Red Sox to Visit Yankee Stadium One More Time

Rick Fitzgerald — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:23:33 -0400

While the Yankees are trailing the first place Tampa Bay Rays by nine and a half games they now prepare to take on arch rival The Boston Red Sox in a three game series that could be the last between the two teams in Yankee Stadium. Recently the pitching staff for the Red Sox has looked very unstable.

It all started with the bullpen that gave up runs like crazy when they needed to come into a game and shut the offense of the other team down. Then last outing for Jon Lester did not go as planed when he went against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday when he pitched 2.1 innings (the worst in his career), and gave up seven runs on eight hits.

The pitching match up for Tuesday was scheduled to be Josh Beckett (11-9) against The Yankees Andy Pettitte (13-9). But with tingling in his pitching hand/arm Beckett will be scratched off the starting line up, and coming off the Disabled List will be Tim Wakefield to fill in his spot.

The heated rivalry between the two teams has cooled off a bit where we have not seen much of a tussle with them this year. But with possibility of this being the last series in the House That Ruth Built could we see a fight on the filed like in 2004 with Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez? It’s hard to say but the way the rivalry is going I would have to say keep your eyes open for something to happen in the series.

Whatever you do though, don’t count out the Yankees just yet. There are five weeks left in the regular season where they could get on a roll and catch up with the Red Sox in the East Standings and also the American League Wild Card. They only trail the Sox in the Wild Card by five games.

If they can take the three game series, they would only be behind by two games. The Yanks are coming off a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles on the road and have some momentum that could roll into this series.

While Tim Wakefield goes into the game on Tuesday with good memories of games at Yankee Stadium, he also has one that will haunt him for a while. It was back in 2003 Game Seven of the American League Championship where he gave up a homerun to Aaron Boone in extra innings when he came out of the bullpen to keep the game tied for the Sox.

But if the Yankees are not to make it to the Playoffs Tim should just forget that one game and remember the two championships in the last four years. So, look for a great series to watch at Yankee Stadium between two of the best teams that were ever built in Major League Baseball starting Tuesday night at 7:05PM.

American League East Showdown

Rick Fitzgerald — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:16:23 -0400

Last year the worst team in Major League Baseball was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After an off season and a name change, the Tampa Bay Rays are doing something baseball fans never thought of.

With five weeks left to play in the regular season, the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Baltimore Orioles are looking up to the first place Rays. After finishing last year with a 69-93 record, the Rays have picked it up in 2008 to shock all the teams in the majors.

The Yankees came into this season knowing this would be the last year of Yankee Stadium, and they want to go out with a bang. But trailing the Rays in the East Standings by 10.5 games is not the bang the Yankees were thinking. After plenty of moves for the team sending players down to Triple and Double-A, and calling players up, they are looking strong with five weeks left to go.

Although one thing that is haunting both the Red Sox and the Yankees on the road to catching up with the Rays is every time they win games the Rays also win so the two teams don’t gain any ground in the standings. Right now the Red Sox lead the AL Wild Card over the White Sox by a game and a half. That’s not good enough for the Red Sox and they are waiting for the Rays to slip up just a little so they can spring into first place in the East.

Injuries have been a big issue for the Rays and also the Red Sox. On Aug. 11, Evan Longoria was placed on the disabled list with a right wrist fracture he got in a game from a pitch delivered by Mariners Closer JJ Putz. Another big bat was taken out of the Rays lineup on the 10th when they placed Carl Crawford on the DL with finger tendon subluxation.

But with the big bats out the Rays still find ways to win games no matter if it’s in the eighth inning or the fourth inning. On the other side the Red Sox have lost Tim Wakefield and Julio Lugo to the DL while Josh Beckett and JD Drew are day to day. With those guys out the Red Sox are winning games but not as many as they were when they were playing.

So all the teams in the East are just hoping and waiting that the other teams will slip up and have a losing streak so they can move up a position in the standings, and try to make a push for a play off birth. Keep your eye on the Rays and see if they can hold off the defending American League and World Series Champions Boston Red Sox.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Rick Fitzgerald

Red Sox to Visit Yankee Stadium One More Time

American League East Showdown