Suddenly, it's a fight for survival. This is no longer about whether the Red Sox will go into the playoffs as a division champ or a wild-card team. This is about whether or not the Sox will fail to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2006, and for just the second time in seven years.

Monday night, the Sox took the field at Fenway Park needing a win to stay atop the wild-card standings. As usual, they were hoping to take advantage of some home cooking in an effort to regain their swagger at the plate against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers.

Truth is, it didn't matter if the game was played in Boston, Detroit, or at a neutral-site field in Iowa. The Sox are teetering on the brink of disappearing from the playoff race after being swept by their two chief rivals in the East. It doesn't get much lower than scoring two runs in the final 33 innings of play at Yankee Stadium.

It all unraveled on the Sox quickly, didn't it? Injuries, ineffective pitching, even a steroid scandal. Suddenly, in the biggest series of the season to date, the Sox had infielder Kevin Youkilis playing left, a 23-year-old pitcher just a few weeks removed from the Portland Sea Dogs making his major league debut, and a superstar scheduling a press conference with assistance from the players' union on a Saturday afternoon.

The Bronx Zoo? This was Zoo New England taking a trip to 161st Street. The Sox visiting New York in turmoil off the field, and things got worse between the lines, as the Yankees wiped away all the gloating from Boston's 8-0 start against New York.

Imagine that. Boston holds an 8-4 edge in the season series, but trails the Yankees by 5 games after picking up a game Monday night. The Yankees effectively knocked the Sox out of the division race with the sweep, much like they did in August 2006 when they took all five games of a series at Fenway Park.

You can stop obsessing over A-Rod and company. It's time to worry about the likes of Evan Longoria and Ian Kinsler.

Tampa Bay failed to make up much ground on the Sox over the weekend, losing two of three in Seattle. Texas, on the other hand, took two of three in Anaheim and is just a half-game behind Boston in the wild-card race.

Tampa Bay has to be disappointed by its starting pitching. Scott Kazmir was once the ace of the staff, but he has an ERA of 6.50 after losing in Seattle on Sunday. The Rays didn't add a pitcher before the non-waiver trade deadline and may pay a steep price for standing pat.

The Rangers have lacked the pitching to compete in recent years but have cobbled together enough pitching to survive the first four-plus months of the season. They have 10 pitchers who have made at least two starts, and are reportedly looking for more arms to stay in the race to the finish line.

So are the Red Sox. They are hoping the additions could come from within, with Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka trying to work their way back to form. Junichi Tazawa, greeted rudely by Alex Rodriguez in his big-league debut Friday night, gets his first start tonight.

So three teams, all with pitching issues, will battle it out over the last eight weeks of the season. This weekend's three games in Texas are suddenly crucial. So are the six remaining games with Tampa Bay.

Suddenly, those games are more important than the six left with the Yankees. Right now, the AL East race has been conceded. Time for fans to focus on Plan B. We welcome you to the wild-card race, already in progress.

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.