After losing five of six to the Rays and Rangers, two teams the Red Sox will continue to compete with in the American League playoff race, it was gut-check time for the defending World Series champs.
They were 35-34 and at risk of falling too far behind in the AL Wild Card standings, but the Red Sox were able to save a split against Texas by winning the last two games of that series, and then followed it up with a sweep of the lowly Orioles.
After their 8-6 victory in the final game at Camden Yards, Christian Vazquez said, "We're back."
It's hard to tell if he's right after three games they should have won, but the Sox have shown signs of life during their five-game winning streak. They've averaged 7.8 runs and 12.2 hits over the last five games and have belted 14 home runs over that span.
The Red Sox now sit 5.5 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees and are tied with the Rangers for the second Wild Card spot, holding a half-a-game lead over Cleveland.
Last season, everything went right for this team, and this year they've had to fight through major adversity to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Perhaps this is the time we can look back on as the turning point for another deep run in October or just another example of what could have been.
Boston Red Sox
Find the latest Boston Red Sox news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Either way, we'll probably get a better idea of where the Red Sox stand when they travel to Minnesota on Monday for a three-game set against one of the best teams in the American League.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.
