The conclusion of tonight's game will mark the exact mid-point of the 2013 season. Eighty-one up, eighty-one to go. As we look at this morning's standings, your Carmine Hose are the only team in baseball to have scored 400 runs and are
one behind the Cardinals for most wins in all of MLB. They also have the best run differential (+78) in the American League. All this with an injured ace (
Clay Buchholz), a maddeningly ineffective #2 starter (
Jon Lester), a concussed back-up catcher (
David Ross), a new unproven closer (
Koji Uehara), and a demoted phenom (
Will Middlebrooks). This four-game set with the Blue Jays will tell a lot about the make-up of this team—and go a long way toward determining whether they can maintain an edge in this wacky American League East. Boston will send Lester to the hill on Thursday, then
Allen Webster,
Felix Doubront and
Ryan Dempster. The Jays will counter with
Chien-Ming Wang tonight, followed by
Josh Johnson,
Esmil Rogers and
Mark Buehrle.
