By Christian Lavoie
As the 2009 Major League season winds down, the Boston Red Sox have been dominating opponents with hopes of the playoffs in the back of their mind. Two weeks ago the Red Sox were struggling to remain at the top of a wild card race with the Texas Rangers as they were only two games ahead of the Rangers. But lately the Red Sox have caught fire, and the timing couldn’t be better. In the past 12 games the Red Sox have been 10-2. Now the Sox are seven games ahead of the Rangers in the wild card,  with 13 games left and plenty of breathing room.

One reason for the recent Red Sox success is the starting pitching. Josh Beckett, who had begun another great year, started to struggle in August. Beckett has returned to his old ways as he has given up 7 earned runs in 20 innings in his last three starts. John Lester is establishing himself as one of the best lefthanders in baseball. In his last four starts he has almost been perfect with a 4-0 record and just 5 earned runs in 27 innings. Clay Buchholz has been proving that he belongs back in the Major Leagues. In his last five starts he is 4-0, with 34.1 innings pitched, and a 1.57 Earned Run Average. Lastly, Daisuke Matsuzaka has finally come back from a long injury and looks to be in mid-season form. Since returning, Dice-K has made two starts and won both of those games in 11.1 innings while only giving up 3 earned runs.