The Boston Red Sox have had success this season, and many have predicted them to win the World Series.

New manager John Farrell has this team playing better than the sum of its parts. Its pitching has held up nicely, and timely hitting has given the Red Sox a league-best 97-65 record.
However, the road to the World Series will not be easy-the American League is talented and, in the playoffs, it's anyone's game.

The Red Sox will face the winner of the Wednesday play-in game, which will feature the Cleveland Indians and the Tampa Bay Rays. Either of these teams could give the Red Sox a run for their money. The Rays always play the Red Sox tough, and as division foes the depth of scouting and emotions will be higher than usual for a divisional series matchup.

The Indians have been a surprise this season as well. Their pitching has brought them to this point, but there is no telling if it can keep it up.

If the Red Sox manage to get past one of those teams, they will face the winner of the Detroit Tigers versus Oakland As series. This is where the road could get tough for the Red Sox.

The As are the team that somehow, some way, always gets it done. Statistical analysis-sometimes dubbed "moneyball"-continues to work for general manager Billy Beane as this team just keeps on winning. They finished the season with a 96-66 record, second-best in the American League.

Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has been quiet all year, but he is a talent that can't be overlooked if these two teams match up. He won the home run derby this year while hitting 17 home runs in the first round, more than double the second-place finisher, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. The As pitching always seems to come through, but Cespedes may be the difference-maker in this possible matchup.

The other option, the Tigers, pose a different problem. For the talent this team has, the 93-69 record is probably an underperformance. The middle of the lineup is stacked, with third baseman and likely second straight Most Valuable Player award winner Miguel Cabrera leading the way. He is leading the league in batting average and second in home runs and runs batted in. To put it lightly, this man is a beast. First baseman Prince Fielder and designated hitter Victor Martinez round out the rest of that incredible middle of the order-Fielder has more than 100 runs batted in this season, and Martinez has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since the All-Star break. That matchup is indeed tough to call.

If the Red Sox manage to win both series, the proverbial game changes completely. Besides the St. Louis Cardinals, and perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers, no playoff team in the National League poses much of a threat with its lineup.
However, the pitching in the National League is way above par than that of the American League.

The Cardinals may pose the biggest threat to the Red Sox from the National League. They have outscored their opponents by 183 runs, second in the league to the Red Sox. Their hitting throughout the lineup is solid. The one-two of pitchers Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller, and closer Edward Mujica make this a pretty scary team.

The other threats to the Red Sox are the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers are solid all-around and have the best one-two starting pitching punch in the league, with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke leading the way.

The Reds have very solid pitching, a great bullpen and timely hitting, similar to the Braves. Both of these teams' biggest strengths is their bullpens. A good bullpen is usually a good indicator that a team can go far in the playoffs, and that is exactly what these two teams hope to do.

Just because the Red Sox are the favorites doesn't mean they are a shoo-in for postseason glory. Anything can happen in nine innings.

The Red Sox likely know that better than anyone.