Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Can’t Win Them All

Yanks miss chances, split four game series with Sawx

NEW YORK – Maybe the Yankees will regret not having their chance to put their foot on the throat of the Red Sox.

Then again, maybe they will not.

For now, they will look back to the seventh inning when they had an opportunity to put Boston away as they did in a similar situation one year ago when they swept them and took control of the AL East.

This time, the Red Sox made a stand, stopping the Yankees cold by holding them scoreless after loading the bases with no one out, allowing them to eventually come away with nai-biting 2-1 victory to split the four-game series in front of 49,476 at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees had a chance to tie the game earlier in the bottom of the seventh inning before blowing their chance.

Boston starter Jon Lester handcuffed the offense through the first six innings, but Jorge Posada singled to begin the frame. Marcus Thames would step in a drove a pitch to deep right center that just hit off the padding atop the fence next to the Yankees bullpen.

Had it gone just several inches further, it would have meant a tie game. Instead, Thames had to settle for a double and runners were on second and third. Austin Kearns was then hit slightly with a 1-2 pitch to load the bases for Curtis Granderson.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona stuck with his ace lefty in an advantageous matchup against Granderson, who has amassed an abysmal .518 OPS this season versus left handed pitching. Lester struck him out on a slider on his 99th and final pitch of the game. For the day, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up only four hits, walking three and striking out six.

Daniel Bard came into the game, and in an impressive display, struck out both Derek Jeter (high fastball) and Nick Swisher (outside fastball) on three pitches each to end the threat, leaving the Yankees scoreless and the Red Sox still on top.

“You don’t want to be the guy that gives it up,” Bard said. “Also you want to see where your stuff takes you.”

Papelbon added, “I think he showed us a lot of guts and determination.”

Boston got their initial runs in the second inning on balls that did not leave the infield against starter Phil Hughes.

With one out in the top half, Ryan Kalish singled, stole second and advanced to third when Posada’s throw went into center field and would later score on an infield single by Bill Hall.

Hughes got into more trouble when Jacoby Ellsbury would single to center and stole second. With Hall on third, Marco Scutaro would walk to load the bases.

A ground out by JD Drew would extend the lead to 2-0 nothing as Hughes would end the inning throwing 36 pitches, and 56 through two innings.

The lead was more than enough for Lester, who after blasting away off Josh Beckett the previous night found their bats ice cold. They did not get their first hit until Kearns lined a single to center in the fifth inning to start a mini-rally that continued with two out when Jeter singled to right. However,
Lester would strikeout Swisher to end the threat.

While Lester was dealing, Hughes would settle down, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters to make a good showing of himself on the afternoon, throwing six innings and yielding only those two runs and six hits over 114 pitches, walking one and striking out three.

With Bard still in the game to begin the eighth, Mark Teixeira connected on his 24th homerun of the year to trim the margin to a run and Alex Rodriguez would single to center. Brett Gardner would pinch run and stayed out of a double play when Robinson Cano would ground out to second base.

Posada drew a walk, and Lance Berkman pinch-hit for Thames. With a 2-0 count, Berkman was unable to get around on Bard’s fastball thrown at 98 and flied out routinely to left. With two out, Francona brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon, who got Kearns to groundout softly to second to end the inning.

The Yankees got the tying on in the ninth when Jeter drew a one out walk. But Papelbon would strike out Swisher and Teixeira to end the game and the series.

Tomorrow night begins a six game road trip starting in Texas and concluding with a four game weekend series against Kansas City.