Three-and-a-Half Back

At bottom, the Red Sox were eight games back. Now they are only 3.5 games out of first place.

From a five-team Wild Card point of view, they are only two games back (behind Cleveland).

Their run differential is +20, second in the AL East. As noted run differential is not a perfect predictor. Nothing is -- but it's a positive sign.

The long season is doing what it does and evening out the standings. Yes, they're still in last place. But things are looking up.

On the down side, there is no solid news on Dustin Pedroia yet.

Ever thought of being an announcer at Fenway? You can audition.