Red Sox stay hot with walk-off win over Rays

The walk-off heroics followed an RBI single from Rafaela in the second inning, which extended his streak of RBIs to seven games. 

Shortstop Trevor Story appeared in his 1,000th game and was a key part of the offense on Friday night with two hits, putting himself one hit away from 1,000 in his career.

Boston (51-45) is as hot as any team in the league following its most recent victory on Friday. A 9-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on June 27 was the sixth straight loss for the Red Sox and their third time in those six games allowing nine runs.

Since then, they have won 11 of their last 13 games, scoring 10 or more runs six times. During their current eight-game winning streak, the Red Sox have allowed no more than four runs.

The Red Sox have found a solid balance on both sides of the plate. Per TeamRankings, Boston is fifth in the league in runs scored (5.06) and sixth in home runs allowed per nine innings (0.96).

Boston is only third in the crowded AL East after the win, trailing the Blue Jays and three games back of the New York Yankees for second. If the balance remains and the results persist after the All-Star break, though, the Red Sox could be worth keeping an eye on in a division that is as competitive as any in baseball.