What's Driving Red Sox's Stunning Turnaround? originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox won again on Monday night, kicking off their three-game series at Rogers Centre with a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was the Red Sox's third straight win, making this their longest winning streak of the season so far and improving their record to 12-17. They've dominated three straight road games, outscoring their opponents 27-4.
Some of the credit belongs to interim manager Chad Tracy, who's 2-0 since replacing Alex Cora. However, Boston was already starting to turn things around before Cora and much of his coaching staff were fired on Saturday.
The biggest keys to the Red Sox's recent turnaround have been power and starting pitching.
The Red Sox have homered in five straight 🔥@SalemFive knows the work is always worth it. Make your move. pic.twitter.com/NATbONeizK
Boston's pop has finally returned after a lengthy power outage earlier this month. The Red Sox have homered in five straight games, their longest streak of the year, with seven long balls during that span. By comparison, they had just five home runs over their previous 17 games.
Some of that is just positive regression to the mean, as Boston had been getting unlucky on its hard contact and fly balls. It could also be a function of batters finally settling into a groove and finding their timing.
The Red Sox's rotation has also started performing up to its lofty expectations, rounding into form after some early struggles. Boston's gotten four quality starts in its last five games with gems from Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suarez, who've allowed just three earned runs in 26 2/3 innings in their last four outings combined.
After going through a collective slump at the plate and on the mound, the Red Sox are suddenly on fire and playing like they're capable of. They'll try to extend their winning streak on Tuesday in Toronto behind Tolle, who's coming off an 11-strikeout masterpiece against the New York Yankees last week.
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