The outlook to the fall classic

The Red Sox have 23 games remaining over seven series, against the Orioles, Rays, Angels, Royals, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Indians. That’s 6 games against baseball’s best, and 17 games against the American League below average. The average winning percentage of their remaining opponents is .472. The schedule may even be easier than that. The Blue Jays are 34-66 since May 19. The Rays unloaded Scott Kazmir and lost Carlos Pena for the season. The Orioles traded Aubrey Huff and George Sherrill. The Royals are a special kind of mess. The Rangers, meanwhile, face a much more challenging schedule. They get to play the Athletics 3 times. But they have to play the Angels 7 times and the Mariners 6 times. The average winning percentage of their remaining opponents is .527. By losing of 3 of 4 against the White Sox this past weekend in Chicago, and winning 2 in a row from Baltimore earlier this week at Fenway, the Red Sox proved how they play will matter more than who they play. But with less than a month left and the Sox still fighting for the wild card spot with the the Rangers, they have an easier path to the playoffs than their main competition.