A Few Days Can Seem Like Forever

Remember Monday?

The Red Sox had just been swept at home by the Orioles. It was their fourth straight loss. They were manhandled the entire series. To make matters worse, the Yankees were playing well, and had closed the gap. The lead in the American League East had dropped to 2.5 games. Not only that, but the Red Sox were about to head off on a long road trip, including a stop in New York.

Yuck.

But, here we sit waiting for the New York series to start under completely different circumstances. The Red Sox swept their series on the road, while the Yankees were swept at home. The lead has extended all the way back to 5.5 games, which is huge for a couple reasons.

The Yankees, and more importantly their fans, know that they can't catch the Red Sox in this series. A series sweep still has the Sox leaving town with a 1.5 game lead. And, that's if the Yankees sweep. If the Red Sox win even one game, they're leaving town up at least 3.5 games.

That's not a good feeling.

Which is one reason I wish I felt better about the game tonight. A win in the series opener would be crushing. But, for some reason the Sox always have trouble with Sabathia, and EdRo doesn't exactly scream "automatic win" these days. On the other hand the Yankees did have to play a double header yesterday. So, who knows? Because the sooner the Sox can come away with a win, the more pressure will be put on the Yankees. After all, a Red Sox series win might just end the whole race. The Yankees can't let that happen.

I can't wait to see how it all plays out!