Red Sox and Yankees Set To Duke It Out at the Stadium

The biggest rivalry in sports: Red Sox and Yankees.

The season series is tied right now at 6 a piece. The first game of the next series between the Beantown and Bronx Bombers is tonight at 7pm from old Yankee Stadium. In Game 1, it will be two savvy veterans on the hill.

For the visiting Red Sox, the 42 years knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will toe the rubber. This will be Wakefield's first start since he was placed on the 15 day DL back on August 6th. Josh Beckett was scheduled to make the start tonight, but it was pushed back again due to numbness in his throwing arm. Wakefield had been pitching well before his short stint on the DL.

Last time the Wake faced the Yankees was back on July 26th. It was an outing that Wakefield will want to forget. He allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and four walks. In his career against the Yankees, Wakefield is 9-17 with a 5.14 ERA. If Wakefield is to have a good outing, he going to have to work ahead and work fast. 

For the Yankees it will be the veteran lefty, Andy Pettitte. Last time out, against the Blue Jays, Pettitte picked up his first win since defeating Wakefield and the Sox on July 26th. Pettitte was dominant against the Sox on the 26th, going 6 strong allowing 3 runs and striking out 7.

Pettitte's 16-7 with a 3.54 ERA against the Sox in his career. However some of the players on the Red Sox have been very successful against Pettitte. Kevin Youkilis is 8 for 18 (.444) against the lefty, Jason Bay is 8-19 (.421), David Ortiz is 15-42 (.357), and Jason Varitek is 17-50 (.340). 

The Sox are coming off of a 2-1 series win over Toronto. In the middle game, the Sox were shutout 11-0, which was the 7th time that they had been shutout this year. That equals their total from all of last year.

The Yankees are coming off a sweep of the Orioles at Camden Yards. It was their first sweep at Camden Yards since a May series in 2004. Robinson Cano led the Yankees charge going 7-13 in the series. 

With Tampa Bay holding a 4 1/2 game lead over the Sox and a 9 1/2 game lead over the Yankees, both teams are eyeing the wild card right now. The Sox currently have a slim 1 1/2 game lead in the wild card over the Twins and a 5 game lead over the Yanks. There is still alot of baseball to be played this year, but there is no question that the Sox and Yanks rivalry doesn't have the normal feel to it this year with Tampa sitting atop of the AL east. 

Weather 

The weather looks good for tonight's game. Clear Sky's and about 70 degrees. 

Players to Watch

Kevin Cash: He will be the catcher for tonight's game with Wake on the hill. Cash is 1 for 2 against Pettitte this year.

Coco Crisp: Look for Coco to get the start tonight with JD Drew having back spasms. Coco is batting .400 against Pettitte this year.

Jed Lowrie: We will see how the young rookie plays under the bright lights at Yankee Stadium on a big stage. Lowrie has face Pettitte twice in his career and is still looking for his first hit against the lefty.

Jason Bay: This will be Bay's first taste of the Boston-New York rivalry. We'll see how he handles the pressure of playing in a big game, which is something he hasn't done before in Pittsburgh.

Robinson Cano: Has enjoyed success off of Wake this year, hitting .500 with one home run.

Alex Rodriguez: Alex has had the most success against Wake this year, hitting .600 with a home run. 

Derek Jeter: Jeter has faced Wake the most of anyone else on the Yankee team. We'll see if experience plays a role.

Prediction

Wake will throw strikes early and often. He will go 7 strong innings helping the Sox take the series opener in the Bronx. Kevin Youkilis will make an argument for Player of the Game. The Yankee offense will struggle, but Pettitte will keep them in it for as long as he can.

Final Score: 5-2