Only the ridiculous American League could turn Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow from a sitting duck into a potential candidate for Executive of the Year in less than a week.I exaggerate. But maybe not by much.Entering last Thursday, the Red Sox had the worst record in the AL. I wrote that day – again – that Breslow was essentially a goner.Hah!The Red Sox went on to sweep four games from the New York Yankees – at Fenway Park no less, where Boston previously was 12-25. Another victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, this one by a 6-3 score, was the Sox’s fifth straight win.Their roster looks more functional than at any point this season. And considering where they are in their schedule – a stretch in which they are facing the Nats, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets – they actually might be poised to make a run.Who will be the next Mets manager?Ken RosenthalThe White Sox, mind you, are a first-place club, and good for them. But their success is another reflection of the watered-down AL, where only six teams have a positive run differential.Believe it or not, Boston is one of them.Yes, the mere thought of the Red Sox as contenders is borderline laughable. But suddenly they are only 4.5 games out in the race of the turtles, otherwise known as the battle for the final AL wild-card spot.The team holding that position, the Seattle Mariners, needed to beat the hapless Angels on Monday night to get back to .500. The next five teams – the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles – are all within four games of Seattle.All of those clubs at various points left their fans infuriated. Yet, with the trade deadline less than five weeks away, all project themselves as buyers. To varying degrees, they all need the same thing – rotation help.