You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't call the team's effort this year remarkable in spite of all the injuries and roster shuffling, but the fact remains that if the playoffs started today, the Sox would be on the outside looking in.
With only two full months of the season left, the Red Sox will need to make their move sooner rather than later and will have plenty of chances to do so. They've got a full schedule for August — 28 games, only three days off.
Not only will the schedule be busy, but the games will be important. The Sox open a four-game set with the Yankees on Aug. 6 that kicks off a 10-game road trip that will end in Texas. The Rangers gave the Red Sox problems in the first game following the All-Star break, and playing in Texas is never a picnic in mid-August.
The Red Sox will also see the Rays in the last weekend of August in a series that may be (or may not be, depending on how the month goes) full of playoff implications heading into the season's final full month.
One thing the Red Sox can look forward to in the month of August is the return of a few key players. The return of Jacoby Ellsbury is getting closer and closer. Second baseman and team leader Dustin Pedroia is running and taking ground balls again and should be back sometime this month. Team captain Jason Varitek is also getting closer to a return.
The Red Sox pitching staff has picked it up lately which also bodes well for a successful August. John Lackey is showing the second-half form the Red Sox banked on getting when they signed him in the offseason. Josh Beckett has been solid since returning from the DL and the recent struggles of Jon Lester are likely an aberration.
The Sox enter the week ready to welcome the lowly Indians to town while trailing the division-leading Yankees by 6 1/2 games and the wild card-leading Rays by 5 1/2 games. How many games do you think the Red Sox will need to win in August to stay in the playoff race?
Share your thoughts below.The best comments will be read on NESN’s Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.
Aug. 1: How do you think the Red Sox did at the trading deadline?
