Boston Red Sox: 6 Bold Predictions for the Remainder of 2011

September is right around the corner, and we are about to enter crunch time for most teams in the MLB.

This certainly applies to the Boston Red Sox, who are in the thick of an AL East race with the New York Yankees. There are several possible outcomes as to what could happen in the coming couple of months, but here are six bold predictions for the remainder of 2011 in Boston.

1. Boston Will Win 100 Games and the AL East

After last night's game against the Oakland Athletics, the Red Sox have improved to 82-51 on the season. This means that they need to win 18 or their remaining 29 games if they are going to win 100 games, which they are definitely capable of doing.

In order to do this, they will need to continue beating on the Yankees as they have all season. Winning the remaining series against New York should result in a 100-win season along with a sizable lead in the AL East, which should give them a division title.

2. Felix Doubront Will Make the Playoff Roster

Felix Doubront has had an injury-plagued 2011 campaign, but Red Sox fans should expect him to be called up when the rosters expand in a few days.

After seeing a solid amount of time from the bullpen in September, I predict that he will pitch well enough to make the playoff roster. Doubront pitched well in his debut outings with the Red Sox in 2010, and after another year in the system I expect he will be ready to make an impact at Fenway in October.

Darnell McDonald Will Not Pitch in October

Darnell McDonald, one of my favorite players on Boston, is an outfielder. 

However, the other night against the Athletics, he was brought in to pitch in a clean-up role.

Congratulations to him for having his first major league pitching experience. But from now on let's leave it to the guys in the bullpen.

McDonald will most definitely not pitch in the playoffs. 

Chuckle.

3. Boston Will Beat Detroit in the ALDS in 4 Games

If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, the Red Sox would play the Detroit Tigers, and the Yankees would play the Texas Rangers in the ALDS.

Assuming the these placements in the standings remain unchanged, these are the matchups I predict to see in October.

The Red Sox have a better offensive team than the Tigers—there is no doubt about that. But the Tigers have their ace in the hole, that being Justin Verlander. Verlander is an almost lock to win the AL Cy Young award this year, but he can only do so much for the Tigers. I predict Boston to win the series in four games.

4. Boston Will Defeat New York in 7 Games in the ALCS

It is the greatest rivalry in sports, and I think we can look forward to it yet again in this year's ALCS.

The Red Sox and Yankees know how to put up a good fight against one another, and that's why I believe that, no matter how much better one team may be than the other, these two clubs will have a seven games series to determine the American League pennant.

Both of these teams have very powerful offenses, but I predict that pitching will dictate the winner. In this case, the Red Sox have the superior pitching staff. Beckett and Lester have been consistent all year and they have the ability to carry the Sox. Along with their dominant offense, they will overcome the inconsistencies of the Yankees pitching staff to the World Series.

5. Boston Will Play the Philadelphia in the World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies are the most dominant team in the National League and with their elite pitching staff, I predict that they will easily make their way to the World Series.

The Red Sox will play them, and it will be a duel for the ages. The series will depend on the play of the Phillies' aces. If Boston's offense can hit Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels or Roy Oswalt, then the Red Sox will probably win. If they cannot, then they will probably lose.

I am not going to make a prediction as to who will win the series. It is going to be a great one and I'll let you guess away at this yourselves.

6. Adrian Gonzalez Will Win the AL MVP

Hold on Yankees fans, don't go all ballistic on me just yet.

If the season ended today, I would give the award to Curtis Granderson. The center fielder has absolutely crushed the ball this year, and with his great speed, he is definitely leading the MVP race as of now. 

In Adrian Gonzalez's last six games, he has five home runs and nine RBI while batting an impressive .416. Gonzalez is hot—no question about it—and I expect his hot streak to continue over into September. If that does happen, Gonzalez will win the MVP unless Granderson magically hits 10 home runs this month.

My prediction is that Gonzalez wins the biggest individual achievement in the American League by a slim margin over Granderson.

And as a final note, go Sox!