A Glimmer of Hope

This weekend gave everyone in the Nation a glimmer of hope for October. Three consecutive quality starts from Beckett, Buckholz and Lester. Only two earned runs surrendered over three games to Tampa Bay's potent lineup. Even Longoria was held in check. Combine those three great pitching performances with some timely hitting, and the result was that the Sox walked away with a sweep of the Rays, and a three game lead over the Rangers for the wild card.

Most encouraging of all was Beckett's performance in the first game of the series. I know he didn't have to go late in the game, because the weather ended things in the sixth inning, with the Sox way in front, thanks to that eight run inning. The baseball pundits have offered a variety of explanations for Beckett's troubles of late. He's not hitting his spots (mlb.com); he's not getting on top of the ball (Rico P); or more simply, he's giving up truckloads of home runs. I know one decent start doesn't mean that he's turned his season back around; for all we know, Beckett is hurting and playing through the injury. But at least it was a huge improvement over the past month, and a reason to hope that, by October, he might be able to return to that dominant post-season form that we all remember from 2007.

Lester meanwhile has become the ace of the staff. His W-L numbers aren't all that impressive, because too often the Sox haven't given him much run support. But other numbers give a better indication of how he's going this year. Like the fact that he has over 200 strikeouts, and only 57 walks. Or the fact that 13 of his last 14 starts, he's gone six innings or longer, giving the bullpen some badly needed rest. But if Beckett returns to form, he and Lester would give the Sox the best right-left combination they've had since 1986, and a formidable anchor to the staff in any short series.

Buckholz seems to be back; and he's finally beating someone other than Toronto. Who knows what happened last year? All I really care about is that when Buckholz is on, as he was today, he gives the Sox a third solid starter.

And as long as we're passing out plaudits, how about some props for V-Mart? That guy can hit. Remember how he ate Schilling alive in 2007, and how many guys can say they did that, especially in the post-season? I also like that he comes up big when it's needed most. Late inning RBIs, particularly in close games. Same for Billy Wagner, who so far at least, has looked like the Wagner of old. Can't have too many arms in the bullpen this time of year, even if the starters go late into the game, and the relievers get some rest. Our pen was dominant early in the year, but seemed to get tired after the All-Star break. I like that Wagner gives Tito another choice in close games.

As of tonight, there are twenty more games in the season, half at home, where the Sox are playing well, and half on the road, where they continue to struggle. I think if they can manage to go .500 on the road, they'll have a good chance to be playing in October. And if they make it to October, they'll have the Angels and the Yankees with them in the playoffs. Just like old times. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, with the Rangers playing well. I mean look at how the Orioles took two of three from the Yankees this weekend. My point being that anything can happen between now and October. Let's hope that what happens is that everyone in Boston stays healthy, and that a healthy lineup gives us a chance to play with anyone in the post-season.