Just a month ago, it looked like the Red Sox season might be over. They were 28-39 on June 12th,  4th place in the A.L. East, and had one of the worst-ranked offenses in the league. They ranked 28th in runs scored, 30th in home runs, 15th in batting average, and in the bottom 3 in slugging percentage and OPS. 

Now, in what has truly been a roller coaster of a season for the Boston Red Sox, they find themselves sitting at 46-48, .05 games back of the third wild card spot, having just won 9 games in a row, heading into the All-Star break. Let’s take a look at some of the key contributors to this Red Sox turnaround. 

Willson Contreras has been the soul of this Red Sox offense. He's been having a career year. Through 94 games, Contreras has a .285 batting average, 20 home runs, 61 RBI, .379 OBP, .542 SLG, and a 151 wRC+, making him one of the most elite hitters in the game. He was a phenomenal acquisition in the offseason. 

It's no coincidence that the Red Sox have gone on this run and Anthony Siegler has been in the lineup. Having been acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, the same trade that brought Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monesterio to Boston, Siegler has been the spark plug that this team needed. He plays with a confidence and high energy that rubs off on the rest of his teammates. Over his last 20 games, he's hitting .256, with 18 hits, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI.

What a season it has been for Ceddanne Rafaela! On the season has a .281 batting average, 96 hits, 8 homers, 39 RBIs, .328 OBP, .433 SLG, and a 108 wRC+. His production this season has been good enough to earn him a spot on the American League All-Star team. 

While key batters have helped spark the Red Sox's current run of 15-5 in their last 20 games, it has been the pitching, more importantly the starting rotation, that has been the backbone for the Sox all season, including in their last 20 games. 

In their last 20 games, the Red Sox starting rotation has posted a 3.16 ERA, with an 8.5 strikeouts-per-9 rate, a .228 batting average against, and a 14-6 record. With key contributors in Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, and Jake Bennett, leading the way. 

In their last 5 starts, Sonny Gray has a 3-0 record, a ridiculous 1.62 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and an excellent 2.94 FIP. Ranger Suarez, the big splash free agent signing for the Red Sox, has a 2-0 record, a 3.02 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and an elite 2.61 FIP in his last 5 starts.

Jake Bennett, who the Red Sox acquired in a trade with the Nationals, has been what the Sox wanted and much more. Over his last 5 starts, Bennett is 3-1 with an outstanding ERA of 1.39, 27 strikeouts, and a phenomenal 2.61 FIP.

The Red Sox are playing with a different type of energy now, and the vibes are great around the team. And with the potential returns of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, the Sox could be set to maintain this momentum into the second half of the season and, hopefully, the playoffs. With the front office having to make a tough choice tonight of whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline, as of right now, being 0.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot, it looks like they should be buyers at this upcoming trade deadline. 

Can the Red Sox keep this momentum and ride this all the way into the playoffs? Or will they fizzle out and revert to the awful team they were for the first 3 months of the season? We’ll see what happens. I will be watching almost every game regardless of what happens.