Away we go

There's no denying it's been a rocky season for the Sox' rotation, but yesterday's two-game sweep of the suddenly not-so-playoff-bound Rays was certainly a show of force by the top of the rotation. Having now built a 4-game lead over the Rangers in the wild card race, the Sox now have a 92% chance of making the playoffs. Well, Doyle, I've got to concede it to you--the Yankees have the division locked down. But, with everyone in New York taking the month off, they may not have noticed that the Sox suddenly have the 3rd best record in baseball, two games back of the Angels, who, incidentally, are coming to town this week.

Josh Beckett has been through some struggles the last few weeks, but this past week has bounced back. And Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, who combined to allow one run in 15 innings in yesterday's doubleheader, are both having the best month of their careers at the same time. As many question marks as there have been in the Sox' rotation, having three pitchers like this is a very good feeling when the leaves are starting to turn in New England.

Beckett and Lester already have the respect of the league. And for Buchholz, last season was...complicated. But he's allowed just 5 runs in the last 28 innings, which is an ERA of about 1.61 for those without a calculator. Starting with his admirable August 8th start in that ill-fated series against the Yankees, Buchholz is peddling a 2.76 ERA over his last 8 starts. Not a bad day's work for a third starter. He's hitting 94 on the radar gun, commanding his fastball while getting outs with his notoriously filthy curveball and changeup.

There are still plenty of questions left to ask, but this season is a hell of an accomplishment by a team that has been through injuries to three starting pitchers, the worst season in David Ortiz's career, the failed Brad Penny experiment, and the much-discussed ongoing situation at shortstop. This might be Terry Franconca's most impressive season, really, keeping all these personalities in order, and adapting to the trade of Justin Masterson for Victor Martinez. There's a lot to be impressed by, character-wise. There are some big games this week, but this is suddenly looking like an awfully dangerous team...

I'm not going to front. The Sox have been mediocre on the road, and there are no guarantees they'll even make the playoffs. But, it's starting to look pretty likely. And if they do, that fifth spot in the rotation is suddenly going to matter a lot less. And, seriously, which of these guys do you want to face in October?