It has spanned 17 days and two halves of this Major League Baseball season, hatched during the World Cup's round of 32 and lasting all the way through the awkward handshakes and trophy lifts in the Meadowlands.
So, where do the Boston Red Sox go from here now that their 13-game winning streak - second-longest in their storied history - is knocking on August's door?
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For now, they're zooming right up USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
The Red Sox began this streak July 3, at 37-48 and in last place in the American League East. It is still going and now, after sweeping the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox are 50-48, in wild card position in the AL and firmly not going to break up the squad at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
They've won 18 of their last 20 and predictably enough, the backbone of this run has been pitching. They "pivoted to run prevention" after getting outbid on Alex Bregman and despite the absence of left-handers Garrett Crochet and Connelly Early, Red Sox starters have recorded a quality start in 19 of their last 27 games, going 14-2 with a majors-best 2.27 ERA in that span.
Now, after powering up four more spots to No. 15 in our power rankings? Six more games against division rivals, Baltimore and Toronto.
A look at our updated rankings:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)
- Is it time to have a conversation about best allocation of Shohei Ohtani's resources?
2. Milwaukee Brewers (-)
- Garrett Mitchell's OPS up to a career-high .827.
3. Atlanta Braves (+1)
- Roar out of the gate with 29 runs in three games against Rangers.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)
- A season-high five losses in a row after four-game sweep at Fenway.
5. Chicago Cubs (+1)
- Offense is back, and better yet, so is Shota Imanaga, it seems.
6. New York Yankees (-1)
- More imaging, but no baseball activities for Aaron Judge. Not great.
7. Philadelphia Phillies (-)
- Forget right field. A No. 4 and No. 5 starter have to be top deadline priorities.
8. Chicago White Sox (+1)
- These dudes have lost just one series since June 21.
9. Miami Marlins (-1)
- Rough start to second half compounded by Otto Lopez tweaking his finger.
10. Pittsburgh Pirates (+2)
In a tie for a wild-card spot. Now fix that bullpen.
11. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)
- Very quietly, losers of eight of their last 12.
12. Cleveland Guardians (-1)
- Bullpen has multiple reinforcements nearing return.
13. Arizona Diamondbacks (+3)
- Stunning comeback from seven runs down tempered by potential loss of Corbin Carroll.
14. Texas Rangers (-1)
- Ugly second half opener at Atlanta, but at least their broadcast limbo kept folks from watching it.
15. Boston Red Sox (+4)
- Hottest team in baseball still not selling out Fenway consistently.
16. Seattle Mariners (-2)
- Cole Young bails them out two days in a row to salvage series from lowly Giants.
17. Washington Nationals (-2)
- Foster Griffin their first 11-game winner since 2019.
18. San Diego Padres (-1)
- Starters Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove working their way back.
19. Baltimore Orioles (+2)
- They've suddenly won six in a row. Is it finally happening?
20. Minnesota Twins (-2)
- Four games at Cleveland may prove if, you know, this thing is worth getting after.
21. Detroit Tigers (+2)
- "We've been playing Game 7 for like two months," says A.J. Hinch. Just two and a half more to go!
22. Houston Astros (-2)
- Look a lot more like they'll fall on the sell side of things.
23. Toronto Blue Jays (-1)
- Joy of Joe Carter's statue unveiling tempered by unexpected loss of Duane Ward.
24. Cincinnati Reds (-)
- Tyler Stephenson's two-homer a nice trade block showcase.
25. San Francisco Giants (+1)
- Bryce Eldridge: 10 homers, .858 OPS in 200 at-bats.
26. New York Mets (+1)
- Nolan McLean now fifth in the NL with 135 strikeouts.
27. Athletics (-2)
- Give up 23 runs in loss to Nationals, 11th time they've yielded double-digit runs in Yolo County.
28. Colorado Rockies (-)
- Cole Carigg's OPS now .900 in 125 plate appearances.
29. Los Angeles Angels (-)
- Grayson Rodriguez's ERA now 8.23 in eight starts.
30. Kansas City Royals (-)
- Utilityman Tyler Tolbert has now pitched in five games, four more than projected closer Carlos Estévez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Red Sox win streak hits 13 as worst-to-first quest continues

