GAME 60: Yankees at Red Sox

YANKEES (34-25, Second Place AL East)
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Matsui DH
Cabrera CF
Cervelli C
Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.56).

RED SOX (35-24, First Place AL East)
Pedroia 2B
Drew RF
Youkilis 1B
Bay LF
Lowell 3B
Ortiz DH
Varitek C
Baldelli CF
Green SS
Pitching: RHP Brad Penny (5-2, 5.85).
TIME/TV: 7:10 p.m., YES.

A Bit One Sided, Don't Ya Think? For what is supposed to be the greatest rivalry in sports, the Red Sox have dominated the Yankees this year. They are 7-0 this season, and have won their last 8 dating back to last season. The last pitcher to beat the Red Sox for the Yankees was Mike Mussina.
Earning his Paycheck: CC Sabathia has become the Yankees ace; he is 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA in his last six starts. The Yankees need a big performance out of him tonight.
Case of the Slumps: A-Rod, Cano, Cabrera, and Jeter have all been in slumps lately. A-Rod is 0 for his last 12. Jeter and Cano went a combined 0-10 yesterday and left 7 runners on base.
Pitching Update: Chien-Ming Wang is expected to start against the Nationals on Wednesday. If he can't beat the Nationals, who can he beat?

UPDATE 7:19: Warning issued to both teams already. Penny came in on A-Rod, threw a strike, then plunked him. The umpires gathered together to talk about it beofre the warning was issued. The Yankees have hit 9 Red Sox batters before this game. Gotta wonder if there will be retaliation later on in the game, depending on how it goes. Nonetheless it is first and third, two outs.

UPDATE 7:26: More thoughts on the warning: Michael Kay is now talking about how this will take the inside part of the plate away from Sabathia. I disagree. Girardi came out and talked briefly with the home plate ump. I would think he would want to let the umpire know his pitcher is still going to need the inside of the plate. We'll see what happens.

UPDATE 7:34: I don't think the warning is bothering Sabathia. But there have been two hard hit balls and he has now walked Youkilis on 4 straight pitches. Very un-Sabathia like. He needs to settle down and try and get out of this inning without giving up a run.

UPDATE 7:53: Well Nick Swisher is officially the dumbest and worst baserunner of all time. That was a fly ball to left field and Swisher is all the way at third base. How the heck are you that far off the bag??? I mean that is two days in a row Swisher has done this. Inexcusable.

UPDATE 7:55: Speaking of inexcusable...that is the second home run of the series for David Ortiz. He had two home runs all year before this series. He is batting .200. I don't know how the Yankees do it, but they make the most average players look amazing.

UPDATE 8:12: Leadoff runner reaches base and the inning end with an A-Rod strikeout. Wonderful.

UPDATE 8:31: This is Jim. I'm back from almost (accidentally) burning down my high school. Well it's only a one-run game right now. And I believe I have a reason for why David Ortiz is starting to hit well this week; A-Rod's cousin must be in town.

UPDATE 8:41: I cannot believe that Damon just missed that ball. Ortiz should have been on second, but he wasn't hustling. I guess .200 hitters in the Majors don't need to play hard anymore.

UPDATE 9:01: The Yankees need to put something on the board here.Right now, they are wasting a brilliant start by their ace. We cannot turn into the Mets.

UPDATE 9:29: Gutsy decision by Girardi there putting the hit-and-run on there with everyone and their mother expecting a bunt. Not many times you see someone score from first on a hit to left field at Fenway Park.

UPDATE 9:44: FINALLY! It's about time that someone came up with a hit with a runner in scoring position. Who would have guessed it would be A-Rod?

UPDATE 9:46: Well, the Red Sox are going to the 'pen again. Those were some big runs in support of Sabathia right there. He was looking like a one-man wolf pack out there for a while.

UPDATE 10:07: Baldelli just saved a run there because if that gets by him it's rattling around by the wall for a little while.

UPDATE 10:10: Well it looks like CC is going to be his own set-up man. Good. That's what they are paying him all this money for.

UPDATE 10:16: I think you have to leave CC in there unless you're taking him out for Mo. You have to have the best pitcher on the mound in this situation.

UPDATE 10:21: CC had a conversation a lot like Johan had with Jerry Manuel a couple of days ago, but it went a little better for CC.

UPDATE 10:23: Well, that didn't last long. Aceves in.

UPDATE 10:29: This is bad.

UPDATE 10:31: Well, John and I just used every curse word we know to describe that last hit. That was a horrible throw by Gardner. He would have been better off kicking it towards home plate Paul O'Neil-style.

UPDATE 10:42: Well at least Coke held them there. Which was actually a pretty good. If the Yankees don't come back, don't expect a game recap. I don't think John or I could handle writing this one up.

UPDATE 10:45: We need help people. Use any superstition you've got. Rally caps, horseshoes, luck underwear. I don't care as long as it works.