Unstoppable

After sweeping the first nine games of a 12-game road trip, the Red Sox head to Tampa on Tuesday with the best record in the American League. 

If I were to tell you two months ago that by June 12 the Red Sox would have the best record in the American League, chances are you would have told me that I was dreaming.

Or crazy. Or a little bit of both.

Well, feel free to pinch yourself. The dream is now a reality. 

Making their lethargic, underachieving start to the 2011 season seem like a distant memory, the Olde Towne Team now stands at 39-26, just percentage points behind the Philadelphia Phillies (40-26) for the best record in baseball. 

While Boston's turnaround has been remarkable in itself, the most impressive facet has been the way in which they have steamrolled the competition. With a 17-hit, 14-1 shellacking of the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, not only did the Red Sox sweep the three game road set, but they outscored Toronto 36-5 along the way. 

Combine the blowout of Toronto with consecutive sweeps of Oakland and the hated Yankees and the Red Sox now find themselves in the midst of one of the most impressive nine-game winning streaks in recent memory. 

"I don't think I've ever really seen a stretch like these past nine games that we've been playing as far as scoring runs and the way our pitches have been throwing the ball," said Jon Lester, who picked up his AL leading 9th victory of the season on Sunday. 

One of the unsung heros along the way has been none other than David Ortiz. After going 2-6 on Sunday with a homer and four RBIs, Big Papi now rests at 17 home runs and 43 RBIs for the season while toting a .325 average.  

"Every ball he hits is on the barrel the other way and when he's turning on balls, he's a force, man," admitted Dustin Pedroia. "He's not just a home run hitter, he's a hitter and I think he knows that makes our team go."

During the nine-game road trip, Ortiz has hit four homers and added 13 RBIs. However, his signature moment came earlier in the week when he blasted a homer during the Sox' 6-4 win against New York and then flipped his bat in the direction of the Evil Empire's bench, drawing the ire of manager Joe Girardi. 

In typical Papi-fashion, Ortiz simply responded by saying "I don't care what Joe Giradi says. Take it like a man. I'm done with that."

Beyond Big Papi, centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has ignited the win streak as well by playing stellar defense and setting the table from the leadoff spot.

After going 2-5 on Sunday and with three runs scored, Ellsbury is now 14-30 with nine runs scored and four extra-base hits during the road trip. He also finds himself in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, raising his average to a season-high .318. 

"I'm sticking to my approach," said Ellsbury. "That's been the biggest thing. Just trying to drive the ball."

Not to be outdone, the red-hot Adrian Gonzalez picked up a pair of RBI's on Sunday to improve his league-leading total to 60. A-Gon has now recorded at least one RBI in nine consecutive games, putting him just one game short of the club record of 10 games, held by Dwight Evans in 1989 and Manny Ramirez in 2002. 

Boston is off on Monday, but will head to Tampa for a three-game set with the division rival Rays. It will mark the first appearance for Carl Crawford in Tropicana Field wearing a uniform other than the Rays'. 

"I mean, I've been there my whole career," admitted Crawford. "So I can't lie and say I don't miss it. But this is working for us as a team and you definitely don't want to mess with that chemistry we've been getting so far."

With our beloved Bruins engaged in a thrilling Stanley Cup final series against Vancouver, it's hard for many Boston sports fans to focus their undivided attention on anything else but the championship-chasing B's. 

Luckily, no matter how the Black and Gold's playoff run turns out, Bostonians will have one hell of a baseball team waiting for them when it's all over. 

Let's just hope we can return to the Sox full-time following a Bruins championship parade.