The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will kick off their third series of the season to start the week off. The biggest rivalry in Major League Baseball will once again be renewed – this time at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. This will be the first time in 2010 the two teams play in New York. The series will be just two games, but certainly will provide plenty of action.
Like most seasons, both teams have high hopes and look to win the American League East. The Yankees are in second place, just one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot. Boston is in fourth place, despite their above .500 record. They currently are 5.5 games back.
The two teams played at the beginning of the season, with the Red Sox winning, in a high scoring affair; 9-7. The New York Yankees picked up wins in the next two games; 6-4 and 3-1 in 10 innings. The Yankees came back to Fenway the first full weekend of May and won the first two, scoring a combined 24 runs, but then fell in the final game of the series; 9-3.
New York is going to send Phil Hughes and Javier Vazquez to the mound, while Boston expects to send Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett to the hill. Hughes is 5-0 on the season with an earned run average of 1.38. He won a May 7th start in Boston, pitching 7 innings, and allowing 7 hits and 2 runs. Vazquez has been horrible this season, with a 1-4 record and 8.10 earned run average. Vazquez has not pitched against Boston this season. Daisuke is 2-1, 6.35 on the season in three starts. In those starts, Matsuzaka has pitched a total of 17 innings. Beckett, who is supposed to be Boston’s ace, is just 1-1 on the season. In 7 starts, Beckett has allowed 52 hits, 34 earned runs and allowed 5 homeruns in 41 innings.
No matter what the numbers say – this series is always a barn burner. With the Yankees winning the first four of six, and the Red Sox continuing to chase, Boston will come out with a lot to prove. If this isn’t enough for New York to get ramped up about, they will take on divisional leading Tampa Bay following the Red Sox exiting town.
