Schedules are not even at this point, which is a huge factor. The Red Sox have played Cincy, San Diego, Houston and Milwaukee, all playoff teams from last year (except Houston, who narrowly missed). The point here isnt that the Six have an excuse for being 4-8, but rather that it’s hard to compare them as a 4-8 team even against other 4-8 teams. I mean, Toronto is 5-7 against the A’s, White Sox, Rockies and Dodgers. Does that make them a better team than Boston, or a worse team?