With latest offensive explosion, Red Sox proving to be fun, relevant again

1:14 AM ET

BOSTON — Xander Bogaerts has been through this sort of thing before with the Boston Red Sox. But after the slog of back-to-back last-place finishes in the past two years, it gets a little difficult to remember the good times, even the ultimate high of winning the 2013 World Series.

And so, after the Red Sox pummeled the worthy-of-your-pity Oakland Athletics again Wednesday night — 13-3, after a 13-5 demolition Tuesday night and a 14-7 rout in the series opener Monday — the 23-year-old shortstop was positive that those good times finally are rolling again at Fenway Park.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Bogaerts said. “It’s probably the best start I’ve been off to in my career as a team. The record says it all. We’re playing loose. We’re playing fun. We’re just enjoying being around each other. It’s tremendous fun.”

Indeed, the Red Sox are fun again. And it seems Boston is about to have its first summer of relevant baseball in three years.

The Sox are 21-13, which just so happens to have been their record through 34 games in 2013. They’ve won four games in a row and are about to welcome the 14-21 Houston Astros to town for a four-game series beginning Thursday night just as they booted the 14-21 A’s out the door.

Xander Bogaerts welcomes home Dustin Pedroia after Pedroia’s two-run homer against the A’s. Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports

Yes, they took advantage of a pitching-weak Oakland team, walloping …

continue reading in source espn.go.com