The New York Yankees will look to split the four game series with their arch rival, Boston, on Sunday. The 8:05pm start will be featured on ESPN, as both teams look to gain ground on the red-hot, first place Tampa Bay Rays.

Tim Wakefield will be on the mound for the Red Sox. Wakefield is 5-6 on the season, with a 3.72 era. He is 2-5 in his last 10 decisions, with his most recent start (against Tampa Bay) ending in a loss 3-1. Wakefield is 9-16 in his career against the Yankees. The knuckleball specialist has struggled against New York in his career with several guys having good numbers against him. Here are a few Yankees numbers:

Abreu, .316
Cano, .310
Damon, .302
Jeter, .311

For the Yanks, Joba Chamberlain will throw. Joba is 2-2 with a 2.22 era. He has not lost a game since early May, but only recently moved to the starting rotation. Chamberlain is 1-0 in his career against Boston.

With the Yankees bats against Wakefield, and Chamberlain’s dominance, look for the Yankees to settle the series at two! Go Yankees!

What a ball game at Yankee Stadium! After Mariano Rivera loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the ninth, he was able to strike out the side and hold on to a 2-1 win.

Melky Cabrera put the Yankees on top early with a RBI single, scoring Giambi in the second. Brett Gardner, leading off in the game, then gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly which drove in Wilson Betemit. The Yankees kept the 2-0 lead all the way until the ninth, when Mike Lowell singled home J.D. Drew to cut the lead in half. That’s when Rivera put on his dominant shoes and saved his 23rd game.

Mike Mussina was solid, pitching 6 innings, and only allowing 4 hits. Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth both pitched hitless innings to keep the 2-0 lead going into the 9th. For Boston, Justin Masterson was the tough luck loser, falling to 4-3. Masterson pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, and 2 runs. Javier Lopez and Mike Timlin each pitched a scoreless inning for Boston.

Both teams had six hits on the game, as Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew had two hits, and Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Lowell each had a hit. For the Yankees, Melky Cabrera picked up two hits, while Jeter, Rodriguez, Betemit and Cano grabbed a base hit.

The Yankees will look to split the series tomorrow! Go Yankees!

The Yankees need a win today. Losers of two straight to the Red Sox, and 9 behind the Rays, we are in a desperate state. With the offense sporadic, and the pitching questionable, both of these issues need to get fixed.

The 3:55 FOX game-of-the-week features Justin Masterson of the Red Sox against Mike Mussina of the Yankees. Masterson is 4-2 on the season, with a 3.75 era. Justin took a loss in his last start to the Rays 5 days ago. On the season, he has only made 8 starts, going atleast five innings in all of them. On the road this year, Masterson is 1-2 in three starts. He has never faced the Yankees in his career. Time to mash him!

Mussina knows all the old tricks of the Red Sox. 10-6, with a 3.87 era on the season, Mike is 19-17 in 54 career starts against Boston. Mussina has lost his last two starts, but is 6-3 in his last nine decisions. In his last start against Texas, he was a tough luck 2-1 loser.

Look for Mussina to pitch well today, and the bats to finally start to roll off the young rookie pitcher! Time for a win today Yankees! Have a great Saturday Yankee fans!

The night started well for the New York Yankees. Scoring three runs in the first inning, it looked very promising to win the second of the four game series Friday night. But after three runs in the first inning, New York did not score again until the 9th, and lost 6-4, to fall to 45-42 on the season. The win for Boston puts them at 52-37. Tampa Bay won again, dropping the Yankees back to 9 games out, tied with Baltimore.

Alex Rodriguez doubled in the first inning, driving in Damon and Abreu, followed by a Giambi sac-fly to put the Yankees up 3-0 quickly. The Red Sox matched that three, with three of their own in the third off a Mike Lowell sac-fly and a Kevin Youkilis triple. Lowell was back at it again in the 5th, hitting a three run home run to make it a 6-3 game. The Yankees bats were quiet once again, until the ninth when Derek Jeter doubled in a run, but it was not enough.

Darrell Rasner took the loss for the Yankees and is now 4-7 on the year. Rasner went 5 innings, allowing 10 hits and 6 runs. Josh Beckett picked up his 8th win of the season, pitching six strong innings. Jonathon Paplebon picked up his 25th save of the season, pitching the ninth inning and only allowing the one run.

Of the six Yankees hits, Jeter and Rodriguez both had two hits, and Damon and Cabrera picked up the others. They also took 6 walks on the night.

The same teams will go back at it today at 3:55, with Masterson and Mussina on the hill.

Happy 4th of July to all! The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will square off today in the second of a four game series, and will surely produce fireworks at the stadium.

Josh Beckett, 7-5 with a 3.65 ERA, will face Darrell Rasner who is 4-6 with an ERA of 4.92. Rasner has lost his last two starts and 6 of his last 7. He has never faced Boston in his career. He is 3-1 at home this season. Beckett is coming off a 7 inning no-decision against Houston, where he had been back and forth. 2-1 in his last five starts, Beckett has shut down potential. And we all know his past World Series history against the Yankees. In his career, Beckett is 6-3 against the Yankees.

Boston comes into the game 51-37, 3 full games behind Tampa Bay. The Yankees are 45-41, 8 full games back of Tampa Bay.

The Yankees need Rasner to throw well, and the bats to come alive! Go Yankees!

After picking up a win on Wednesday, the Yankees are on the winning track to take on rival Boston Red Sox this weekend at Yankee Stadium. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox currently trail the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

The Yankees/Red Sox are always up for heated battles, and this series seemingly will prove to be no different. Both teams are currently struggling slightly, and are looking for any way to pick up wins.

The Red Sox will throw Jon Lester, who is 6-3, with a 3.48 this season. Lester has picked up two straight no-decisions, after winning three straight. For his career Lester is 17-5. In limited at bats, Yankees hitters seem to enjoy hitting off Lester. A few statistics:

Bobby Abreu, 2-3, double, 2RBI
Melky Cabrera, 2-2, RBI
Robinson Cano, 1-2, double, RBI
Johnny Damon, 3-3, HR, 3RBI

For the Yankees, the 36 year old lefthander from Baton Rouge, LA- Andy Pettitte will take the mound. Pettitte is 9-5 on the season, and has won his last 6 decisions, and has not lost since May 17th. He is 210-118 in 410 career starts.

This should be a fantastic series, and it’s time to show the Red Sox, that we are going to be in contention the rest of the season. Time to pick up at least three wins! Go Yankees!

In a wild, offensive outburst the New York Yankees were able to out slug the Texas Rangers to escape the three game series with one win. The Yankees pounded out 16 hits, and 18 runs in a 18-7 win.

Robinson Cano got the offense started in the 2nd on a RBI double, scoring Alex Rodriguez. The Rangers came back strong by putting up three runs in the third. Michael Young singled home a run, followed by Josh Hamilton knocking in two. The Yankees then answered with four of their own in the third, on a Jason Giambi grand slam. That was the 18th homerun of the season for Giambi.

In the fifth the Yankees added another run on a walk for Posada, plating home Bobby Abreu. Things got scary for New York in the sixth, as the Rangers pounded the ball, scoring 4 runs, to take a 7-6 lead. A pair of two run home runs from Milton Bradley and Chris Davis did the damage. Then, the Yankees grabbed seven runs in the bottom of the 7th to put the game away, with a comfortable 13-7 lead. Giambi would drive home two more, Posada ripped a RBI single, Johnny Damon drove home one more, and Alex Rodriguez topped the inning off with a three run bomb. Damon then drove in another run in the 8th, to make it a 16-7 game. Bobby Abreu also drove in two more runs in the 8th, to make the game 18-7.

Both starting pitchers struggled due to offensive outbursts in the game. Luis Mendoza for Texas only lasted 4.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, and 6 runs. Bullpen specialist Warner Madrigal also struggled, only going 0.1 innings, allowing four hits, and 6 runs, before Jamey Wright cleaned up the damage allowing three of his own runs in that same inning. For the Yankees, Sidney Ponson lasted five innings but surrendered 9 hits and 7 runs. Edwar Ramirez threw two scoreless innings out of the pen, while Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 8th for the Yankees. LaTroy Hawkins finished the ninth to wrap up the Yankees’ 45th win of the year.

Texas’ bright spot was Frank Catalanotto, the designated hitter, who went 3-3 on the night to raise his average to .291. For the Yankees Damon, Rodriguez, Giambi, Abreu and Cano all had multiple hits.

The Yankees will take on the BoSox in a huge four-game series starting tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium!

The New York Yankees will look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers Wednesday evening. The 7:05 start will feature Texas right-hander Luis Mendoza, and the Yankees Sidney Ponson.

Mendoza is 1-2, with a 5.40 era on the season. He has only made five starts this season, being used out of the bullpen most of the time. His last appearance was June 28th against Philadelphia. In that outing, he went 1 inning, allowing 1 hit and striking out one. On June 25th he picked up a win against Houston after pitching three scoreless innings. His outing before that, he picked up a 3 inning save against Washington. So, Luis has been used in every situation possible this season! Mendoza is a 6’3, 210lbs right-hander from Veracruz. He turns 25 in October. He has never faced the Yankees in his career.

Sidney Ponson will look for another good start in his second appearance with the Yanks this year. His start on June 27th against the Mets was his first in three weeks. He went 6 innings, allowing just 5 hits, in a 9-0 shut out. Before that, Sidney was 4-1 on the season. In his career Ponson is 8-2 in 15 career starts against the Rangers. Let’s hope that he can continue that success against his former team in the upcoming game.

It is time for Yankees bats to bust out! Big win time for the Yankees!

Where have the Yankees bats gone? Another night, another good pitching outing for Texas- the second in a row for them. They beat the Yankees 3-2 Tuesday night in the Bronx.

The Rangers got an RBI single from Michael Young in the top of the 9th to break a 2-2 tie. Texas scored 2 in the second inning, from a Chris Davis RBI single, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia RBI. Robinson Cano drove in Jason Giambi in the fourth and Wilson Betemit drove home Jorge Posada in the sixth to nod the game at 2.

Mariano Rivera took the loss, to drop him to 2-3. He allowed 3 hits and 1 run in the 9th. Frank Francisco picked up the win for the Rangers, moving him to 2-2 on the season. Both teams used many pitchers in this game. Starters Joba Chamberlain and Kevin Millwood both had short outings. Chamberlain only lasted four innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, and walking four batters. Dan Giese, David Robertson, and Jose Veras threw four shutout innings for the Yankees. Millwood went 5 innings for Texas, allowing 5 hits and 1 run. Josh Rupe gave up the tying run in the sixth inning, pitching two innings, and yielding four hits. Francisco pitched a scoreless 8th, before giving way to C.J. Wilson, who picked up his 19th save of the season.

The Yankees and Rangers will conclude the three game series Wednesday evening.

Yesterday kick-started a very important span for our division, with a series between the Red Sox and Rays. After that series the BoSox will play our Yankees in a four-game series and after that the Bombers will go on to play the Rays for a two-game stint. The coming 8 days may have a huge impact on the division in terms of who will go on to win it as well as who will get second place (which will most probably be the wild card.) The Rays are currently in the best situation, sitting atop the division with a 1.5 game lead on Boston. If Tampa can continue to pull through this week may be where they really set themselves apart from the rest of us. The Red Sox can also reclaim their lead atop the division if they win a few games, but it won’t be enough to give them much breathing room over the Rays (or Yankees.)

Let’s hope that things go another way and the Yankees end up dominating in the combined six games against our division rivals. A good run can certainly put us right there with them at the top, in what will be an even closer three-team fight.

If any team falls behind in the next week and a half they will still have a shot at getting back to the top, but it will be harder. Just keep in mind that all three teams will be playing each other again, so it won’t be the end of the world for anyone if they lose. It sure would be nice to see the Yanks get to second place though…

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