The 4th quarter

With 122 down and 40 to go, the Red Sox find themselves entering the 4th quarter of the season.

Here's how it shapes up for them. Out of their remaining 40 games, they play 22 at home. Not too bad for a team that's won 73% of its home games this year.

Their opponents over their last 40 games are:

• Toronto Blue Jays, 12 games, 6 at home, 6 in Toronto. Sox are 2-4 against the Jays this year.
• Baltimore Orioles, 6 games, 3 at home, 3 in Baltimore. Sox are 7-5 against the O's this year.
• New York Yankees, 6 games, 3 at home, 3 in New York. Sox are 6-6 against the Yankees this year.
• Texas Rangers, 3 games in Texas. Sox are 7-0 against the Rangers this year.
• Tampa Bay Rays, 6 games, 3 at home, 3 in Tampa. Sox are 6-6 against the Rays this year.
• Cleveland Indians, 4 games at home. Sox are 2-0 against the Indians this year.

The good news for Boston is that their offense seems to have rediscovered itself recently. After the All-Star break, the bats sort of went on vacation. Then there was the small matter of the Manny Ramirez distraction, but now the team seems to have found it's groove but that might just be a result of the competition they were facing.

Interesting note about Toronto, the Red Sox will play the Jays on back-to-back weekend serieses twice over the remaining 7 weekends of the year. So, if you're a Sox fan, you'll know all about the Blue Jays come October.