The Red Sox have been on a bit of a tear as of late. Boston has won 10 of its past 13 games and is back at the .500 mark for just the third time since Opening Day.
All of the recent success has Bobby Valentine feeling confident about his team's chances, and the outspoken manager even ventured out on a pretty big limb after Wednesday's 6-5 win in Baltimore.
"If we play like this the rest of the season, we're going to win a championship," Valentine said.
That's a confident statement for a man who less than a month ago was claiming that he was headed home to forget about a series in Kansas City, with the Red Sox at a dismal 12-18 on the year. Two weeks and a 10-4 clip later, it's championship or bust.
The statement may seem a bit ludicrous, given that it's still very early in the 162-game season, but the Red Sox' recent success should definitely be a confidence booster. It's not just that the Red Sox have won 10 of their past 13, but rather the way they've done it.
On Wednesday, Boston featured five players — Che Hsuan Lin, Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik and Kelly Shoppach — in its lineup that were not projected as starters to begin the season. Four of those guys — Nava, Middlebrooks, Lin and Podsednik — weren't even with the big league club until late April at the earliest (Middlebrooks) and but two days ago at the latest (Podsednik).
The mere fact that Valentine has been able to rally his troops back to .500 and within 1.5 games of the final wild card spot — I know, it's early — is almost a miracle, though. If any average fan knew that Boston would have to be without four of its core players for an extended period — Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Cody Ross and Kevin Youkilis — the thought that the BoSox would be even at 22-22 would probably be laughable. But here they are, holding firm until their stars can return, and looking like a legitimate contender even without the star power.
The Red Sox still have plenty of work to do before even getting to October, nevermind hoisting any trophies overhead or raising any banners. But with the bandaged-up product they've been throwing on the field each day, there should be plenty of optomism about the team's chances going further into the season.
