It's that time again to take a look at the AL East Standings and where the Sox stand:
It's been a good week for the Sox in the standings. The Sox took a hit losing 3 out of 4 to the Tigers, but other than that they have continued to do well. The Sox won a 2 game sweep against the Rockies and then won the first game of a 4 game series with the Blue Jays. The Sox haven't dominated the AL East since it is such a close division, but they have continued to win more games than they have lost to remain on top of the division. The Sox are leading the division by 3.5 games which is the most they have led the AL East by all season long. That being said, it is still a very tight division and in no way are the Sox pulling away from the pack.
The Sox are spending the next week coming up at home at Fenway. The Sox are finishing up their series with the Blue Jays and then facing the Padres before heading out for a west coast road trip. The biggest obstacle that the Sox may face in the next week is not their opponents, but Mother Nature. There is rain in the forecast for almost every single day in the upcoming week. So there is a danger of rain outs and long rain delayed filled games in the next week.
The Sox are playing the Blue Jays for 3 more games. The Blue Jays have been hanging out in the basement all season long, but they seem to finally be putting together all their parts and looking like the dominant team we thought they would be in the offseason. If the Sox are able to either win or split this series they should be in good shape. The Sox then play 3 games against the San Diego Padres. Hopefully the Sox can take advantage of playing a National League team to keep themselves at the top of the standings list.
The Sox also need to get their team healthy. Clay Buchholz is still on the DL and there doesn't seem to be a time table for his return. He needs to be able to throw 2 bullpen sessions in a row without pain before he can be sent out for a rehab stint. He's been dominant this season, so the team really could use him back. Jon Lester pitched well in his last performance, but left the game with a minor hip injury. The team doesn't seem to think it is an issue and I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't linger. Will Middlebrooks isn't on the DL, but he is playing down in AAA due to poor play. Middlebrooks isn't exactly healthy though. He suffered a separated rib earlier in the season and that may be effecting him more than we realize. Andrew Bailey is also a player who is not hurt, but is hurting on the mound. Bailey was pulled as the closer and is trying to work back to being a dominant force on the mound. Luckily for the Sox, Koji Uehara has stepped into the role as closer and done a spectacular job.
If the Sox can survive the series with the Blue Jays, I have high hopes we will still them them leading the AL East this time next week. Only time will tell and until then….let's play ball.
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