Sox still appreciate the game and first place

We're four months into the season and the Sox currently stand 2 1/2 games in the A.L. Central lead heading into August.

July shaped up to be an interesting month. They played 16 of 19 on the road and went a respectable 10-9 with a four game series that they lost in Boston and were swept in Detroit. Through it all, the Sox stand victorious so far. All those questions posed at the start of the season have been bascially answered in the positive. Rios? You could argue he's been the MVP of the team. Dunn? 31 home runs. Peavy? Healthy and productive. Sale? Stud. Robin? So far, so good.

Still, as we head into the final two months there are some concerns with the club...

-The defense has been piss poor as of late and has started to cost games.

-Sale looked tired in his last start and he's already been pushed to have 10 days rest. Shutting down Sale for a long period of time could be a big blow to the rotation. If the Sox do make the playoffs would he be a reliable arm?

-Will Peavy stay healthy? That's always a concern.

-Does the trade for Francisco Liriano turn out to be the steal of the year?

-The bullpen has been a little shaky, especially Addison Reed in the closers role. He doesn't seem to like 1-2-3 innings.

-Humber/Floyd. This combo is such a wild card. Floyd has been better but Humber doesn't seem reliable. The Sox look like they're going to a 6-man rotation to give Sale and Quintana extra days rest. But how does that affect the rest of the staff?

Time will tell.

The Sox have played better at home as of late which is a good thing. They open a 9 game homestand this weekend and will have a 6 game stint at home at the end of the month. There's also a road trip to Toronto and Kansas City. Two places that give the Sox hell. All of this will lead up to 7 games against the Tigers in a 14 day stretch that begins August 31.