Sox lose, Yanks win, trip stalls

So, how does it feel to have the Yankees on your minds again?

Losers to the Toronto Blue Jays by a 6-3 score today, the Red Sox moved no closer to a playoff spot despite Minnesota's loss to the Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. Why? Because the New York defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the penultimate game at Yankee Stadium to move past the Twins and into sole possession of second place in the wild card race, meaning there will be no celebration for the Red Sox in Canada Sunday, either.

The magic number remains at 2.

The Sox play Sunday afternoon.

The Yankees play Sunday night, which means that the Red Sox could not possibly secure a playoff spot until late Sunday at the earliest; to clinch Sunday, the Sox would need both a victory and a New York loss.

As for today's game, there wasn't much to it. Toronto built an early 5-0 lead behind Roy Halladay and held on for the win, despite a brief Red Sox rally that trimmed the gap to 5-3. Amalie Benjamin and Adam Kilgore will have the bulk of coverage from that game, and we'll be postin here in the middle of the morning tomorrow, as usual.

Look at the bright side: You can watch the Patriots (vs. Miami) today without missing any type of significant Red Sox victory, and there is now a decent chance that the Sox will clinch their fifth playoff appearance in six years at home.

How's that for optimism?