
1. End of Season Schedule – Whoever laid out the schedule this year really wanted the last few weeks to count. In our final few weeks, the Yankees and the Rays play 3 more times and the Red Sox and the Yankees play 6 times. With the Rays just taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees and the Red Sox sweeping their West Coast series with the Mariners the Sox are closing in. The Rays are dominant – they will win the AL East and while doing so, set the Yankees back a few more games and Boston will be on fire for it’s end of season series with the hated NY rivals. That final weekend series in October will be playoff level baseball and the Sox will rise to the challenge.
2. Young Studs – So you wanna play in the big leagues? The Red Sox lineup has been stocked with minor league wannabees all year and it’s starting to look like the Sox turned on their stud-finder at the right time. We’ll be seeing a lot of these guys in the next few years but they are about to leave their mark on New England with an end of season run like nobody would believe – Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, & Daniel Nava.
3. Pitching – These guys have stayed healthy, there’s been some Cy Young rumors all year and Lester, Bucholz, Lackey, Beckett, Wakefield, Dice-K & Paps are going to come through when we need them. There are some seasoned hurlers in that crew and the next few weeks are plenty of time to string a few wins together.
So you heard it here – an outlandish belief in the home team squd, but it's going to happen. Also keep an eye out for the unlikely hero JD Drew. The injury prone, moody outfielder is going to come through big. Enjoy the rest of the season and see you in late October! Let me know what you think - am I off my rocker, how do you feel about the Sox chances?