After a 7-game road trip to Detroit and Baltimore, the Yanks will be back at home tonight to face the first-place Bosox in a 4-game series. After yesterday’s loss (and by loss I mean embarrassing display of incompetent pitching) to the Orioles, the Yanks fell behind Boston by a half game. The two have already met up 7 times this year, and the Yankees have come out on top 3 times. A win tonight will put the Yankees back in first place in the division and will even the Yanks’ season record vs. the Sox—neither of which are very important at this point in the season, but the spirit of competition between New York and Boston is always on full blast! Here are the vital stats for tonight’s game: Pitching: Mike Mussina vs. Josh Beckett. Beckett has been solid for the Sox thus far, winning 7 and losing 2 with a 4.46 ERA, but his performance pales in comparison to that of Moose. Mike is 7-1 on the season and is the only pitcher in the MLB to have at least 10 starts and to have thrown at least six innings in those games, and his 2.42 ERA is the best in the American League. His last start was a 1-run (unearned!) complete game, and he has been so dominating this year that I have full confidence that he will be able to shut the Sox down tonight. Injuries: Sheffield is still on the DL, and Mariano is likely still not available (due to last week’s shoe-tying induced back spasms). A-Rod seems to have recovered from his stomach virus, but it is unclear whether Giambi is still being bothered by the virus. Jeter should be able to play despite getting whacked in the hand by a pitch this weekend. Game time is 7:05pm EST Labels: injuries, red sox rivalry |
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Yanks are on pace to score 318 runs tonight.