BOSTON — The trade deadline hits at 4 p.m. today, and folks around Boston and elsewhere have been wondering whether the Red Sox should be buyers or sellers.

Are they in the race for the postseason or out of it?

Well, Boston, a last-place team that started the night four games out of a wild card spot, has its first three-game winning streak in over a month, climbing back over the .500 mark with a 7-3 victory over the Tigers in the opener of a three-game series Monday night.

Dustin Pedroia snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, and Clay Buchholz pitched eight innings to win his ninth game as Boston followed wins over the Yankees Saturday and Sunday with another victory.

Rookie Will Middlebrooks’ 13th homer of the season broke the game open in the eighth.

Buchholz (9-3) gave up five hits for his first win in four starts, recording the first win by a Boston starter in 11 games. Vicente Padilla pitched the ninth.

Pedroia, connecting for his third homer in the last five games (nine overall), hit his homer off losing pitcher Max Scherzer (10-6 after losing for the first time since June 23).

Austin Jackson led the game off with a homer for the Tigers, who have lost four of their last five and five of their last seven.

Boston’s Ryan Sweeney was pulled off the field at the start of the ninth inning, leading to some speculation he had been traded.

For the second straight home game, the Red Sox gave up a home run to the first hitter of the game as Jackson connected on the game’s second pitch for his 11th of the year. Quintin Berry followed with a double and got as far as third but didn’t score.

The Red Sox came right back as Jacoby Ellsbury worked out a nine-pitch walk and scored on Carl Crawford’s triple. Crawford then scored on Pedroia’s groundout.

The Tigers tied it in the third and could have had more. Omar Infante, who had a throwing error in the second inning, opened with a triple and Jackson walked. Berry popped out, but Miguel Cabrera, who hit a shot back to Buchholz in the first inning, hit another one, this one getting through to center field for an RBI single (his 62nd RBI in the last 73 games, No. 84 on the year).

A walk to Prince Fielder loaded the bases, but Buchholz escaped by getting Delmon Young to bang into a double play.

NOTES: Even though his name has been floating around via trade rumors, Josh Beckett is expected to start for the Red Sox tonight against Justin Verlander. ... Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine on his team making a trade: “I see more holes on other teams.” ... Tiger manager Jim Leyland said he didn’t think his team would do anything at the deadline, saying, “I think a lot will happen around baseball, but I don’t think it will be here (with the Tigers). We made our deal. Our boss went out and gave us a pitcher (Anibal Sanchez) and a second baseman (Infante), and we’re going forward with it.” ... David Ortiz (heel) is eligible to come off the Boston disabled list Wednesday but has yet to run on the field (he’s running in a pool) and will not hit the Wednesday 15-day target. ... The Tigers came to Monday’s game hitting just .228 in the first six games of their nine-game road trip, going 2-4.