On the back of another impressive performance from Jarren Duran and Willson Contreras, the Boston Red Sox on May 21 completed their second sweep of the season. The Kansas City Royals sit at the bottom of the American League Central, but the Red Sox stringing three consecutive wins together against any team is a sign of progress.
It isn't the only one from the last few series. The Red Sox have a .500 record in their last 10 games. Their pitching staff has a 2.69 ERA in the last 15 days. Formerly slumping bats like Duran and Contreras are heating up and top contributors like Ceddanne Rafaela have stayed hot. Interim manager Chad Tracy has introduced Nick Sogard and Mickey Gasper into the mix and both have been a spark in the offense.
The Red Sox are slowly moving up in the American League East as their offense lurches to life. They, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are in a three-way race for third place in the division while the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays run away with the top two spots. As Boston's offense continues to find its way, there's one more key stat it has to change: its record at home.
As of May 21, the Red Sox are 8-14 at Fenway Park. They've won just one series there so far this season (against the Milwaukee Brewers from April 6-8) and split a four-game bout with the Detroit Tigers two weeks later.
The Red Sox's offense has started looking up, but they need to win at Fenway Park to grow into a contender
The Red Sox have won 4 of 5 and are 9-6 in their last 15. They are one (more) good week away from making things interesting. Now, they MUST play better at Fenway Park, where they are just 8-14 on the season. pic.twitter.com/6rtZISOT1F
— Tom Caron (@TomCaron) May 21, 2026
The Red Sox have the worst home record of any team this year, which isn't sustainable or conducive to a winning club. Boston's pitchers have largely done their jobs within the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park, but the offense hasn't delivered. The Red Sox are batting just .223/.300/.329 at home compared to .253/.325/.393 on the road — the difference isn't massive, but when the Sox only need to score three or four runs to win games behind their rock-solid pitching staff, every hit matters even more.
Boston has a six-game homestand coming up and it could be an easy chance to get on its feet. The Minnesota Twins will come to Fenway from May 22-24. They and the Red Sox are in a similar place, record-wise, as the Twins have cooled down significantly since their unexpectedly hot start to the season. The Atlanta Braves will come from May 26-28 and Boston put up a great fight against the best team in the National League just one week ago, despite losing the series.
If the Red Sox want to be seen as contenders in the wide-open AL, they need to take every advantage coming to their lackluster offense, and playing 81 games per year at Fenway Park is a huge one. Tracy's lineup decisions and Duran's breakout are helping the Red Sox find their best selves, and unlocking their best offense at Fenway will be a massive boost.
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