The Red Sox offense has been anemic in the second half. In five games, the Sox have managed two runs on three separate occasions, three runs once and four runs once. What had been the most prolific offense in the majors in the first half has sputtered, no great surprise given that the list of players on the disabled list features what seems like a complete team.

Yet while the absence of offense certainly makes the Sox’ playoff ambitions more challenging, it does not rule out completely the possibility of winning. Monday’s 2-1 victory over the Athletics offered a case in point. Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Sox bullpen turned in a dominant performance, allowing the Sox to win, 2-1.

The Sox have now won six games this year in which they have scored two or fewer runs, tied (with the Twins and Mariners) for the most such victories in the American League. That is all the more impressive given that they have had just 23 games in which they’ve scored two or fewer runs, tied for the sixth fewest in baseball. The Red Sox have a .261 winning percentage in games when they score fewer than three runs, the top mark in the AL.

So, while the Sox find themselves at a point of the season in which they are struggling to score runs, they can take solace that they do a better job of winning low scoring games than any of their American League competitors.