5 Reasons for a Red Sox Comeback

There are a number of things that make me believe that this is possible. Here are five of them.

1.) Pedey is back. While one player a team does not make, Dustin Pedroia is the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox and even though in his absence they still were respectably above 500, with him back in the lineup you just get a sense that there is more fight in them then you've seen since his injury.

2.) Starting pitching is strong. Starting pitching on this team hasn't been on point all season, with injuries and some rocky outings from John Lackey and Dice-K, but the rotation seems to have gelled here in the last month or so and appears to be primed to make a run at it. Now if we could get the bullpen in order, we might be talking a ring.

3.) The bullpen. Wait...what...you just said if we can get the bullpen in order we would be in better shape, now you're telling me they are going to help us get to October? Here is where my optimism comes in. First of all, I don't envision Jonathon Papelbon having any more implosions like he did in Toronto. I think he will steady the ship and he will be ready to go for a final run. The rest of the bullpen has been mediocre at best, but traditionally they pitch better when Pap is on his game. This is a shaky one, but I am erring on the side of positivity here.

4.) The Rays will falter. You know the Tampa Bay Rays are going to stumble down the stretch, they have to. They have been teetering on the edge for a while now, salvaging wins here and there and getting some lucky breaks from the Red Sox. If the Red Sox can put a string of wins together the Rays luck is bound to run out.

5.) Don't underestimate the power of the fans to power our local nine into the playoffs just so we can make some noise for the New York Yankees. There is something to be said about a team and it's fan base that can comeback from 0-3 down against their most hated rivals. I know, it was a different team, but it wasn't a different city. The fan support the Red Sox will see down the stretch should be unprecedented and when they feel it, it will lift them past the Rays and into the playoffs.

You can choose to be negative, but I am looking on the bright side and betting that I'll be right just like I was with the Celtics!!