Red Sox-Yankees: Brett Gardner Earns His Stripes as Yanks Edge Sox

Yankees' rookie Brett Gardner stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th Sunday night with just two hits in 20 career at-bats. On the same day Johnny Damon was placed on the DL for the first time in his career, his possible successor was thrust into his leadoff spot a little earlier than expected.

But while facing Boston's dynamic closer, Jonathan Papelbon, in a tie game with two outs, Gardner proved he was ready for the big time, delivering a single up the middle that drove in Robinson Cano for the game's winning run.

But let's take a step back and see how that 10th inning developed.

An inning after Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, and Jorge Posada all failed to end the game by swinging for the fences, the bottom of the lineup used small ball to get the job done.

Cano led off the 10th with a single to center, and Melky Cabrera followed with a mediocre bunt. But bunts don't need to be perfect to get the job done. The sacrifice was successful when Papelbon balked at throwing to second, and the Yankees were set up with a runner in scoring position and two cracks at getting him home.

Pinch-hitting for Jose Molina, Wilson Betemit struck out swinging, but then Gardner delivered the heroics, proving once again that you barely need to hit the ball out of the infield to score a run in the majors.

Special thanks must also be handed out to Red Sox manager Terry Francona for pulling starter Tim Wakefield with one out in the seventh. The knuckleballer was befuddling the Bombers to the tune of just two runs and four hits through 6.1 innings pitched, but luckily, Francona took him out, and the Yanks quickly pounced on reliever Javier Lopez, tying the game up at four.

Here are the grades from New York's huge 5-4 extra-inning comeback victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (B+) When Girardi got tossed from a game against Baltimore on May 22, it lit a fire under his club. The Yankees went on to win that game against the O's and the next three. Let's hope the trend continues.

New York was trailing 3-1 in the sixth when the skipper got tossed for arguing balls and strikes with home-plate umpire Laz Diaz. The next batter was Gardner, who responded with a hard single to centerfield. He then stole second and scored on Derek Jeter's base hit to right center.

Something needs to wake the Bombers up, and the rant by Girardi might've done the trick.

I do, however, question his decision to bring in the team's sixth-best relief pitcher, David Robertson, to pitch the seventh in a one-run game against their archrival.

Robertson gave up a run to make it 4-2 Boston, and if not for Francona's ill-advised yanking of Wakefield, the Yankees probably would've lost this game.

Brett Gardner, LF: (A+) The rookie earned his pinstripes by going 2-5 with a steal, a run, and the game-winning hit.

Derek Jeter, SS: (C) The Captain delivered a clutch, RBI single in the sixth, but it was his only hit on the night, and he also made his eighth error of the year.

Bobby Abreu, RF: (F) Abreu is one of the reasons the Yanks are still mired in an offensive slump. His 0-4 performance Sunday makes him hitless in his last 15 at-bats.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A+) A-Rod tied my dad's idol Mickey Mantle on the all-time home run list with his 536th blast in the second inning. Rodriguez also added another single and a run scored.

Jason Giambi, 1B: (C-) Giambi's 0-3 night dropped him to zero for his last 12, but he did draw a walk and started a big 3-6-3 double play.

Jorge Posada, DH: (C) Apparently Posada no longer plays catcher for the New York Yankees.  He went 1-4 with a run and three strikeouts.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (A+) Cano's triple in the seventh tied the game, and he got the rally started in the tenth with a single.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (C-) Melky went 0-3, but he stole a base and laid down that successful sac bunt in the 10th.

Jose Molina, C: (D-) I'd like to introduce you to the Yankees' everyday catcher, another reason why the offense has been dormant. Molina went 0-3 with two K's, dropping his average to .221, but he did throw out Kevin Youkilis trying to steal second.

Wilson Betemit, PH: (INC) Struck out swinging for Molina in the 10th.

Joba Chamberlain, SP: (C+) Lost in all this was another solid start by Joba.  He was tremendous, other than the fifth inning when he gave up three runs, and even then, he probably should've been out of the inning on a Jacoby Ellsbury check swing that was called a ball.

He then gave up a bloop, two-run single to Dustin Pedroia. Chamberlain struck out five in six innings, and the Yankees are now 5-2 when he starts.

David Robertson, RP: (F) The run Robertson gave up was questionably unearned because of Jeter's error, but the kid still surrendered two hits in an inning he had no business pitching.

Kyle Farnsworth, RP: (A) Still no problem in the eighth without Joba, for all you still keeping track.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) After a shaky performance Saturday, Mo responded with two great innings on Sunday, earning him the victory.

Yankees Overall Grade: (B-) The Yankees stole this one from Boston thanks to Francona pulling Wakefield too early, and the lack of offense is still a real problem. The injuries to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui hurt, but that just means that guys like Jeter, Abreu, Giambi, and Posada need to step up.

That being said, this was a gutsy win for New York, which managed to split the four-game series with Boston after dropping the first two.

The Yanks are now just four games out of the Wild Card again, heading into a much-needed off day on Monday. They can gain some ground in the division when Tampa Bay comes to town on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Bombers need to sweep that two-game set to have a winning homestand.