Series Preview: Yankees @ Red Sox

Yankees - Red Sox
@ Fenway
(three games)

I asked you guys what you felt the Yankees needed to do in this series and I agree with most of you. The only thing the Yankees need to do is not get swept. Leaving Boston with a 5.5 game lead and 38 games to play isn't too bad of a position to be in.

That said, if the Yankees can go into Fenway and take two of three or sweep the Yanks could bury the Red Sox for good, at least as far as the AL East goes. And that's what I want to see. To paraphrase one of the all-time classic video games; FINISH THEM!

As you can see below the pitching matchups for the first two games heavily favors the Yankees. These are games the Yankees should win. Andy Pettitte faces Brad Penny in the opener. Pettitte has been great lately, while Penny has not. A.J. Burnett looks to makeup for his first couple rough starts in Fenway earlier this year when he starts game 2 against Junichi Tazawa, who will be making just his second big league start. The third game is pretty much a toss-up with CC Sabathia facing Josh Beckett. That one should be a nail-biter as the two aces square off in the Fens.

As you all know the Sox play very well at home, and this is really a do-or-die series for them, so you know they will be pumped up and ready to go. Even with the pitching matchups set up the way they are this will not be an easy series for the Yanks. But the Yankees, like the Red Sox, know what's at stake here and should be pumped up for the series as well. Joe Girardi has done a good job keeping this team focused and there's no reason to believe that's going to change anytime soon.

Both the Yanks and Red Sox have played well since their last meeting, a four-game sweep in the Bronx for the Yanks. Since then they're both 7-3, and seemed to have avoided any let downs after facing each other.

To me, the most important game is tonight's. Pettitte needs to continue throwing the ball like he has recently, and a few early runs off Penny would also be huge for the Yanks. Don't give the Sox a chance to hope.

Boston has won 8 of the 12 games between the two teams this season, including all six in Fenway. But that doesn't matter now, what matters is how well the Yankees pitch and hit over the next three days.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Tonight @ 7:10 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
LHP Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.09) vs. RHP Brad Penny (7-7, 5.22)

Game 2: Tomorrow @ 4:10 p.m. | TV/Radio: FOX, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (10-6, 3.69) vs. RHP Junichi Tazawa (1-2, 5.40)

Game 3: Sunday @ 8:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: ESPN, WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (14-7, 3.58) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (14-4, 3.38)

Players to Watch

YANKEES: Alex Rodriguez - When A-Rod hits in Fenway it usually leads to go things for the Yanks. However, in three games this year he's just 1-for-10 in Fenway Park, and while he did pick up some very big hits in the four-game sweep in the Bronx, he still hit just .222 for the series.

In his career against Boston as a Yankee he's hitting .272/.381/.500 with 12 HR and 82 RBI in 99 games. At Fenway he's hit .271/.372/.463 with 9 HR and 32 RBI.

This is the best Yankee team A-Rod has been a part of. And he needs to do his part this weekend in putting that final nail in Boston's coffin.

Rodriguez vs. Penny: 0-for-4, BB, K
Rodriguez vs. Tazawa: 1-for-1, HR, 2 RBI
Rodriguez vs. Beckett: .282/.364/.429 (11-for-39) 1 HR, 7 RBI, 9 K's

RED SOX: Jason Bay - The Yankee-killer got back into the lineup in the final game of the four-game sweep and has been red-hot ever since. In the last ten games Bay is hitting .324/.432/.865 with 2 doubles, 6 homers, and 11 RBI.

Since being traded to Boston last year Bay has hitting .367/.468/.694 with 3 HR and 18 RBI against the Yanks in 14 games. Eight of those games were at Fenway Park, where he's batting .360/.529/.640 against the Bombers.

Bay vs. Pettitte: .444/.516/.630 (12-for-27) with a homer, 3 RBI, and 8 K's
Bay vs. Burnett: .333/.400/.556 (6-for-18) a homer and 4 RBI.
Bay vs. Sabathia: 0-for-6

Injury Report

YANKEES:
- Chien-Ming Wang, SP: 15-day DL is done for the year after arthriscopic surgery on his shoulder. He will likely be out for 12 months.
- Xavier Nady, RF: Done for year, season-ending Tommy John surgery. 10-12 months to recover.
- Damaso Marte, RP: 60-day DL with a sore shoulder. He has been excused from the team indefinitely due to personal reasons. Joe Girardi said earlier in the week that there is a chance that Marte could be added to the roster today.
- Brett Gardner, CF: 15-day DL with a broken bone in his hand. He had his cast taken off, but he's going to have to remain in a splint for a few weeks before starting a rehab assignment. He should be back in the first week of September.

RED SOX:
- Jed Lowrie, SS/3B: 15-day DL with numbness in his left forearm.
- Rocco Baldelli, RF/CF: 15-day DL with a left ankle contusion.
- George Kottaras, C: 15-day DL with a lower back strain
- Tim Wakefield, SP: 15-day DL with a lower back strain
- Jeff Bailey, 1B/LF: 15-day DL with a high left ankle sprain
- Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP: 60-day DL with a mild right shoulder strain
- Miguel González, RP: 60-day DL as he recovers from right elbow surgery