Demon’s Home Run the Difference in Yanks 5-3 Win

Johnny Demon’s 2-run home run in the 7th inning was the difference as the Yanks beat the Sox 5-3 Tuesday night in the Bronx. The win for the Yanks brought the lead down in the AL East to 7 games. Andy Pettitte was good for 7 innings and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th inning for the save.

The Yanks got on the scoreboard first as Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka got himself into some early trouble. Demon led off with a single and went to second base on Derek Jeter nubber down the line that Dice-K picked up and got DJ on a close play at first. Bobby Abreu worked a walk and then Dice-K loaded up the bases for fellow countryman Hideki Matsui when he plunked Alex Rodriguez in the back with some heat. Matsui brought in a run when he hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Demon and retired AROD at second. Hip-hip Jorge Posada brought in the second run when he crushed a double. Dice-K got Robinson Cano to fly out to end the inning with the Sox losing 2-0.

Manny Ramirez got the Sox back in the game as he led off the 2nd inning with an opposite field home run, cutting the lead to 2-1. Pettitte then got the next two Sox batters out before walking Jason Varitek. He did get out of the inning without the walk hurting him as Coco Crisp struck out swinging.

The Sox tied it up in the 3rd inning as Julio Lugo hit a Pettitte offering into the gap in center for a triple. Dustin Pedroia couldn’t get the job done as he grounded back to the mound for the first out. Youk then worked a walk. Big Papi tied the game with a sacrifice fly to Demon in left to tie the game at 2.

Dice-K had settled down as he only allowed a walk to AROD in the 4th. In the 5th though, he was touched for a run with two outs. Derek Jeter broke an 0 for 13 skid as he cranked a home run into the seats putting the Yanks back on top 3-2. Bobby Abreu grounded out to end the inning.

Pettitte had been pitching pretty well after the third. He allowed singles in the 4th, 5th and 6th but nothing came to fruition for the Sox. Pettitte had come back out in the 7th and gave up a lead-off homer to Varitek tying the game back at 3. Pettitte settled back in and set down the Sox after that.

With Dice-K’s pitch count at 94, Terry Francona elected to bring him back out for the 7th. This would prove to be the fatal mistake as Dice-K got into trouble again. Andy Phillips led off with a single to start the inning and was pinch-run for by Wilson Betemit. Shockingly, Melky Cabrera laid down a bunt and he was able to sacrifice Betemit to second. Dice-K then left a fastball over the plate that Demon barely put over the wall in right for a 2-run homer and a 5-3 Yanks lead. The fence is 314 feet and the ball went 315 feet. Dice-K then walked Jeter and that ended his night. Javier Lopez came into face the lefty Bobby Abreu. Lopez did his job as he got Abreu to ground into a fielder’s choice. That would be the only batter Lopez faced as Francona went to the bullpen again, this time for Manny Delcarmen. Delcarmen came in and got AROD to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Yanks phenom Joba Chamberlain came in the 8th and maybe had a little bit of nerves as his 3-2 slider to Youk went about 57 feet. Chamberlain then got Big Papi to fly out. Eric Hinske came into pinch-hit for Bobby Kielty and looked helpless as Chamberlain was throwing gas. He got Hinske to strikeout on a nasty-ass slider. Mike Lowell was able to manage a single but Chamberlain got J.D. Drew to strikeout on another 3-2 slider. Chamberlain hit 99 mph on the gun at points during the inning. He’s the real deal folks.

Mariano worked a perfect 9th inning as he struck out Coco, Varitek and got Lugo to line out to Cano at second for his 21st save of the season.

Tomorrow’s game features a matchup of Josh Beckett vs his idol, Roger Clemens. Gametime is 7:05 PM.

Notes and musings:

Boxscore

Jon Lester will return to the Red Sox and start on Sunday. Julian Tavarez will start on Saturday and move to the bullepn. Although, the ProJo SoxBlog is reporting that Clay Buchholz will start on Saturday. September 1st is the day rosters expand so this is not out of the realm of possibility.

Kevin Youkilis came into tonight having played 168 consecutive games at first base without an error. The AL record is 178.

The season series stands at 7-6 for the Red Sox.

Yanks pitching Ron “Louisiana Lightning” Guidry was celebrating his 57th birthday tonight.

John Henry, Larry “LL” Lucchino, and Theo Epstein were all at the game tonight.

The Yanks roster looks a little bit different now then it did the last time these two teams met.

Manny left the game in the 5th with back spasms. Bobby Kielty replaced him. Kielty then left the game in the 8th and was pinch-hit for by Eric Hinske. Kielty left with back spasms as well.

There was a squirrel climbing up and down the foul pole early in the game. At one point it got to the top. The crowd out in right was cheering him on.

Dice-K has given up 20 home runs this year. That leads the Sox.

Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe is reporting that the Yankees will call up Ian Bethune Kennedy to start Saturday’s game. Kennedy is another prized pitching prospect in the Yanks organization. And this rumored was confirmed after the game.

Tiger Woods was among the stars in the crowd at the game.