CC Solid as Yanks Take Rubber Game 8-4

(REUTERS/Adam Hunger)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NYY	1	1	2	1	2	0	0	1	0		8	10	2
BOS	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0		4	9	0

WP - CC Sabathia (15-7)
LP - Josh Beckett (14-5)
Behind five home runs and a solid start by CC Sabathia, the Yankees were able to take the rubber game against Boston by the score of 8-4. It wasn't a pretty game, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but they were good enough and head back to New York with a 7.5 game lead over Boston with just 38 games to play.

Derek Jeter got the Yankees started off with a bang when he launch Josh Beckett's first pitch of the game into the Boston bullpen for his 16th homer of the year. The homer was Jeter's 2700th hit of his career, he would add another hit later in the game to bring that total to 2701, just 21 hits behind Lou Gehrig for the all-time franchise mark.

They added another run in the top of the second to extend their lead to 2-0 when Hideki Matsui his what would be his first of two solo homers on the night.

CC got into some trouble with two out in the bottom of the second. Mike Lowell doubled, Rocco Baldelli drove Lowell in with a line drive single up the middle. Then Jason Varitek doubled to tie the game at two. CC stopped the bleeding right their, and by the time he took the mound in the third he was once again ahead by two.

With one out in the top of the inning Jeter and Johnny Damon hit back-to-back singles. Mark Teixeira gave the Yanks the lead with an RBI single, and then Alex Rodriguez drove in the Yanks' fourth run with an RBI ground out.

The Yanks added another run in the top of the fourth on a Robinson Cano solo homer, his 19th of the season. On the other side of the ball Cano had a miserable night. He booted a ball in the first for an error, which luckily didn't come back to haunt them. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, he botched a pop up which allowed Jason Bay to score the Sox third run. It was another two out run for Boston, who made a habit of that all series. Of the 29 runs they scored in the three games, 23 of them came with two outs. Cano has these sorf of games every now and then and they will drive a fan mad, but at least he hit the homer.

Once again the Yankees had an answer to Boston's run. The answer came off the bat of A-Rod, a two-out, two-run homer over the monster to extend the Yankees lead to 7-3. It was A-Rod's 22nd homer of the season.

Boston scored their fourth and final run of the night off CC in the bottom of the sixth. Kevin Youkilis led off with a double into the left-centerfield gap, and he would later score on Baldelli's sac-fly.

CC finished the inning and retired the first two batters of the seventh before leaving the game after 118 pitches. In 6.2 innings CC allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out 8. The Boston batters made CC work, especially early on, making him throw 60 pitches over the first three innings. But he battled, threw strikes (80 of 118), and was able to give the Yanks some length and pick up his league leading 15th win of the season. In August the big left-hander is 5-0, with a 2.65 ERA. He's been exactly the ace the Yankees hoped he'd be when they handed him that gigantic contract.

Phil Hughes came in to replace Sabathia and got Dustin Pedroia to fly out to end the inning.

Then, Matsui hit his second homer of the game, and 23rd of the season, in the top of the eighth to extend the Yanks lead to 8-4. It was the fifth homer that Beckett allowed on the night, which is a career high for him.

Hughes stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless eighth. He allowed a leadoff single to Victor Martinez, but then was able to retire the next batters in a row.

Even though it wasn't a save situation Mariano Rivera came in to close out the game and the series in the ninth. He hasn't worked since Wednesday and it showed as he walked the first batter he saw on four straight pitches, but after that he threw 14 pitches (12 strikes) to retire the next three Boston hitters in order, including strikeouts of Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury to end the game.

The win made it 2 of 3 from Boston, and 6 of the last 7 after losing the first 8. They went 7-3 on the road trip, they've won 10 of their last 11 series, since the break they're 27-9, and as I mentioned before have a commanding 7.5 game lead in the AL East. So for now all is well in Yankeeland.

After tomorrow's off day they will take on the surprising Texas Rangers in a three-game set in the Bronx starting Tuesday.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jeter, SS	5	2	2	1	0	0	1	.332
Damon, LF	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	.286
Teixeira, 1B	4	0	1	1	0	2	1	.288
Rodriguez, A, 3B	4	1	1	3	0	1	1	.264
Matsui, H, DH	4	2	2	2	0	1	1	.265
Swisher, RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.248
Cano, 2B	4	1	1	1	0	1	0	.314
Cabrera, Me, CF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.268
Molina, J, C	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Totals	37	8	10	8	0	7	4
BATTING HR: Jeter (16, 1st inning off Beckett, 0 on, 0 out), Matsui, H 2 (23, 2nd inning off Beckett, 0 on, 0 out; 8th inning off Beckett, 0 on, 2 out), Cano (19, 4th inning off Beckett, 0 on, 1 out), Rodriguez, A (22, 5th inning off Beckett, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Jeter 5; Damon 2; Teixeira; Rodriguez, A 4; Matsui, H 8; Cano 4; Molina, J. RBI: Jeter (57), Matsui, H 2 (68), Teixeira (93), Rodriguez, A 3 (68), Cano (62). 2-out RBI: Rodriguez, A 2; Matsui, H. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Matsui, H. Team RISP: 1-for-3. Team LOB: 2. FIELDING E: Cano 2 (9, fielding, fielding). DP: (Jeter-Cano-Teixeira). Pickoffs: Sabathia (Ellsbury at 1st base).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Sabathia (W, 15-7)	6.2	8	4	3	0	8	0	3.59
Hughes, P (H, 14)	1.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.33
Rivera, Ma	1.0	0	0	0	1	2	0	1.87

Pitches-strikes: Sabathia 118-80, Hughes, P 19-12, Rivera, Ma 18-12.

RED SOX STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Hideki Matsui (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R)

HONORABLE MENTION: Derek Jeter (2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R), CC Sabathia (W, 6.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K).

Tomorrow's Game

Off day