For the next two weeks, beginning tomorrow, the Red Sox will be far away from the day-to-day concerns of the AL East. They’ll spend a week on the West Coast, then a week playing host to visitors from the west. They will face two teams they haven’t seen at all this season, and will spend many of their days several time zones away from the Yankees.

They’ll also be playing some of the biggest games of the season.

Obsess over the Yankees all you want, but the best route to the playoffs might be the wild card spot. Sox fans want to see George Steinbrenner’s team knocked out, but it’s more important that the Sox are in.

The battle for the AL Wild Card comes down to the second-place team from the East – for now, the Boston Red Sox – and the second-place team from the West – for now, the Oakland A’s. In the next 14 days, the Sox will play seven games with the A’s and seven more with the division-leading Seattle Mariners.

“We like our team a lot,” said Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein, “but the other teams we’re up against improved themselves, too.”

The A’s are once again looking to finish the season with another patented Oakland run. Resident genius Billy Beane has the best rotation in baseball. The Big Three of Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson are all listed among the league’s ERA leaders. Rookie Rich Harden makes it the Fab Four of late, he’s had the best numbers on the staff.

The A’s problem this season has been offense – or lack thereof. Beane tried to address those issues with the acquisition of Jose Guillen from the Reds. Guillen brings a much-needed dose of power to the lineup.

The Sox have been nip-and-tuck with Oakland in the wild card standings for weeks, but fans might be better off keeping an eye on the Mariners. While the A’s geared up for the stretch run, the Mariners seemed to take a step backward. They did nothing on the July 31 trade deadline, after their attempt at a three-way deal that would bring Aaron Boone to the Northwest (and Freddy Garcia to Boston) was thwarted by New York’s acquisition of Boone.

After the deadline came and went, Mariners pitcher Jeff Nelson let his frustration boil over.

”It’s frustrating for everybody in here, and it should be frustrating for the people who go out there and pay for tickets and pay these outrageous prices at these concession stands,” Nelson told reporters. ”They deserve a winner. Seattle, I think the whole city is aching for a winner, either the Seahawks, the Sonics, or the Mariners. We have an opportunity to do that, and it’s just unfortunate we didn’t make a move.”

They made a move Wednesday and it was Nelson who got moved. He’s back with the Yankees, in exchange for Armando Benitez. Seems the Yanks came out ahead in that one.

And so we head West. The dog days of August are here. The Patriots are playing pre-season games, and baseball fans are counting down the days to Labor Day weekend and the Yankees.

Just don’t overlook the next fortnight. As the Sox play into the wee hours back home, the wild-card race will be coming into focus.

Don’t bank on New York faltering. And if the Yanks won’t help out, the Sox had better help themselves in this crucial stretch.

Tom Caron works on Red Sox telecasts for New England Sports Network