So in the midst of writing about the Sox’ 2011 lost season and what went wrong and how it went wrong and how it might be fixed, the games are still being played.  This can’t be entirely ignored, so I will take a break from the analysis and have a look at what the team has been up to lately.  There is good news and bad news.

The good news is, the team is above .500 and probably will stay there.  The bad news is, the team is 6.5 games back and probably will stay there.

There are more goods and bads at the moment for the Sox, so let’s start with the good.  They are currently 68-67, more than likely staring at a finish a bit above .500, somewhere around 82-80 or 83-79.  The team has been straight down the middle all year long, and it would be silly to think they will change that now.  There is one more month to go, and the Sox aren’t going to sniff 90 wins, so the best they can reach for now is to finish over .500. 

A second place finish isn’t entirely out of the question, either.  Granted, that’s nothing to write home about, since the wild card will belong either to Boston or New York, but any sort of momentum and positive feeling goes a long way towards next season.

Speaking of positives, the young guys on the team are at least making them fun to watch, and causing them to win some games.  Dayan Viciedo has been spectacular since his call up, and it makes you wonder why he wasn’t up with the big club earlier this year.  Tyler Flowers has made a fantastic impression both with the bat and behind the plate, and his emergence in the last month ideally solidifies his spot on the team as Pierzynski’s backup next season.  He then will be primed to take over as starting catcher in 2013.  Alejandro De Aza has done a great job as well, and should be in line for an outfield spot in 2012.  These three combined have sparked the Sox to their recent little run they have been on, and it’s nice to see. 

Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late.

Now for the negatives.  Though the team is playing better, it is without significant contribution from Alex Rios and no contribution from Adam Dunn.  Those two never broke out of their prolonged slumps and offered absolutely nothing to the team.  It’s a wasted year for them.  But it is disconcerting that the team is winning without Dunn in the lineup, and causes some consternation for next season. 

And then there’s the fact that the team is still so far out of the division race.  It doesn’t matter if you win five in a row if Detroit wins six in a row.  The Sox have run out of time, and even though they did win five in a row last week, it meant little in the overall standings. 

They are in the middle of a series with Detroit in which they could gain ground, but they need to win every game to do so.  But despite their recent spark, there is still no reason to think they have turned things around.  The season is still over.