No margin of error for Red Sox the rest of the way
BOSTON -- It's make or break time for the Boston Red Sox. There is no margin of error over the next 10 days.
There is no margin for error the rest of the season, really, but these next three series could be the difference between fighting for a playoff spot up until October and playing a month's worth of semi-meaningless baseball.
How razor thin are things for Boston? They took two of three from the Pirates over the last three days and have now won two straight series. (We're not counting that one-game "series" against Baltimore. That's just silly.) But with Thursday night's loss in Pittsburgh, the Red Sox fell back under .500 and another game back in the race for the final AL Wild Card spot.
They just had their best week in months and gained no ground in the Wild Card race. That has to be pretty discouraging.
Boston now sits five games back of that final spot, and is given a four percent chance at making the postseason. It's so dire because there are four teams for the Red Sox to overtake: Chicago, Baltimore, Minnesota, and Toronto. The Blue Jays are currently tied with the Tampa Bay Rays, with both teams currently slotted for a Wild Card berth along with the Seattle Mariners.
That's a lot of games to make up and a lot of teams to overcome. The Red Sox have six-plus weeks to make it happen.
They'll have ample opportunity to do just that -- but any missteps and they'll fall further away from a playoff spot. Next up for Boston is a three-game set against the resurgent Orioles, with two games in Baltimore and Sunday's tilt in Williamsport, PA. The Orioles are just as hungry -- if not more so -- than the Red Sox, sitting 2.5 games back of the final Wild Card.
Boston is just 4-5 against the Orioles this season. They essentially need to sweep this weekend, and that's just to feel good about themselves heading into Monday's off day. After that, the Sox welcome the Blue Jays and the Rays to Fenway Park for three-game series, more opportunity to make up ground -- or fall back even further.
Boston's remaining schedule is loaded with AL East matchups. Of the 43 games left on the schedule, 31 of them will be against divisional foes. Unfortunately, the Red Sox are a dreadful 15-30 against the AL East this season.
That needs to change immediately if the Red Sox want any shot at sneaking into the playoffs. The pitching is starting to stabilize and injured players are coming back, but none of it will matter if the Red Sox can't beat the teams in their division.
And while consistently winning series will certainly help their cause, the Red Sox are going to have to mix in at least a few sweeps to make these postseason dreams a reality. They cannot afford to squander any more winnable games the rest of the way, which was made abundantly clear with Thursday night's loss.
Boston has put itself in a tough spot heading into the stretch run of the season. They still have a chance to at least keep it interesting in September, but there is zero room for error.
