Red Sox With 100 Left

After tonight's game in Washington, the Red Sox will have 62 games under their belts, meaning 100 left in the season. Seems like as good a time as any to take a look at the season so far, and where it seems to be going.

Even as one of the biggest Sox fans I know and yet perpetual Sox worrier, I gotta say I like what we've put together. Emotionally I've got my feet up on the table and my hands behind my head, taking it all in. Not only because the first place throne is embedded with a fluffy five game cushion, and not only because we are currently 17 games over 500, but because of the way everything seems to be gellin' right now. We like Magellan, we're so gellin'.

The leading factor so far for our overwhelming success has been the pitching. It started a bit questionably with our two aces, Beckett and Lester, kinda sorta forgetting the season had actually started. Two and a half months later, Beckett has channeled his 2007 playoffs self and Lester looks every bit as good as he ever has. Between them and a resurgent Tim Wakefield (on pace for a 10-12 win first half and a horrifying All-Star snub) and an increasingly reliable Brad Penny, our first four starters cannot be matched.

A big question will be answered tonight in John Smoltz's first start, but lets not put too much at stake if he doesn't dazzle in the spot where Dice-K's cadaver has been stored. The Smoltz issue will play out like LOST, we may get an answer tonight, but odds are, good or bad, it will open up doors to new questions. Not only is Clay Buchholtz (extremely) patiently waiting in Pawtucket but Justin Masterson can always be remolded into a starter.

Meanwhile our bullpen is unquestionably the unsung hero our the 2009 campaign so far, and one Theo and the boys should be the proudest of. While the Yankees wasted hundreds of millions (literally!) on starting pitching that has gone 11-8 with an ERA around 4, the Sox front office spent a fraction of that to acquire reliable, proven closers like Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez, and working on homegrown talent like Daniel Bard and Michael Bowden. Come the trading deadline you'll hear how all of the contenders are looking for bullpen arms, all of them except us.

Running down the lineup, we can all agree that we're getting unbelievable production from Jason Bay, Ellsbury, Nick Green, Youkilis, Lowell and Varitek. That leaves JD Drew who is right where we want him, Jed Lowrie who has been hurt most of the year, and Rocco Baldelli who hasn't had much chance to shine. The only two guys who haven't lived up to our astronomical expectations are Big Papi and Pedroia. Papi has been a true enigma, but recently looks like the David Ortiz of yore (the good yore, after he stunk for the Twins), and even Pedroia has begun to heat up.

Some other things to look forward to:

• Sox are 15-5 in the last seven series against five teams with records better than 500.
• Sox are 13-4 against the current 3 other AL playoff teams so far with all 4 loses coming on the West Coast. Have I mentioned we dont have to go West anymore this year?
• Sox have a pretty steady lead in the American League and since the AL doesn't lose All Star Games, we can just chalk up home field for the World Series. Oh yeah, have I mentioned that we're 25-10 at home this season?
• And last and certainly not least, there's that little matter of the Sox being 8-0 against the Yankees this year.

I'll be there tonight for game 62, rooting for the Sox with 75% of the crowd in DC, and starting to get used to this free and easy feeling. I would sum up my feelings more succinctly, but pregame beers and cornhole wait for me at Nats Stadium.