch, getting key contributions from role players like Anthony Seigler and Andruw Monasterio. 

Now, just 24 days after that series loss to Colorado, the Red Sox find themselves winners of 11 straight and back to .500 for the first time since March 28, when the team was 1-1. According to OptaStats, the Red Sox became the first team in the 21st century to go from 10 or more games under .500 to being even at .500 without losing a single game. 

Similarly, per OptaStats, the Red Sox are looking to become the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to make the postseason after being 14 or more games under .500 on or after June 24. 

While both Monasterio and Seigler have been incredible stories throughout the winning streak, they both profile much better as role players on a winning team than as regular contributors.

And while the Red Sox offense has done a good job of manufacturing runs, that does not always equate to winning in October, where, as Breslow himself said, runs are scored "disproportionately" via home run in the playoffs. The Boston lineup still has a clear need in the power-hitting department, where they have hit a league-low 90 home runs. 

After months of mediocrity, the players have responded to Breslow's call to perform better and get back into the playoff race. Now, the onus is on Breslow to go out and get them the lineup reinforcements they need to make a deep playoff run. 

The Red Sox are 48-48 and in third place in the American League East. 

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