TODAY'S GAME
WHO: Red Sox (Wakefield 8-3) vs. Florida Marlins (Volstad 4-6)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
TV: NESN
OF NOTE: The Marlins are 5-7 against the Red Sox at Fenway.
If a team is measured by how it plays against top competition, the Red Sox should feel pretty good today about their playoff chances, even if we are still nearly four months away from the postseason.
Boston just wrapped up a two-week stretch of games against teams that were in first place when each series began.
In baseball, June games aren't usually considered important tests, but this was a good challenge for the Sox, a challenge they passed with honors.
It all started with a three-game sweep of the American League Central-leading Tigers in Detroit. The Tigers stormed into June having won 11 of 16 games to build a four-game lead in the division. They were outscored 21-9 by the Red Sox, who wrapped up a 10-game road trip with four straight wins.
The return to Boston wasn't quite what Manager Terry Francona had anticipated, as the Red Sox lost 2 of 3 to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.
But the good times were back at Fenway Park last week with a three-game sweep of a New York Yankees team that rediscovered its swagger with the return of Alex Rodriguez.
After dispatching of the Yanks, the Sox showed a little swagger of their own when they took 2 of 3 from the defending World Series-champion Phillies at Philadelphia.
All of the games were tough, the Red Sox surviving a 13-inning marathon on Friday and a rain-delayed Daisuke Matsuzaka meltdown on Saturday night.
In the end, it was a 9-3 run through the top teams in baseball. The Red Sox began the stretch a game behind the Yankees in the division and actually built a two-game lead through one of the toughest two-week periods on the schedule.
Now, at least on paper, the Red Sox have a terrific opportunity to build on that first-place margin as they enter a prolonged stretch of games against weak opponents.
The next eight series, a run of 25 games, are against teams that currently have losing records: Florida, Atlanta (two series), Washington, Baltimore, Seattle, Oakland and Kansas City are a combined 58 games under .500.
Boston won't take the field against a winning team (based on today's standings) until after the All-Star break.
That obviously doesn't mean the Red Sox will go 25-0 between now and July 17.
It does mean if they take care of business, they should be able to win most of these series and hit the midsummer break with 50 or more wins.
A year ago, the Sox were 17 games above .500 at the All-Star break, but already had played 97 games.
Since the major league schedule began a week later this year and the Sox played two bonus games in Japan in March last season, they will not have played as many games by the break this season.
Barring postponements, the Sox will play just 88 games by the break this July.
Since they are already 13 games above .500, there is a good chance they will be well ahead of last year's pace.
After losing the first game after the All-Star break last season in Anaheim, the Sox were never again in first place. They eventually won the AL wild card but never had home-field advantage in the playoffs.
They certainly would have preferred to play that Game 7 against the Rays at Fenway Park instead of Tropicana Field, don't you think?
The point is, the Sox have a real opportunity to put a stranglehold on the division lead if they can run roughshod through the next four weeks of the schedule.
They don't need to win them all, just try to win every series. Even with the Yankees hitting home runs at a record pace, the Sox are in position to be the top team in the AL East for the second time in three seasons.
If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. It's one of the oldest cliches in baseball.
For the past two weeks, the Red Sox have done just that.
Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.
Reader comments
Click here to view or add comments on this story
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form