COMMENTARY
It used to be that playing the American League West was always a dicey proposition. And when the team was in Oakland two weekends ago, it was. But this past week, the Sox got healthy at the expense of the Rangers and Mariners. Yes, they lost the Sunday finale, but what looked like it was going to be a bad two weeks turned into an 8-4 record in the blink of an eye. What’s more is that the team now has a glimmer of hope in their rotation depth in Brian Johnson. Given the Mariners lackluster play, I’ll need to see it a few more times before I’m a believer, but his performance on Saturday was certainly a step forward, even if he was sent right back down on the Pawtucket Shuttle, and as a result doesn’t appear in this edition’s rankings.