Boston Red Sox: 5 Reasons They're Destined to Win the World Series

The unofficial second half begins tomorrow with the Red Sox in first place in the AL East by a game over the Yankees. Let's all hope the Red Sox don't start with the same dismal performance they did in the first half.

Hopes are high for Boston fans that the city will get its second parade of the calendar year after the Bruins won their own Stanley Cup last month. The way things are going, it will most likely happen.

Here are five reasons why the Red Sox are destined to win the World Series. 

Yankee Domination

The Red Sox have absolutely dominated the New York Yankees, the opponent they will most likely face in the ALCS, this season. They have an 8-1 record against them and have yet to lost a game to them at Yankee Stadium.

Because of this, they've become more confident against their bitter rivals. This should help them a lot if they can continue to play well against them in the second half. The ultimate back breaker for the Yankees will be if they're playing a team in the postseason that they haven't been able to crack at all.

The reason for this domination is because of the way Terry Francona has lined up his pitchers against the Yankees. In the first series he went with John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett. In the second series in the Bronx, he went with Buccholz, Beckett, and Jon Lester. In the third series, he went with Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield and Beckett.

The Red Sox pitching has been unbelievable this series especially when compared to the Yankees mediocre pitching. Their hitting has been even better with studs like Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz tearing up the ball. 

Tough luck Yanks!

Consistent Pitching

People always talk about the great pitching the Phillies have but they ignore the talent on the Red Sox staff.

Let's start with Jon Lester. 

Dude's been impeccable. He's 10-4 on the year but what's most surprising is what he's done on the road, when there is more adversity to deal with. In 11 road starts, Lester is 7-1 with a 2.80 ERA and 64 strikeouts. 

He's also elevated his game against tougher opponents. He's beat the Yankees and Angels twice each, he beat the Phillies on the road and he also beat the Indians. 

He's defeated cancer. Adversity means nothing to Jon Lester. He stares it down and watches it burn with his eyes.

The reemergence of Josh Beckett has also been a welcome sight for the Red Sox. He's defeated the Yankees three times this season. His ERA of 2.27 is one of the lowest in the American League. He resembles the Beckett of 2007 and if he pitches anything like he did in that season's playoffs then the Red Sox are going to be very successful.

Don't forget Clay Buchholz who is 6-3.

Let's not forget, these pitchers struggled early in April when the Sox were struggled as a team. They've heated it up and only gotten better. 

Now if only John Lackey can pitch a little better for the Sox fourth starter.

But even if he doesn't, the Red Sox can always turn to the dependable Tim Wakefield or the undefeated Andrew Miller. 

Roy Halladay's Struggles Against Boston

If it's one team Roy Halladay has struggled against it's the Red Sox. He had plenty of opportunities against them during his Toronto days. Halladay has allowed more home runs to the Red Sox than any other team. Manny Ramirez can be thanked for that, but the Red Sox have a new Manny now in Adrian Gonzalez.

Halladay lifetime has a 14-15 record against Boston in 42 games. He's had his good games and his six complete games are evidence for this, but his 4.39 ERA is uncharacteristic of Roy Halladay.

It'll be interesting to see how Halladay will pitch against the Red Sox if they should meet in the World Series, given that a few years have passed since he would regularly make starts against them.

The Red Sox Have Already Faced Adversity

Here's a team that faced an insurmountable amount of injuries in the 2010 season yet still won 89 games and almost made the playoffs. 

The same team lost their first six games of 2011 and started off with a dismal 2-10 record. Yet they didn't sit with their hands folded and accept their fate as a non-playoff team. 

They regrouped and went on a tear. 

All champions overcome some sort of adversity throughout the season. The Red Sox have now overcame two types of adversity over the last two seasons. If they lose pieces to injury, they psychologically are more equipped to handle the losses. They've already lost some pitchers to injury recently yet it hasn't fazed them one bit. 

Also, if they go through a long losing skid, they know that it's a long season and that they can always bounce back. Players like Carl Crawford who struggled early, bounced back and have lifted the pressures of playing in Boston off their back. 

Carrying this never-say-die mentality to the playoffs is very advantageous for the Red Sox and it gives them real confidence.

A New MVP

When Manny left Boston, it created a huge gaping hole in the Red Sox lineup. David Ortiz's occasional long slumps didn't help the Red Sox one bit from 2008-2010. 

With Adrian Gonzalez though, the Red Sox have that big bat back now. He's an MVP candidate and an RBI machine. His productivity has helped David Ortiz, too. Because of his success, David Ortiz is getting better pitches to hit. If opposing pitchers put him on and prolong an inning, they'll have to face Adrian more.

To show how dangerous Gonzalez is, look at his numbers with runners in scoring position with two outs. He's hitting .404 with two home runs and 26 RBI. Other teams know this, therefore, they give other Sox players better pitches to hit in fear of walking them. 

It's not a fluke that the Red Sox started winning games once Gonzalez started tearing up the baseball. He was hitting .244 after their 2-10 start. After that, he's been an AL MVP candidate. His own successes have resulted in the successes of other players on the Red Sox lineup because of the reasons mentioned.