Home field settled - now, let's get there

It ended just before 2 a.m. with a 4-3 win for the AL, which means Christine and I will have to wait until at least Game 3 to go to the World Series when it comes to Philadelphia.

J.D. Drew (2-4 with a walk and big two-run home run) was the only standout from the SoxandPhils in the longest, most riveting All-Star game ever.

Both our closers gave up a run. Brad Lidge, who warmed up a bunch of times before finally entering the game in the 15th, obviously wasn't in an ideal situation and took the loss.

Jonathan Papelbon, who was booed relentlessly for earlier saying he'd like to close the game before acknowledging Yankees great Mariano Rivera should have the honor, gave up an unearned run. It looked like catcher Dioner Navarro was more rattled by the booing. He threw the ball away when Miguel Tejada stole second. If not for that errant throw, Tejada wouldn't have scored, Billy Wagner could have blown the game in the 8th and Rivera could have gotten the save in the 9th.

SoxandPhils hitters went a combined 3-12. Other than Drew, only Chase Utley (1-3) had a hit.

Now that the love fest for Yankee Stadium (home of the third-best team in the AL East) can subside for a few weeks, it's time to concentrate on getting our teams to the World Series.

Here's where they stand:

Red Sox: Their standing seems more tenuous than at this point last year, but the team is actually performing just as well. They're at 57-40, one game off the pace Pythagorean says they should be on, which is the same record (58-39) they had a year ago. They've scored three more runs and given up 10 fewer. The difference? The Rays. The Yankees are essentially where they were last year (six games back as opposed to seven). But the un-Devil Rays lurk a half-game out - a 19.5 game improvement from last year.

I expect both teams to give the Sox a scare at points in the second half, but given that the Sox have withstood so many injuries without losing pace, I think they have every shot to win the division and probably overtake the Angels for the top slot.

Phillies: Last year, we were kidding whether we would buy playoff tickets that would ultimately go unused. They were at .500 - six games behind the yet-to-collapse Mets and 5.5 behind the yet-to-collapse Padres for the Wild Card. They were barely outscoring their opponents 510 to 502. This year, despite the awful stretch they have been in since June, they have scored fewer runs (481) but slashed the number they have given up (403). Pythagorean says they should be at 56-40 instead of 52-44.

Despite their meager half-game edge over the Mets, the Phillies can and should play better in the second half. The Mets, incidentally, are at 51-44 - just where Pythagorean says they should be.

So Phillies and Red Sox fans can start thinking about the World Series beginning with Jimmy Rollins trying to tee one off the Green Monster against Josh Beckett. Hopefully those games are a little quicker than last night's.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]