Alex recaps the first half of the season, which ended on a high note. The Red Sox won seven of nine games on their most recent home stand, positioning themselves to make a strong playoff push in the second half.

Given where this team was over the last two seasons, a first half in which they finished nine games above .500 has to be considered a major success. But in order for the Red Sox to make a legitimate run this summer, presidential of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is going to have to pull off a major trade for a starting pitcher –– which is what he did several times in Detroit.

In many ways, Dombrowski's action in the front office will be just as impactful for the rest of the season as how the players perform on the field.

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