After the Red Sox were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, the team fell five games back of an American League wild card spot and the hill to climb seemed a bit higher.

Boston stayed focused in the following series against the Kansas City Royals. With a win Thursday, the Red Sox took three out of four to stay on track toward a postseason push. The series featured a number of positives from a thrilling walk-off win to the much-needed return of Trevor Story at shortstop.

The final win of the series also boosted Boston as they gained a game on Toronto, who fell, 4-3, to the Cleveland Guardians, to sit four games back of the final wild card spot. Boston’s manager stayed aware of the standings.

“I always watch and know what’s going on,” Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We won the series. We move onto the next won. We just have to keep winning. We won three out of four.”

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Following this series win, the Red Sox continue a 10-game stretch against teams with losing records as the Detroit Tigers come to Boston for a three-game weekend series. The team then hits the road for a pair of series against the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees.

“Now we got Detroit and we’ve got to be ready,” Cora said. “We’ve got to keep grinding. Win three of four, win the next series and then move on to the big road trip.”

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The Red Sox still have plenty of ground to cover down the stretch, but taking a series at a time keeps Boston within striking distance.

Featured image via Ross Cameron/USA TODAY Sports Images