Yanks Ready to Wrap Things Up This Weekend

And with Boston on their way to a win tonight, that means they're going to have to sweep. Here's what some of the Yankees are saying about this upcoming series via Mark Feinsand (hat-tip to Steve Lombardi):

The Yankees and Red Sox are both headed for October, but the two rivals would love to make a statement to assert themselves as the favorites in the American League.

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"It's always going to be amped up between these two teams," Johnny Damon said. "It's the best rivalry in sports."

Having already clinched a spot in the postseason, the Yankees have an opportunity to lock up the AL East by knocking off the second-place Red Sox themselves instead of relying on other teams to help reduce their magic number.

"We know that we can get the job done this weekend," Mariano Rivera said. "It would be nice to do that at home."

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"Playing these tough games is important this time of year," Joe Girardi said. "It gives you an idea of what you're going to face as we move forward here in October."

While the weekend would appear to be little more than a tune-up for the playoffs, Joba Chamberlain is looking to show Girardi why he should be entrusted with an important role when the stakes are the highest.

"It's great for everybody to get that feeling, to play in that atmosphere," Chamberlain said. "October is a little different, so it helps being able to play teams like Boston in this kind of series. Coming down the stretch, trying to finish strong and set the tone will be good. People are going to be getting excited for October, so it's going to be crazy."

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I doubt they will come away with a sweep this weekend. I could see them losing tomorrow's game with Joba facing off against Jon Lester, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball lately, and then taking the next two. They'll probably wrap things up on Monday against KC.