Red Sox's road record cautions playoff success

With Sunday's extension of the wild card lead to four games on the back of the doubleheader sweep [Jon Lester is the beast of all beasts], Boston's entrance into the playoffs as the wild card winner is all but assured. (But at seven games behind New York, it ain't over!) This is problematic. Don't get me wrong, making the playoffs is great, and I'd pick that over missing the playoffs. But the Red Sox don't seem as well-equipped to advance far in the playoffs as many (including I) would like to think. A couple days ago, I buoyed some of your spirits by talking about how dominant the Red Sox bullpen is; coupled with a shorter rotation, the Red Sox are primed to mean business in October. Allow me to drop anchor just a bit: the Red Sox have the majors' best home record at 50-21. Just behind the Sox are the Yankees at 50-22 -- no other team comes close to the record. The downside? The Sox are below .500 on the road at 34-37. They wou...