A Little More Breathing Room

Red Sox win. Orioles lose. That gives the Red Sox a 4 1/2 game lead going into the start of play tonight. With a 10-game western swing through Anaheim, Seattle & Oakland the Sox can play .500 ball & still remain in first place by the all-star break. Toronto had won 10 of 11 a few weeks back, but they have been losing again, including a recent poor performance in Boston where the Jays lost 3 of 4. The Yankees are tumbling downward & they struggle to play .500 ball. The Rays are picking it up recently. Even the Orioles are starting to slide a bit. So the Red Sox are quietly gaining a game a week on the rest of the AL East pack with their lead now at 4 1/2. If the Sox can maintain their 4 or 5 game lead going into the break, I think it bodes well for when Buchholz returns for the 2nd half. By the way, Will Middlebrooks is crushing the ball in Pawtucket & he looks like he is ready to compete for playing time again. Stephen who? No one has missed the presence of Stephen Drew, thanks to the play of Brandon Snyder & Jose Iglesias. Maybe the Sox will make Drew available at the trade deadline. Should be an interesting July as a few deals - like Feldman from the Cubs to the O's - get done early. The Red Sox will be buyers, but only if it doesn't cost them top prospects.