Just as the 86 Sox made a statement by scoring 24 runs in a win against Cleveland, this year’s team also made one by winning three games in Texas, outscoring the Rangers 30-7. The 13-2 victory on Wednesday night saw the Townies smash 16 hits and jump out 9-1 after 6 innings. As I wrote earlier, the Sox have the capacity-not quite like the 61 Yankees but close-to put teams away early. The fact that they did it in the stadium of a team that they could face in the postseason made it even more impressive.
As of Sunday, the team had 82 victories, only one less than the Phillies, who have had the best record most of the year. The rotation finally seems to be coming together, though Tim Wakefield remains a question mark. Right now, I’d rather see them play Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, though that might mean facing MVP-Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander twice. After Verlander, however, Detroit pitching drops off, probably more so than the Rangers after CJ Wilson.
The Sox have taken 5 of 6 from Detroit this season, the only loss being to Verlander. On the other hand, the Tigers are a better team now, with a 6 1/2 game lead over Cleveland. Taking series from the Yankees and Rangers this week would also be a strong statement.
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