QUOTE (iamshack @ May 18, 2011 -> 12:19 PM)
I am with Jason here...where on earth are you coming up with this crazy idea that we need to have an exact record to have a chance?
No one here, not even the Indians themselves, knows just how good they are. To have some belief that we need to be 7 games over .500 at the break versus 3 games over .500, or exactly at .500, is just very difficult for me to understand, and I have no clue how it can be justified.
The key at this point is to continue to win series'. Continue to play good baseball. Get the bats going. Get Gordon/Dunn/Quentin going. Worry about games back once we reach July or August at least.
They don't have to have a certain record or they're out, but it's going to be that much harder in August and September when they're playing all division games. When they have 12 games against the Tigers and 13 games against the Indians after the break, how many games are you expecting the Sox to win? The more they cut the lead between now and the break, the less they have to crush the Indians and Tigers later on.
When I broke down the schedule before the season started, I had the Sox at 50-43 at the break. It's not an exact science, but it's probably close to the number they need to be at on July 10th.
Oh...and winning series only matters in October. Play good baseball and string as many wins in a row as possible. That's how teams get in the playoffs.