There are a few factors that have figured into the recent surge by the Red Sox

1. I went on vacation. Whenever I go camping, I lose track of my Sox for a few days. It gives the team time to regroup before I rip into them again. This past week was no different. A little separation always seems to help both of us.

2. I'm still wearing the "Life is Good" cap. Since I have placed it on my head the Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games. To top it off a colleague at the paper actually played golf with the owner of "Life is Good" this past weekend - a sign? Who knows, but I will continue to wear the cap until two consecutive losses.

3. The Yankees are beginning to come down to earth. Up to this point New York has played over its head, while the Red Sox have played exactly how they should. This is starting to get interesting. The Yankees now have someone in their rear view mirror. For fear of a jinx, I will not say anything more.

The real race at the moment is still the wild-card where any number of teams could factor in. Anaheim and Texas are only one game back of Boston. The San Francisco Chronicle writes about the races.

According tothe Boston Herald, the standings have changed in a New York minute. Well, I wouldn't go that far, the Sox are still in second place here. However, the New York Post believes Yankees fans should be concerned. Jorge Posada told the New York Times, "We can't worry about someone who's behind us. We've got to worry about ourselves." He's right, he's got to worry about his team.

The Yankees are in need of pitching and can't seem to move the right guys. Yankees' GM Brian Cashman beware. The only guy who has beaten the Sox lately is Jose Contreras, who Cashman traded to get Esteban Loaiza. Since arriving in New York July 31, Loaiza has not won a game.

Hartford Courant calls Boston's recent streak a "turning point." The team is indeed well on its way.

To make it work, Boston has got to move Ortiz back to the three-hole and place Manny in the clean-up spot. The Boston Globe reports "Ortiz is cleaning up his act." But the move is troubling him. While back-to-back home runs are nice, I like alternating lefties and righties in the lineup.

Fox Sports New England's Edward Cossette has been waiting for this. He's not alone. All of New England has been waiting for the gap to close. 5 1/2 games may seem close, but there is still lots of work ahead.

Things are looking up though. The team's hitting is coming around. It has outscored its opponents 66-41 over the last 10 games.

Some might credit Theo Epstein with the team's recent success. They may say that his pick-ups and trades have made the difference. Although Orlando Cabrera and Doug Meintkievicz continue to play stellar defense, it was simply a matter of time before the team's confidence returned. No offense to Theo. Under the circumstances, he's done a terrific job, especially blocking Clemens' return to New York, according to MSNBC.com.

With the Yankees' schedule apparently easier than Boston's, the Red Sox have got to stay the course. Those two Yankees' series in September will most certainly mean something.

Actually every series means something. Tonight's game against the Blue Jays is no different. Toronto's tough lefty Ted Lilly will attempt to derail the offensive train. But going against Pedro will prove difficult.

Reader comments: Who do you think will give the Red Sox the biggest challenge over the next month and a half?

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