Yankee Talk: Death march continues as Sawx drill Yanks in Game 2

The jabs are becoming sledgehammer blows.

To coin boxing terminology, the Yankees are up against the ropes and the Red Sox are determined to knock them out.

With the team not showing any signs of fighting back, there appears to be no stopping what is becoming “Bronx Massacre 2008”.

Boston took the second game of the series 11-3 from the Yankees in game that saw the offense once again unable to generate runs against soft tosser Paul Byrd, and saw their bullpen break down in the face of a seven run eighth inning.

Sidney Ponson did not pitch poorly, but it is becoming increasing evident that the amount of good starts left on his card has run out. He gave up seven hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings tonight.

Byrd, as he did in Game 4 of last season’s American League Division Series when he was with the Cleveland Indians, kept the Yankees at bay and never cracked. Using the team’s tenseness at the plate against them, he threw six innings of two run, five hit ball and left the game with his team leading 4-2.

In the eighth inning, the Red Sox exploded. After Edwar Ramirez and Damaso Marte kept the lead at two runs, Jose Veras came on struggled from the outset.

Jason Bay tripled home Kevin Youkilis on a deep fly to right center that bounced off the wall to make it 5-2. After two walks, Alex Cora hit a sac fly to make it a four-run lead.

David Robertson came into the game and yielded an RBI single to Jacoby Ellsbury. He would follow that up by giving up a grand slam to Dustin Pedroia that proved to be the knockout blow and gave Boston an 11-2 advantage.

The bullpen, once strength, is now feeling the effects of having to cover up for a rotation that has been injured and unable to go deep into games for most of the season. In the last five games, they have logged 21 1/3 innings, a tremendous amount for even the best of relief cores.

Boston now leads the Yankees by seven games in the wild card race.

Coming in, Joe Girardi and the team talked about the importance of winning this series, if not sweeping it. That talk can cease now. What would have been problematic would have been if they lost this series, and a death knell would have been if they were swept.

The possibility of a sweep is in play now even with Mike Mussina taking the ball on Thursday.

Offensively, the team has given its pitchers minimal run support. Add to it, the team’s inability this season to hit Red Sox starter Jon Lester, a loss tomorrow seems almost inevitable.

A Yankee-less October becomes more and more realistic with each passing day. No signs of change appear to be on the horizon with a team that is only eight games over .500 and has only won one series since winning the first two games from Boston at Fenway Park just over one month ago.

The death march continues.

All it takes now is the Red Sox to put the final dirt on the grave.