Rays/Sox: New Topic

I have been reading a lot of threads and posts the last week or so from Rays and Sox fans, going back and forth.  The one thing that seems to be said the most is the amount of games the Rays are up.  Boston fans are saying 3 games is nothing, its only July etc etc.  Rays fans are saying its 3 games now but they have a cake schedule in July so its going to get bigger.  (They do have a cake schedule...18 games against the last place Blue Jays, Indians, and 4th place Royals)

But I noticed something when looking at the standings I have not seen mentioned yet.  The Rays have played 4 less games than the Red Sox, yet have one more win than Boston.  This means, that from now until the end of the season, those 4 extra games are "freebies" for the Rays.  If Boston took a break and Tampa played those 4 games and lost every one of them, they would still lead the division.  Given their record, I think its safe to assume they could go at least 2-2 if not 3-1 in those "extra" games which would translate to an extra 1 to 1.5 game difference on their division lead.  So going into the all-star break, take their lead and add 1.  That could play a huge role down the stretch.