Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 8/21

Before we get started here with the post, I just wanted to apologize for skipping the Red Sox news & notes post this morning. I woke up feeling like a truck ran over me and mustered all the energy I had just to do the first two posts before crashing the rest of the morning. After some rest and Gatorade, I feel like a new man and am ready to roll here.

After sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox return home with some momentum as they head into a weekend series with their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. The Yankees swept a 4-game series in New York the last time out but the Red Sox still own the season series 8-4.

The game tonight will start at 7:10 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Yankees television market, you can catch the game on YES. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Brad Penny makes his twenty-third start of the season for the Red Sox tonight. On the season, he is 7-7 with a 5.22 ERA. He’s made one start against the Yanks this season and gave up no runs in 6 innings. He’s made two career starts against the Yankees and is 1-0 with 2.45 ERA. He’s made one start in New York and is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA.

Andy Pettitte makes his twenty-fifth start of the season and is 9-6 with 4.09 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Red Sox this season and is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA. He’s made 34 appearances (32 starts) against the Red Sox and is 16-9 with a 3.63 ERA. He’s made 18 starts at home against them and is 10-6 with a 3.65 ERA.

The Red Sox made a few roster moves this afternoon as they called up Michael Bowden from Triple-A Pawtucket and activated OF Rocco Baldelli from the disabled list. To make room for Bowden, they designated Fernando Cabrera for assignment and they optioned Brian Anderson to Triple-A Pawtucket.

And don’t forget, Jerry Remy makes his return to the NESN airwaves tonight. Welcome back Jerry!!!!

Chris Duncan, player acquired for Julio Lugo, is released [Projo Sox Blog]

Gonzo the Great [Projo Sox Blog]

New York media now thumping its chest over Yankees [Projo Sox Blog]

A Players Perspective: The Red Sox Catching Situation [38 Pitches]

Sox not interested in repeating history [RedSox.com]

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

And here are how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers: