Optimism reigns supreme again as the Sox ride high atop their second-longest winning streak of the season after taking their first series since putting the screws to the A’s May 21st – 23rd.
Yeah, it’s been a while.

With the Good Guys teetering on greatness, or at least a sweep of the team that keeps repeating fifth grade place, a playoff march is the only logical next step. Standing at 32 – 42, and conservatively assuming 93 wins will lock up the Wild Card, it’s not impossible to imagine October glory once more.

61-27 from here on out is totally possible, right? And there’s no way the Tigers, Indians, Twins, A’s, Angels, Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, and Devil Rays could ALL play keep playing better than the Sox, is there?

A win tonight puts the Sox in a tie for 8th in the WC standings, although secretly I’m pulling for the Sox to just tank the whole thing, if only to quell the blind and baseless optimism among some fans that seems to accompany season-changing events such as series wins over the Devil Rays.

Pro Tip From Reilly: You’re SUPPOSED to beat the Devil Rays.

In some strange way, second-to-last just seems possibly the worst place to be: you’re not spectacularly awful, you’re just another loser. This team deserves better than that.

The Royals remain at the bottom of the Central by a mere 1.5 games with tonight off and the Good Guys finishing up their series in the St. Pete, then heading to KC this weekend. Do you know what this means? Starting this Friday, we could be witnessing an all-out Battle For The Basement. This is almost as good as the time the Sox went to the World Series*.

Can you feel the excitement?

(*) Actually it’s nothing like that.