Surging Boston Red Sox somehow lose ground in AL East

Let’s go back to May 11. At the time, the Boston Red Sox had an 11-20 record and were sitting 11.5 games out of first place in the AL East. Although it was still early in the season, the Red Sox needed to start playing to their capabilities if they were going to remain in the playoff picture.

They have done exactly that. Since May 11, the Red Sox have posted a 23-9 record, a showing that should be enough to climb up the standings. On the positive side, they did manage to surpass the Orioles. On the negative side, the Red Sox are now 12.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.

Recent run of success not mattering for Boston Red Sox

The Yankees have been the hottest team in baseball since April 19, winning 41 of their last 52 games after starting the season 5-5. That includes an impressive 24-8 run since May 11 as they have managed to put an additional game between themselves and the Red Sox. As they currently hold a nine game lead over the second place Blue Jays, it is time to start tweaking the roster for October.

However, the Yankees’ impressive success is not a death knell for the Red Sox chances. They are just 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the division and currently hold the final Wild Card spot. Although their position may be tenuous, they are still in far better shape than they had been just over a month ago.

This surge may also set up another memorable October matchup between the Red Sox and Yankees. Unless the Yankees collapse, they are running away with the top seed in the American League, leaving Boston with one of the three Wild Card spots.

But the Red Sox have to get there first. While the pennant is not won in the first two months of the season, it can be lost in that time. The Red Sox are trying to play catchup, and despite their success, they have fallen further behind.

The Boston Red Sox have been on fire since May 11. That has not mattered in the standings as they have lost ground in the AL East.