After an atrocious start to the season, during which they fired manager Alex Cora and six coaches, the Boston Red Sox have improbably — and quickly — found a way back into contention.Boston finished the first half on a nine-game winning streak, having won 14 of its past 16 games and looking like a completely different team from the one that routinely collapsed in April, May and much of June.Outstanding starting pitching and an offense that finally started to find its groove — thanks in part to multiple Triple-A call-ups contributing in big spots — have helped the Red Sox back into the playoff picture in a topsy-turvy American League.But the Red Sox still have their work cut out for them in the second half. The team begins with 10 straight games against the AL East, including a doubleheader Friday to start a four-game series against the AL’s best team, the Tampa Bay Rays.Which teams fared well during MLB Draft Day 1?Keith LawAfter their longest homestand of the season, they’ll head back to the West Coast for the third time in six weeks for four games against the Athletics in Sacramento and three against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, leading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline.Maintaining momentumIn each of the past two years, the Red Sox had a strong run leading into the All-Star break but couldn’t maintain their success afterward.Last season, they won 10 straight ahead of the break but limped to a 6-6 record entering the trade deadline. In 2024, they went 10-3 ahead of the break but just 3-8 before the trade deadline.This Red Sox club is different from those two, with so many Triple-A players fighting to prove they can win in the majors. Could that grit help them dig deeper in the second half?“To be where we’re at right now, based on where we’re at three weeks ago, you couldn’t ask for much more,” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “So the key is now — I told the team that, too — part two is that we’ve got to be ready to go when the second part of the season starts.”The Red Sox have fared better on the road than at home, but they did have their most successful homestand of the season (5-2) just before the break. Playing similarly in the upcoming 10-game homestand will be key.