This Week In Baseball

The lead is down to four with thirty-eight games remaining on the schedule. And although every one of these games will be critical to the season's final outcome, the next eleven days present an interesting series of challenges that could very well swing the East one way or the other.

For the next eight days, the Red Sox and the Yankees will be taking their respective shows on the road. The Sox have three in Tampa Bay (47-76) followed by four in Chicago (54-69); the Yankees draw three in Anaheim(72-51) and four in Detroit(67-57). On the ninth day, the Sox and the Pinstripes will meet up in the Bronx for a three-game set that will jump start the home stretch of the 2007 campaign.

And quite frankly, if the Sox haven't put this thing to bed by then, I'm not sure its going to happen.

After next week's showdown in the Bronx, the remainder of the Sox schedule features Baltimore seven times (3 home/4 away), Toronto six times (3/3), Tampa Bay six times (3/3), Minnesota four times (home), New York three times (home), and Oakland twice (home). The Yankees draw seven games with Toronto (4/3), six with Tampa Bay (3/3), six with Baltimore (3/3), three with Seattle (home), three with Kansas City (away), and three with Boston (away).

So where are the differences in this final month? The Sox will have an extra game at Baltimore (57-65) while the Yankees host the Blue Jays an extra night (63-60). Both face Tampa Bay six times. The Sox get four home games against the Twins (62-61) and two with Oakland (61-64) while the Yanks host Seattle for three (69-52) and pick up three wins in Kansas City (55-68). And of course, the two teams will share a three game set at the lyric little bandbox in Kenmore Square.

(Incidentally, I just realized the Royals are actually a game ahead of the White Sox right now. Ozzie Guillen should be proud. Who's a choker now, Ozzie?)

What does all this analysis mean? The two teams have a fairly even September, and it is an easy September at that. I expect both ballclubs to be causing some major structural damage throughout the league during this home stretch, and I would be stunned to see either suffer a losing streak of any length.

The fall schedule makes this next week even more important. This is the only time the Sox will have a distinct advantage in the schedule, and any games picked up here would be wonderfully accentuated by swiping two of three in the Bronx. If the glass tips in the other direction however, and the Yankees manage to pick up a game before next Tuesday, and then they have a good couple of nights playing at home...

Let's hope it doesn't get that far.