Coming off an ass chewing by the manager after last nights 7-0 loss the New York Yankees dodged a first inning bullet and then got some quick early runs for themselves against Josh Beckett. The problem was after that inning they really kind of slogged through the game again as they ended up dropping a 6-4 decision to the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon.

The Yankees just don’t seem like the Yankees as they almost seem passionless in their approach to the game these last two days. But you won’t catch the Red Sox complaining as they can use any break they can get. After starting out behind the 8-ball the Sox got some breaks, including the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen on a baseball field when Kevin Youkilis nearly missed a home run in the 3^rd inning, some big hits, timely defense and a decent job from the bullpen in getting the win.

In a 3-3 game heading into the Boston fifth, Dustin Pedroia led off with his second hit of the game a single to center, JD Drew popped out to Robinson Cano, Manny Ramirez singled to left moving Pedroia to second. Mike Lowell then followed with a 3 run home run to left field to give Beckett and the Sox a 6-3 lead. After Youkilis flew out to center, Coco Crisp drew a two out walk. With Crisp on the move Jason Varitek ripped one down the right field line and like Jason Giambi earlier in the game, he just nearly missed a two run jack. But he followed that up with his second hit of the day a single to left to move Crisp to third. Julio Lugo then bounced into a fielder’s choice to Jeter at short to end the inning.

After the shaky fourth Beckett righted himself in the fifth and sixth allowing only a fifth inning single to Derek Jeter while adding a pair of strikeouts to bring his total to four on the day. Beckett was lifted after 6 innings and 102 pitches, he didn’t have his great stuff but he was good enough to recover from the bad first inning.

In the top of the seventh the Sox were looking for more as Lowell led off with a double to left. Youkilis singled and with runners at the corners and no one out against reliever Jose Veras, he got Crisp to fly out to left and Varitek struck out as Youkilis ran into a strike em out, throw em out double play to end the inning.

Hideki Okajima came in to start the 7^th and once again was not sharp giving up a lead off single to Melky Cabrera, he walked the nine hitter, Jose Molina then got Brett Gardner to ground into a fielder’s choice to Lugo for the first out. With runners at the corners he walked Jeter to load the bases but then on a 3-2 pitch got Bobby Abreau to pop out into the rain to Youkilis at first. This ended Okajima’s appearance as Terry Francona came out to bring on Manny Delcarmen to face Alex Rodriguez with two outs and the sacks juiced. But the Yankee third baseman grounded into an inning ending fielder’s choice to Lowell and the Sox took the 6-3 lead to the 8^th inning.

Last night all the breaks seemingly went the Red Sox way, while today it started off in the Yankees favor. After loading the bases with one out in the top of the 1^st inning off of Yankee starter Darrell Rasner the Sox were unable to score. Ellsbury led off the game with a single, Pedroia got hit by a pitch, Drew struck out and Ramirez was walked but Lowell fouled out to Giambi and Youkilis lined out to Jeter at short and that was the end of threat.

The bottom of the inning didn’t go much better as Johnny Damon led off with a double off Beckett (8-5) into the right center field gap. Jeter flew out to Drew, Abreau walked on four pitches and then the reigning AL MVP Rodriguez ripped a double into the left field corner that scored a pair of runs and put him at third on the throw home. Giambi then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Rodriguez and it was 3-0 Yankees before Beckett whiffed Jorge Posada to end the inning.

In the third inning the Sox once again loaded the bases with out against Rasner (4-7). It was the same cast of characters as Ellsbury had a bunt single, Pedroia singled to left to extend his hit streak to 12 games, Drew grounded into a fielders choice to Giambi to move Ellsbury to third and Pedroia to second. Lowell then hit a sac fly to center to score Ellsbury and cut the lead to 3-1. Then Youkilis drilled a ball into left that Damon nearly made a spectacular catch on as he leapt and crashed into the wall. The ball bounced out of his glove as Damon fell to the ground but the ball was actually perched atop the wall and fell back into play giving Youkilis a 2 run triple and tying the game at 3-3. Damon ended up coming out of the game as he injured his shoulder and/or ribs on the play, he replaced by Gardner, a recent Triple A call up. Crisp then bounced out to Rasner to end the inning.

In the meantime, Beckett settled in and had set down 8 New York hitters in a row after the rough first inning getting a pair of strikeouts along the way. Rodriguez snapped that streak with his second hit of the game, a lead off single in the fourth. After a near miss of a two run homer down the right field line, Giambi ended up flying out to Crisp in center. Posada walked, then Cano fouled out to Ellsbury in left who made a really nice sliding catch in a small strip of foul territory. The Yankees were able to load the bases with two out when Cabrera was hit in the hand by a pitch. But Beckett got out of the jam by getting Molina to ground out weakly to Lowell at third.

The top of the 8^th was delayed as the Yankee Stadium grounds crew tried to put down drying agent and keep up with the falling rain. It only seemed to make the situation worse and the field a muddy mess and it would affect the very next play as Lugo reached against Kyle Farnsworth on a Rodriguez error to open the 8^th crew chief Wally Bell decided to have the tarp pulled and we went into a rain delay.

After a rain delay of over an hour the Sox went down fairly easily in the 8^th and 9^th as Yankee reliever Edwar Ramirez replaced Farnsworth after the rain delay and retired all five hitters he face.

Delcarmen went an inning allowing only a walk and that runner was erased on a one pitch double play ball induced by Javier Lopez in the eighth.

Jonathan Papelbon came in for the first time in a week and with two out walked Gardner, who then went to second on a defensive indifference. Jeter than hit a 2-2 pitch to center that Crisp looked to have made a diving catch on to end the game but Bell, after some indecision that allowed Jeter to keep running, called it a catch and Jeter was on second with a double. This brought up Abreau with the tying run at the plate but he flew out to dead center to the 408 foot marker to Crisp to end the game as Papelbon closed out New York in the 9^th for the 6-4 win.

The same two teams go at it tomorrow on FOX at 3:55p.

Notes and Musings:

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek wore special gear for the 3^rd time this season. This set was a patriotic theme and will be auctioned off with proceeds goings to the Boston Children’s Hospital.

The Red Sox are 21-27 on the road this season while the Yankees are 24-21 at home. After today’s game there are only 36 games left at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox have 12 one run losses on the road this season.

The last time these two teams met 11 times on the 4^th of July since 1995. The Red Sox are 10-7 against the Yankees on the 4^th of July. The Sox have won 6 of the last 7 July 4^th games at Yankee stadium, the lone loss was Dave Righetti’s no-hitter in 1983. The teams last played a July 4^th game in 2003 that Boston won 10-3 in the Bronx. When I was a kid it seemed like every year the Sox and Yanks played a July 4^th twinbill although they didn’t. It’s funny what you selectively remember.

The Yankees have had a winning record in July for 15 consecutive seasons. So far this year they are 1-3.

The Yankees lead the all-time series 1088-895-14 and at home are 587-400-7. How the hell did we end up with all those ties?

Before starting today’s game Darrell Rasner had never faced the Boston Red Sox.

We mentioned that Roger Moret was the last Red Sox lefty to blank the Yankees in the Stadium. Did you know he also shut them out on August 2, 1973 at Fenway Park and again at Shea Stadium on July 27, 1975?

Sox on a streak:

• Dustin Pedroia extended his hit streak to 12 games with a third inning single.
• Coco Crisp 4 game hit streak ended with an 0 for 3 with a walk.

By hitting into the 4-6-3 twin killing in the second inning that makes 13 times this season Julio Lugo has grounded into a double play.