So 4-2 over the next 6 is probably a reasonable goal to shoot for, right? That would leave us no worse than tied for 1st at the end of this stretch, and of course take 6 more games off the schedule.

I think Barnes still has a chance to be our Workman c.2013-type arm down the stretch and (hopefully) in the playoffs.

Man, there are a lot of teams within 4 spots of the WC with ~20 to play. This could finally be the year we see multiple playoffs on the Monday to see who wins the division/plays in the WC game on Tuesday.

I've posted this in a few places but this is a not unreasonable path for each of the four AL East teams to get to 90 wins;

BOS: BAL 2, NYY 1, @BAL 2, @TB 2, @NYY 1, Tor 2 - 90
BAL: @BOS 1, @TB 4, BOS 2, ARI 3, @TOR 1, @NYY 1 - 90
NYY: LAD 2, @BOS 3, @TB 3, @TOR 2, BOS 2, BAL 2 - 90
TOR: TB 2, @LA 3, @SEA 2, NYY 2, BAL 2, @BOS 1 - 90

Are there even rules for a 4-way tie for a division & the WC?

One would think you need at least 2 days of games (1v2 and 3v4 on Monday, with winners playing Tuesday) to settle the division title. Then the 3 remaining teams (and possibly others if more land on 90) would have to have some sort of playoff to determine the 2 WC teams, right? The WC game itself (in this scenario) wouldn't be able to be played until Friday if I'm thinking this through correctly.

Why not just go full NFL and decide tiebreakers by

a) head-to-head record
b) record in league
c) record in division
d) head-to-head run difference
e) run difference in league
f) run difference in division
g) coin flip

/sarc

Settle it by Russian Roulette.

This is going to sound like a nonsense statement given everything that's been done this year but last night was the first time I really had a palpable sense of this being a farewell tour for Papi. He got a semi-standing ovation when he came up in the first then the curtain call after the home run. It just really felt like "oh, this really is our last chance."

So that was enjoyable. Reminds me of the 2013 game when he sox got stuffed by Felix for 8 innings then scored six in he ninth.

Never ever did I dare dream that we would gain ground on Baltimore and Toronto this weekend. What a huge weekend.

Well someone did suggest this series could be "Boston Masscre #3." I don't think this is what he had in mind though.

Twenty games to go. Play .500 to get to 90 wins.

Thirteen games to go, and they need to go 5-8 to get to 90 wins.

With 149 games played the team has had 137 different sets of 13 consecutive games. Of those, there are 18 where they had a record of 5-8 or worse. Here's a sample:

April 10-23
0-1 at TOR, 1-2 vs BAL, 2-2 vs TOR, 1-2 vs TBR, 1-1 at HOU
LP: Wright (2), Buchholz (2), Kimbrel, Uehara, Barnes, Cuevas
Wright's losses included a game in which Boston was shut out and a game he left with a 2-1 deficit.

May 26 - June 8
0-1 vs COL, 1-2 at TOR, 2-2 at BAL, 1-2 vs TOR, 1-1 at SFG
LP: Buchholz (2), Price (2), Rodriguez, Kimbrel, Uehara, Ross
The Buchholz losses came on either side of his demotion to the bullpen. Price's two losses saw Boston's offense produce 3 runs combined, and included an 8-IP 3-hit 2-1 loss to the Giants.

June 1-16 (OR June 2-17)
0-2 (0-1) at BAL, 1-2 vs TOR, 1-1 at SFG, 2-1 at MIN, 1-2 vs BAL, (0-1 vs SEA)
LP: Price (3), Rodriguez (2), Buchholz, Ross, Barnes, Elias
Price's three losses had 5 runs combined, and in two of them Price pitched through the 8th.

Almost any 13 games between June 8 and July 3
The team went 11-14 in this span, but they had a couple of 3-game losing streaks right in the middle (against CHW and TEX/TBR) that make for a host of 5-8 stretches.

Almost any 13 games between July 17 and August 7
9-12 in that span, including a 1-6 stretch in the middle (1-2 vs MIN, 0-3 vs DET, 0-1 at LAA), the tail end of which was the start of a stupid west coast travel schedule (Anaheim, then Seattle, then Los Angeles) that saw them go 5-6. It was in this span that they had their worst 13-game stretch: July 22 to August 3 (1-2 vs MIN, 0-3 vs DET, 2-2 at LAA, 1-2 at SEA). That was the stretch where they "lost optimally", with scores of 2-1, 11-9, 4-2, 9-8, 4-3, 2-1, 5-2, 5-4, and 3-1.

If that has you feeling down, keep in mind that they have more than twice as many 13-game stretches in which they have won at least 9 games. While a 5-8 stretch has happened with this team, the past (and recent past) suggests it's very unlikely.

Well someone did suggest this series could be "Boston Masscre #3." I don't think this is what he had in mind though.

I was thinking about that as well.

I suggested it when the Sox were down 5 runs in the first game, having lost the previous two. Best reverse psychology you could possibly have!

Glad Hanley turned out OK. Was cross to lose him in 2005, and a strong fan of the deal that brought him back. HOF needs to realize it should contain at least one if not two Red Sox Ramirez's!

I'm all for Boston Massacre talk because that was fun. This is a lot more like 2006 than 1978. '78 deserves the title, the Sox were the Yankees equal and got destroyed. Both 2006 and 2016 were seasons where the teams were not really equals at the time it happened and generally the games were pretty close.

I'm all for Boston Massacre talk because that was fun.

I'm all for Boston Massacre talk because a Yankees concern troll was peddling that talk just before the series.

From the Boston perspective, 1978 is the title-holder and the others are pretenders. But just to go back a few days, the set-ups for 1978 and 2016 from the Yankees perspective were very similar. In 1978 when the Yankees came to Boston they were on a 23-7 (and 12-2) run that had them 4 back of Boston's division lead. In 2016 they came to Boston on a 21-12 (and 10-5) run that put them 4 back of Boston's division lead. The stories were, in that sense, much the same. Quality of team aside, the story line was much the same 4 games ago.

That was then, this is now. From Boston's perspective this series will end up being a footnote to their season. It doesn't really fall out of pattern with how they were playing beforehand, nor does the Yankees' fate seem that different from how it was all season. But the Yankees' 2016 season-in-summary video will have this series as pivotal.

I don't hear anyone complaining about that Porcello contract now!

The dude is nothing if not consistent. 7+ innings, 2-3 runs every outing, time after time.(or so it seems)

Quality of team aside, the story line was much the same 4 games ago.

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

Why is Moncada completely buried on the bench? Even Marco Hernandez is starting over him as a backup...

Because he's not remotely close to being ready. He had a nice first weekend in Oakland hitting some mistakes but basically has seen a steady diet of off speed pitches and balls down in the strike zone and he's had no chance,