The Red Sox could potentially get back into the playoff race by winning every series they play the rest of the way. That wouldn't guarantee anything, obviously, but it would sure help.
Along the way, a sweep or two might help, and with the lowly Twins in town this weekend, one would think it would be time for the Red Sox to sweep the series. With a nonexistent offensive performance on Thursday night, however, a sweep is out of the picture.
That doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it does illustrate the mounting pressure on the Red Sox to beat teams like the Twins and pick up games where they can. They're now 25-16 this season against teams that are currently under .500, but they may need to be even better down the stretch.
They still have three more with the Twins, three with the Indians and three with the Royals — three teams under .500 — that they will have to take advantage of, or the Red Sox might find themselves in that group of teams under .500 and will certainly be watching the playoffs from home.
