Life is far from perfect for these Red Sox.
They have no idea how the likes of Matt Barnes, Chris Sale and Christian Arroyo will bounce back after their COVID-induced inactivity.
Their chief competitor for the top Wild Card spot, the Blue Jays, have suddenly become the best team in baseball while staring down at a schedule that has them playing the lowly Twins in seven of the next 10 games.
And it's not exactly as if the meat of the Red Sox' lineup is striking fear into the hearts of their opponents. And the bullpen? It still kind of feels a bit patchwork compared to most of the other aspiring postseason competitors.
But when the plane landed in Boston early Thursday morning, a collective sigh of relief most likely accompanied the squeaking of wheel-rubber.
With their 9-4, 10-inning win over Seattle Wednesday, the Red Sox can now officially eye the home stretch with at least a smidgen of optimism and excitement.
That six-run 10th (along with a road trip that broke even at 3-3) sure went a long way. Believe it.
"It's playoff baseball. It feels that way," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It's fun, to be honest with you. When you give your all and then at the end of the game you're exhausted for the right reasons -- it's not COVID or whatever -- it's good. You've got to give them credit. They went on this road trip knowing it was going to be a tough one. Lose a tough one on Sunday, 2-1. Then we came here. We didn't play great, but we were able to get two out of three against a good baseball team. We did a good job against their bullpen. Their bullpen is one of the best in the big leagues, and we were really good. Hopefully, we can figure out the lefty starters. That will be good for us, but if we keep swinging bats the way we did the last part of the game, we should be OK."
The takeaway is the Red Sox - who are currently in a three-way tie with the Jays and Yankees - might actually have enough.
Sure, Cora had to absolutely empty the tanks for Thursday's win, but it worked. And it can continue to work, particularly with six games with the Orioles and two against the Mets wrapped the big three-gamer at Fenway vs. the Yankees.
With two weeks still left in September, it has officially started to feel like October baseball. And, for the Red Sox, that's a refreshing change.
"I think playing meaningful games at home, it means a lot," Cora said. "I know last year was a tough one for the organization and for the fans. Obviously coming into the season, nobody expected this homestand to mean something for the playoff hunt. So we're in this position. Like I said, Friday should be Chris (Sale), Friday night at Fenway, I've been saying all along. Hopefully, it's loud and it's intense. We've got plenty of games at home, and we're really good at home. We took care of business here. Just enjoy the families. Hopefully, nothing happens off the field as far as like COVID and all that, and we're ready to go on Friday."