Three weeks ago, on Aug. 6, the morning after the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Yankees to build their record to 79-34 and their lead in the American League East to 9½ games, I wrote that all that was left of the division race was the accounting. The division title, a third straight, would be theirs. It was just a matter of how and when it became official.
Three weeks later, on Aug. 27, the Red Sox are 90-42 with 30 games remaining. They have lost six of eight after a three-game sweep at the hands of the annoyingly innovative Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend.