GAME 57: Yankees at Red Sox

YANKEES (34-24, tied for first in AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-3, 14.46).

RED SOX (34-24, tied for first in AL East)
Pedroia 2B
Drew RF
Youkilis 1B
Bay LF
Lowell 3B
Ortiz DH
Kotsay CF
Green SS
Kottaras C
Pitching: RHP Tim Wakefield (7-3, 4.50).
TIME/TV: 7:10 p.m., YES.

Bad Streaks: They Yankees have lost their last 6 games against the Red Sox. After setting a MLB record 18 consecutive games without an error, they have gone 7 consecutive games with an error.
Father Wang: Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound tonight, while his wife is expected to give birth to their first-born child back in New York. Along with the Yankees not winning a game against Boston, and Wang trying to show he can still pitch in the rotation, Wang has an awful lot of pressure on him heading into the game.
Slumping: Hideki Matsui is 0 for his last 16, Melky Cabrera is 4 for his last 28, and A-Rod is 4 for his last 24. All 3 are in the lineup today.
Injury Updates: Xavier Nady is expected to workout with the Yankees over the weekend...Brian Bruney will face batters and throw a simulated game tommorow in Fenway, weather permitting. He could follow making a rehab appearance on Saturday.

UPDATE 7:24: Back to back walks for Wang. 12 pitches, 9 balls. He walked Youkilis on four straight pitches. He has fallen behind on the first 3 batters of the game. He needs to get his control.

UPDATE 7:26: This is why you cannot walk batters. 1-0 Red Sox, courtesy of Yankee-killer Jason Bay. Perhaps if anyone but Damon is in left, JD Drew holds at third.

UPDATE 7:34: Wang is on a short leash tonight. David Robertson started warming up. Wang barely gets himself out of a bases loaded jam. He has already walked 3 batters, and was 3-0 with Kotsay before he grounded out. Lets see if he can find his control next inning.

UPDATE 7:38: How about that. After two ugly swings at pitches way out of the zone, Posada hits his 9th HR of the season to tie the game. Now Matsui just hit a double.

UPDATE 7:41: Right after Nick Swisher lays down an excellent bunt for a hit, he does something stupid on the bases. Cabrera hit that very softly right at Nick Green, there is no excuse for Swisher to be that far off the bag to get doubled off. He may have killed any rally the Yankees could get this inning.

UPDATE 7:51: RBI double for George Kottaras. Yes, the guy who plays once a week and is batting .188 hit a double. Although Wang got some tough luck with an infield single to put Green on. Anyway 2-1 Red Sox, and now Wang is behind 2-0 to Pedroia.

UPDATE 7:54: Could this game get any worse for Swisher? First he gets inexpicably doubled up in the second inning. Now, he just completely misses a fly ball which bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. 3-1 Boston, Robertson warming up again.

UPDATE 8:02: Nice comeback there for Wang. Get Youkilis and Bay to strikeout stranding Pedroia on third. Wang is around 60 pitches though. Will he make it further than Burnett? He'll need a quick, easy inning.

UPDATE 8:08: 4-1 Red Sox thanks to a HR by Mike Lowell. This team is really frustrating me and I may take a break from the updates.

UPDATE 8:17: I said in my preview the key to beating the Red Sox is to have the starters go deep into games. Burnett and Wang went a combined 5.1 IP. Neither got past the third inning. Hughes in to pitch now, he needs to shut the Red Sox and give the Yankees innings.

UPDATE 8:33: Yankees are trying to get something going here. They get a run back on a RBI single by Melky. First and second 1 out, Jeter is up.

UPDATE 8:38: Nothing to be happy about as a Yankee fanright now. But I did send David Cone a question in the live chat on yesnetwork.com He has yet to answer mine, but he did say he would have broke Brosius's knees after the season if he dropped the pop-up in his perfect game. I found that hilarious.

UPDATE 8:53: At this point the Yankees are not making me happy. But this David Cone chat on the YES website is giving me a few laughs. Especially this:
[Comment From Sal] Is Michael Kay's head really that big??
8:53 Michael Kay is one of the smartest, wittiest people I've been around. And yes, that is one hell of a coconut.

UPDATE 9:29: Back to Back home runs by Damon and Teixeira. 6-5 now. Never count this team out.

UPDAT 9:41: Matsui strikes out to end the inning with the tying run on first agaisnt Okajima.

UPDATE 9:45: What a play by Swisher taking a double away from Lowell. Nice to see Swisher make that play after two horrific plays already in this game. That is it for Hughes, who did a nice job, but the HR he gave up to Youkilis is the difference in the game. Now Phil Coke in to face David Ortiz.

UPDATE 10:04: Jeter and Damon strike out with a runner on second to end the threat.

UPDATE 10:15: To quote what Michael Kay just said, "Do the Yankees have a rally in their bones against Jonathan Papelbon?" Tex, A-Rod, Cano to face him.