Julio Lugo is hot. Coco Crisp is getting key hits. J.D. Drew discovered that big green wall in left field. Maybe these Boston Red Sox are going to make it after all.

Ran into so many people yesterday with looks of doom on their faces. The Yankees were only seven games back, and Boston kept losing.

Does one day change the gloomy predictions of a fold? If Boston and Kason Gabbard lose today, and the Yankees win, do we go back to doom?

The Red Sox pitching is still the best around (okay, that Tigers rotation is a little scary). The starters are holding up, save for a miscast Julian Tavarez, and the bullpen is money. The hitters are having their hot and cold moments.

One word about Tavarez. I wrote in yesterday's Press Herald that Jon Lester should replace Tavarez in the rotation. I wrote that the thought was not based on panic. Lester is showing strength. His starts may be just as ineffective as Tavarez's (though I doubt that). But give Lester a chance to get back in the majors and get comfortable. And let Tavarez settle back into his true role, in the bullpen.

Are there still concerns about Boston? Yes. Clutch hitting is down (oh, remember the Bill Mueller days). Maybe last night's win energizes the team.

Maybe J.D. Drew will keep using the Green Monster. And maybe when he hits his next blast over it, the umps will see it.

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