It's far-fetched and the world would no longer end, but this weekend's three-game series in Chicago could be the start of something big.

Wilyer Abreu homered twice and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 to avoid a series sweep.

The All-Star break has seemingly cooled the red-hot Red Sox, who won 10 straight games before the season intermission and have lost two in a row coming out of the break.