01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2006

BOSTON -- The Red Sox' winning steak -- 10 straight and counting after last night's 9-4 undressing of the New York Mets -- can't last forever. That's because, much to the Red Sox' chagrin, interleague play comes to an end this Sunday.

After that, the Sox won't have the Senior Circuit to kick around anymore. And kick they have, winning 12 of the first 13 meetings with National League opponents this season. They're 5-1 against the Phillies, 3-0 against both the Braves and Nationals and perfect so far against the Mets.

Following a weekend series against the Florida Marlins, it's back to major league opposition for the Sox, with no more N.L. cupcakes on which to feast. By Monday, the Sox will be tangling with real powerhouses again, like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

It isn't just the Red Sox who are taking full advantage of the ever-growing chasm between the leagues. Going into last night's action, just three American League teams had a losing record in interleague play. Meanwhile, five different A.L. teams -- including the Red Sox -- had won at least 10 games against their N.L. counterparts.

After last night, the Red Sox, Tigers and White Sox -- owners of the three best records in the A.L. -- were a combined 35-5 against the N.L. Talk about separation.

The Mets, of course, were supposed to be different. They had two veteran starters (Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez), a bonafide closer (Billy Wagner), power throughout the lineup (Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran) and the best young tandem in the game (Jose Reyes and David Wright) occupying the left side of the infield.

But the Mets couldn't derail the Red Sox anymore than those before them. Last night was the fifth time in the last eight games that the Sox have scored at least nine runs against interleague opponents.

This isn't an entirely new development, either. Go back to the middle of last season and the Sox are an otherworldly 21-2 in interleague play. With five games remaining -- two against the Mets, three against the Marlins -- the Sox have already matched their single-season record for interleague victories, set last season.

The Sox' offense is a challenge for the best A.L. pitching staffs; against N.L. pitchers, unaccustomed to deep lineups and fearsome DHs, it's a clear mismatch. While N.L. batting orders offer an occasional respite, A.L. teams present no such thing. Case in point: the big blow in last night's win was a two-run homer from Alex Gonzalez, who occupied the ninth spot in Boston's order.

True, the Mets' lineup is formidable. But any tougher than the Yankees? Or the Blue Jays? Or the Indians? Even for rookie Jon Lester, making just his fourth major league starts, the Mets weren't anything he hadn't seen before. It took Lester 76 pitches to get through his final two innings, but tellingly, the Mets managed just one run in that span.

All of which isn't to devalue the Sox' 10-game streak. Regardless of opponent, ten wins in a row is an achievement.

"We have to keep doing the same things," said catcher Jason Varitek. "We have to keep grinding it out. But we've pitched pretty well -- that's the key."

Another key is the Red Sox' resolute approach. They don't beat themselves, having gone 14 games in a row now without committing an error. That's the longest such streak in the majors this season.

On the few occasions when the bullpen has slipped -- 10 days ago in Atlanta; Monday afternoon against the Phillies -- the offense has come to the rescue. And, there's always David Ortiz, ready to rescue them from late-inning peril.

"We always enjoy coming to the ballpark," said Terry Francona, "but when you have a little bit of a streak going, the mood is certainly going to be good. I hope what happens is when we do lose, our demeanor stays the game, our approach stays the same."

And, when all else fails, do what the rest of the other good American League teams do -- make the most of the interleague portion of the schedule.

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340