Texas 3
Boston 8

Seemingly unaffected by the dreaded trip to Japan (baseball’s version of “Mordor” judging by some of the complaints heard from certain teams over the past couple of years), the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox are now baseball’s hottest team.

They have won 9 out of their last 10, 5 in a row, and currently hold the best record in the American League. All of this has been accomplished while their best hitter is mired in the worst slump of his career, and their pitching staff is near the worst in the league in terms of runs, walks, and home runs allowed.

In other words, some luck has been on their side. This was apparent in the Patriots Day win against Texas, as that 4th inning was one of the crazier frames I have ever watched in my lifetime. When the team finally begins to run on all cylinders, they might be able to create a nice early cushion for themselves.

Julio Lugo is Christ for a day after going 4 for 4, and Clay Buchholz pitched a decent game. However, nobody’s talking about the man who has been the best hitter in the American League not named Ramirez: Kevin Youkilis. A bearded bastion of patience and versatility, “Youk” is among the league leaders in the following categories: batting average (2nd), OBP (5th), OPS (4th), hits (1st), doubles (4th), triples (1st!), total bases (5th), runs created (2nd) , and sacrifice flies (2nd).

Not too shabby.