Red Sox are "best team" in baseball, according to BP

The outstanding Baseball Prospectus predicts, prior to the Sox game 1 win, that Boston will take the series in four.

Anaheim may have had the best record in baseball, but their run differential (runs scored versus given up) is only a +68, meaning that their 100 wins may be the result of quite a bit of luck. They are clearly a very good team, but only the middle of the lineup truly scares me. They have a lot of mediocre bats in the top and bottom of the lineup. And their speed is overrated. The strength of the team is in their starters and the end of their bullpen, with Shields and K-Rod.

But the Sox have a great chance to win this series and move on to meet the Rays, presumably. Lester gets another start, in game 4. Dice-K goes tonight, and showed in the playoffs last year and in his time in Japan that he loves the spotlight. The news reports for Beckett's side session are positive, and the Sox may be up 2-0 anyway when he goes on Sunday in game 3.

So the news is all good for Sox fans. Even Lowell and Drew looked relatively healthy on Wednesday night. I am optimistic that the Red Sox can win not only this series, but the 11 games necessary to bring home the World Series.