Well after a modest two game win streak in the Bronx, it’s looks like the optimism train maybe pulling out of Yankee Stadium once again after the Bombers got knocked off their track by the AL East leading Red Sox, 7-3. With the loss, they fell to 10 ½ games behind the Old Town Team. That wasn’t the only thing leaving the Bronx early as Yankee fans by thousands vacated the House that Ruth built as the Sox tacked on three runs in the 7th and opened up what was turning into a close game.
The Red Sox decided they had enough of that losing stuff and jumped out to quick 3-0 first inning lead courtesy of a Manny Ramirez 3 run bomb off of Yankee starter Mike Mussina. Mussina after striking out Julio Lugo to start the game decided he was then going to dig himself a hole. Kevin Youkilis singled to right, followed by a David Ortiz single to left and then Manny strode to the plate and unloaded into the leftfield seats. J.D. Drew grounded out to Doug Mientkiewicz but Mike Lowell doubled to right and Jason Varitek singled to right with Lowell holding up at third. Coco Crisp then grounded out to Mientkiewicz to end the threat.
Julian Tavarez started just as hot as the hitting, retiring the first six Yankees in order including strikeouts of Johnny Damon and the ever hot Jorge Posada. Only Alex Rodriguez’ ground out to Lugo was hit with any authority.
The Sox looked to threaten again in the second and third innings with lead off singles in both innings by Dustin Pedroia in the 2nd and Ortiz in the third. But the Yanks and Mussina were able to wiggle out of it with a pair of 4-6-3 twin killings.
Tavarez finally allowed a Yankee base runner in the third when he gave up a lead off walk to Jason “the human apology” Giambi but then got one fly out to each of his three outfielders to end the inning.
Lowell lead off the fourth with his 9th homerun of the season when Mussina missed inside and Lowell hit the foul pole for his 36th RBI of the year. NESN’s Jerry Remy noted that Mussina’s fast ball doesn’t have its normal velocity and he failed to sneak it past Lowell. In fact as the inning progressed Mussina’s fastball dropped as low as 84 mph. But Mussina was then able to settle back down and got Varitek to foul out to Rodriguez, got Crisp to strike out and Pedroia to pop out to Robinson Cano.
With one out in the home half of the fourth Hideki Matsui got the Bronx Bombers first hit a line drive single to center off Tavarez. The Stadium came alive as Rodriguez stepped in, hoping to get the team started. But A-Rod reached just a bit and ended up flying out to Crisp on the warning track in center. The red-hot Posada then singled to right on a full count sending Matsui to third and the Yankees were threatening. Tavarez then uncorked a wild pitch on a 1-1 count to Bobby Abreu allowing Matsui to score and Posada moved to second. The slumping Abreu then flew out to center to end the inning. Tavares even though he was cruising through the first three and struggled a bit in the fourth still isn’t very efficient with his pitch count as he was at 82 pitches through 4 innings of work even though he had a lot of first pitch strikes.
For the second straight inning, Tavarez got the first hitter only to end up in trouble in the fifth. He gave up a one out double to Cano that was scorched past Youkilis down the rightfield line and then he walked the number nine hitter, Mientkiewicz. Damon walked to load the bases and this brought Derek Jeter to the plate who grounded weakly to Lugo at short who forced Damon at second. The ball was hit too slow to double up Jeter and Cano scored to cut the lead in half at 4-2. Matsui then batted with runners at the corners and two out but hit into an inning ending fielders choice to Lugo who forced Jeter to end the inning.
Mussina meanwhile settled in and retired 9 Red Sox in a row since Lowell’s homerun leading off the fourth. He allowed only three hits since the first inning and as RemDawg pointed out the Red Sox seemed to be letting a guy off the hook who didn’t have his good stuff.
Tavarez, much to my surprise, came out for the sixth inning and promptly walked Rodriguez. He then induced Posada to ground into a 4-6-3 twin killing on his 106th pitch that ended his night after 5 and 2/3 innings. He allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, 3 H, 4 BB and 2 K’s. Lefty Javier Lopez was summoned to face the left handed hitting Abreu and he made quick work of him getting him to strike out swinging to end the 6th.
Varitek led off the seventh with a walk and then after Crisp failed twice to get a bunt down he hit the ball sharply to Cano who had the ball hop off his glove to Jeter for the force on Varitek. But with Coco’s speed Jeter never even tried a throw to first. Pedroia flew out to Abreau in right and after Crisp swiped second, Lugo dropped a single into right that scored Crisp to give the Sox a 5-2 lead.
Youkilis then chased Mussina after 99 pitches with a two out double to the gap in right center field that score Lugo from first and all of a sudden it was 6-2 Boston. Mike Myers then came in to face his nemesis, Ortiz with a runner is scoring position. Big Papi then punished him with the Sox third two out RBI of the inning with a single to center to drive in Youkilis and send Myers to shower after only one batter. Luis Vizcaino came into pitch and got Ramirez then flew out to Abreu to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.
The Yanks meanwhile had 6 in a row retired by three Boston pitchers into the 8th inning. The streak was ended when Jeter singled up the middle off of Hideki “Darkman” Okajima with one out. Okajima struggled giving up back-to-back walks to Matsui and Rodriguez to load the bases for Posada who grounded to Lowell. They got the force on Rodriguez at second who went out of his way to push Pedroia as he threw to first in a failed double play attempt. The run scored by Jeter on the fielder’s choice was the first run Okajima had allowed since a first pitch homerun on opening day in Kansas City. It was a streak of 21 scoreless innings. Abreu, who is colder than ice cold, then grounded into a threat ending fielder’s choice to Pedroia.
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon came on to pitch the 9th in his second consecutive non-save situation appearance. The Sox wins have been so lopsided lately that Terry Francona is using Papelbon just to get him some work to keep him fresh. After back-to-back walks to Giambi and Cano to start the inning, he got pinch hitter Melkey Cabrera to strike out after a long battle for the first out. Damon then grounded into a fielder’s choice to Pedroia to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd with two out. And that brought up Jeter who whiffed looking on three pitches to wrap up the game. Neither Papelbon nor Okajima were very sharp tonight each surrendering two walks but that’s bound to happen over the course of a long season. The big picture is the 7-3 win and the large lead in the division.
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