Regardless of the Red Sox' activity (or lack thereof) at the trade deadline, they are still riding a lot of momentum. They are winners of five of their last seven games and were 17-7 in July. With a 59-51 record, they are one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Said Ryan Jeffers of deadline madness: "Maybe this is the harsh reality of what was needed for this club. It’s a hard pill to swallow."