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View Full Version : Sunday Night Baseball 7/6/2008



rbedgood
07-03-2008, 08:43 AM
Boston Red Sox 50-37 (Road 19-27)
New York Yankees 45-40 (Home 23-20)

Bos: Tim Wakefield (5-6, 3.72 ERA)
NYY: Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.22 ERA)

Series Preview

If the New York Yankees (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy/;_ylt=AtaWK2v7Ae5m4aJQ5aL8DLSpu7YF) want to make it to the postseason for the 14th straight year, there is no better place to start a push than this series against the suddenly struggling Boston Red Sox (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/bos/;_ylt=AvF7iTVOyDLVwoO2DGBljy6pu7YF).
The longtime rivals meet for the first time since April - with neither in first place in the AL East - as they begin a four-game set at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.
It’s certainly unusual for a series between the Yankees (45-40) and Red Sox (50-37) in July to feature neither team atop the division, with both try to catch surprising AL East leader Tampa Bay. Boston has matched a season high by losing five straight, including a three-game sweep in Tampa Bay this week, to fall 3 1/2 games behind the Rays while the Yankees are 7 1/2 games back.
The Yankees, who welcome Tampa Bay to the Bronx for two games after this series, know the next week represents a critical stretch of their season.
“Not just this one series, but maybe the next couple series is going to be pivotal,” Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said. “We can definitely still make a run at it.”
The defending World Series champions, meanwhile, failed to avoid a sweep by the Rays when they surrendered six runs in the seventh inning of Thursday’s 7-6 loss.
“This series, they played better than us. They pitched better than us. They hit in the clutch better than us,” Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7631/;_ylt=Ar1oZ1S0Gb8FoR5rYRYl2POpu7YF) said. “That’s why we didn’t win any games.”
Boston is 3-2 against New York this season, and it’s been Manny Ramirez (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5132/;_ylt=Am5dspXOxvJitx3dOUaJpnqpu7YF) who has done most of the damage instead of Yankees nemesis David Ortiz (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5909/;_ylt=Aohbho6IPkzKEUhsbsR4joWpu7YF), who won’t be in action as he continues to recover from a wrist injury that has sidelined him for the last month.
Ramirez is 10-for-19 with three homers and eight RBIs against the Yankees in 2008 with four straight multihit efforts. The All-Star slugger will be trying to regroup after he was hitless in 11 at-bats in the Tampa Bay series.
Pedroia stayed hot Thursday with four extra-base hits. He’s 25-for-44 (.568) during a 10-game hitting streak.
After Steinbrenner criticized the Yankees for scoring a total of four runs during a three-game losing streak, New York responded with an 18-7 win over Texas on Thursday. Jason Giambi (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5386/;_ylt=Au2vKuBIvfyT6.y2QbUIwoypu7YF) hit a grand slam and drove in a season-best six runs, and Alex Rodriguez (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5275/;_ylt=Ap11i2k5434jXQohLPx7sTCpu7YF) added a three-run shot for his 535th home run—one shy of tying Mickey Mantle for 13th on the all-time list.
The Yankees will start Andy Pettitte (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5331/;_ylt=Aph_wkkMiLlqI1N_r3_RxTOpu7YF) (9-5, 3.98 ERA), who tries for a fifth straight win after going 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his last four outings. Pettitte hasn’t lost since May 23.
The veteran left-hander won Saturday by allowing two runs in six innings in a 3-2 win over the New York Mets (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nym/;_ylt=AoAnXrpFGlM5CyrEaILFL9epu7YF).
Pettitte hasn’t pitched against the Red Sox this season, but went 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in six starts against them last season. Those were his first outings against Boston since 2003 because he was beginning his second stint with New York - he is 15-6 with a 3.53 in 27 career starts against the Red Sox.
His counterpart, Boston starter Jon Lester (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7790/;_ylt=AowKG6lFO2YSis0m4d7nObGpu7YF) (6-3, 3.48), is 3-0 with a 3.35 ERA in his last six starts. Lester’s worst outing of that stretch, though, came Saturday at Houston as he was tagged for a season-high six runs over five innings in an 11-10 loss.
The 24-year-old left-hander has never pitched at Yankee Stadium. In his lone appearance against New York, he started on Aug. 18, 2006 and surrendered seven runs over 3 2-3 innings, but escaped without a decision in a 14-11 loss.

royalswin100games
07-03-2008, 11:57 AM
Good job bookie!