At the All-Star break, the Sox offense is all we hoped for and more. Leading the majors with a .356 average, Adrian Gonzalez is also tops in the AL in rbi’s and total bases and near the top in slugging percentage and on base percentage. Jacoby Ellsbury, a huge question mark at the beginning of the year, leads the league in stolen bases with 28 and is among the leaders in batting, hits, and doubles. David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis’ names also appear in different categories.
But pitching is not far behind. Jon Lester’s 10-4 mark places him sixth in the league, and the names of Josh Beckett and Daniel Bard also can be seen. With Lester and Clay Buchholz (hopefully) getting back into action soon, there is hope for an even better second half.
The next 20 games are critical for the Sox. Tampa Bay is tough at home, and the Orioles will be looking for payback in a number of ways. Seattle and Kansas City appear to be beatable, but the White Sox in Chicago and Indians will not be easy.
By the time the Sox face the revenge-minded Yankees at Fenway on August 5, it would be nice to see a cushion of at least 5 games. The wild card has been mentioned, but that is much too early to think about. The next three weeks should be very interesting for Red Sox Nation.
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