There are a million numbers being thrown around after this one, but this may be my favorite: Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli has driven in as many runs in this series (six) as the Red Sox have scored as a team.
Jon Lester will be hoping for a little more support when he looks to keep alive a hot streak in the Sunday night finale. A.J. Burnett goes for New York, winners of six in a row and tied with Tampa Bay in the loss column atop the AL East.
Final, Yankees 14-3: It looked like the Red Sox had bottomed out in a four-game sweep to Tampa Bay in April. Then it seemed as if the three-game sweep at the hands of Baltimore was worse. How about losing two straight at home to the Yankees by a combined score of 24-6? This might be a new low.
The silver lining, and I'm straining to find it here, is that Boston's best pitcher, Jon Lester, goes in the finale Sunday night.
We're off to what is sure to be a rather quiet clubhouse.
Mid 9th, Yankees 14-3: Jonathan Van Every got his first career strikeout in the ninth. He also served up his first career home run, a laser off the light tower by Mark Teixeira, who has recorded his third career three-homer game. About as ugly as it gets, folks.
End 8th, Yankees 12-3: Yes, Jonathan Van Every is jogging on to make his second major league appearance as a pitcher. At least it keeps us glued to the game for a little bit here.
Van Every is the first Red Sox positional player to pitch since catcher Dusty Brown did so Sept. 30, 2009.
The left-handed outfielder pitched April 30, 2009, against Tampa Bay, going 2/3s of an inning, allowing a hit and a walk.
8:04 p.m.: Joe Girardi is still strategizing here, or at least sparing Joba Chamberlain. He calls on Damaso Marte, the sixth Yankees pitcher of the night.
Mid 8th, Yankees 12-3: You know Terry Francona hated to have to go to Daniel Bard in this one, but there just aren't many options, as evidenced by the fact that outfielder Jonathan Van Every is up in the Red Sox bullpen and may pitch the ninth. The skipper has to feel even worse after Bard gives up consecutive two-run singles, adding to the misery of the 48 fans remaining at Fenway.
Remember, Van Every threw 2/3s of an inning at Tampa Bay last April 30.
The rain is coming down pretty hard right now. So, too, is my mood.
Kevin Russo is playing second base for the Yankees now. It is his major league debut.
7:46 p.m.: Scott Schoeneweis just threw 51 pitches before being relieved by Daniel Bard. He leaves with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth. So, anyone know any good jokes?
End 7th, Yankees 8-3: As the next band of rain begins to fall, Joba Chamberlain gets a pair of flies to center field to get the Yankees out of the seventh. The radar is showing multiple waves of weather, so this could be a stop-and-go final two innings.
7:27 p.m.: Joba Chamberlain is on for the Yankees after David Robertson gives up back-to-back singles with one out in the seventh. Victor Martinez is up, followed by Kevin Youkilis, who has a history with Chamberlain.
Mid 7th, Yankees 8-3: A Mark Teixeira home run and a Nick Swisher RBI single has opened it up a bit for the Yankees, who are inching toward their sixth straight victory and their ninth series win in 10 overall this year. Coupled with a rare loss for Tampa Bay, New York could move within one-half game in the division.
Barring a rally, the Sox will remain 7 1/2 games behind the Rays.
6:56 p.m.: This is more like a Yankees-Red Sox game. Delays, injuries, home runs, and canceled plans later on for all those in attendance. Ramon Ramirez just came on and gave up a home run to Mark Teixeira, the only man he faced, before leaving with a phantom injury.
One batter, one hit, one run, one injury for Ramirez.
Scott Schoeneweis is on for the Sox.
That is the 26th multi-homer game for Teixeira.
End 6th, Yankees 6-3: If you are scoring at home, Boone Logan gets credit for the strikeout that Alfredo Aceves started. Logan throws two pitches to Hermida and gets him swinging.
Ramon Ramirez will start the seventh for the Sox.
6:46 p.m.: The Yankees' overflowing injury list just received a new member. Alfredo Aceves was lifted after stepping awkwardly and wincing in pain on a pitch to Jeremy Hermida. Boone Logan was brought on with one strike on the batter, runners on the corners and two outs.
By the way, someone might be in trouble, or else we all are. A military helicopter just buzzed Fenway Park at an alarmingly low height, most definitely in violation of some sort of regulation or out to protect us from something.
Also, if you are looking for this game on TV, it has been moved from Fox to FX.
Mid 6th, Yankees 6-3: Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse here, but it's hard to not note what Dustin Pedroia is doing defensively on a daily basis. Each game he is mistake-free and continually picks up his teammates with standout plays.
In the sixth, shortstop Marco Scutaro was given a routine double-play ball, but fed Pedroia at second base extremely low, barely inches off the ground. In motion as if he expected it, Pedroia took the feed and turned a big double play.
End 5th, Yankees 6-3: After a rain delay of 84 minutes, it took two pitches for Alfredo Aceves to end the fifth. He gets Victor Martinez to hit a foul pop. Manny Delcarmen is on for the Sox.
6:21 p.m.: As Alfredo Aceves takes some warmup tosses on the mound, it looks like Manny Delcarmen is warming for the Sox.
6:14 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves is warming in the Yankees bullpen, so it appears as if CC Sabathia did not survive the rain delay. It has already been over an hour since the last pitch and Sabathia had thrown 85 pitches. Nobody is up in the Red Sox bullpen.
5:57 p.m.: We just got word that the game will resume at 6:20 p.m. The tarp is off.
5:11 p.m.: The skies have opened up and we are in a rain delay. The Sox have a runner at first and two outs in the fifth. Victor Martinez is up with a 2-2 count.
Mid 5th, Yankees 6-3: Death, taxes and Mark Teixeira coming to life in May. About all you can rely on these days.
Teixeira slugged his third home run of the season to give the Yankees the lead in the fifth, the first of three runs off Clay Buchholz in the frame. After hitting .136 (11-for-81) in April, Teixeira is up to .370 (10-for-27) in May.
That was the first home run Buchholz had given up in 32 2/3 innings.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases after the Teixeira blast and Francisco Cervelli ripped a two-run single. Cervelli is now 8-for-13 with four RBIs since Jorge Posada went down with his calf injury earlier this week.
End 4th, 3-3: No issues for CC Sabathia in the fourth. The Yankees will have speedy Brett Gardner leading off against Clay Buchholz, who has thrown 68 pitches.
Mid 4th, 3-3: We have talked in this blog and in other areas about the inconsistency of the Red Sox. In the fourth we see a horrendous defensive play followed up by a sparkling one. The beat goes on for this up-and-down club.
The error goes to Adrian Beltre, his seventh of season, tops among AL third baseman. It was a throwing error which came when he tried to get a force at second while falling to the dirt. The ill-advised toss sailed to center and put runners at second and third with no outs.
Francisco Cervelli followed with a hard single to center to score one, but Darnell McDonald fielded and nailed Randy Winn on a close play at home.
It's a bit of a shame that McDonald may lose a roster spot in a numbers game when Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron return. He's done everything the Sox have asked for.
The run charged to Clay Buchholz was unearned.
End 3rd, Red Sox 3-2: There's your retaliation, or so it would appear. CC Sabathia plunks Dustin Pedroia on the buttocks with a first-pitch fastball, perhaps payback for Josh Beckett hitting two Yankees on Friday night, even if there was likely no intent on Beckett's part. However, it comes back to bite Sabathia in the buttocks when Victor Martinez follows with a two-run homer.
Pedroia acted as if he knew what was coming, and Sabathia put it in a good spot, so that may be the end of it. Forgive me if I missed it, but I did not see any warnings issued.
Almost lost in the whole mess was Darnell McDonald's solo shot with one out that got the Sox on the board.
Mid 3rd, Yankees 2-0: Clay Buchholz flirted with danger in the first, but was unharmed. The same cannot be said for the third, when a pair of plays that the Sox could not make on defense ended up hurting him.
Ramiro Pena led off with a double that Bill Hall tracked to the wall in left. Hall may have had a play but was unable to come up with it and Pena was on with a double. After a walk and a bunt put runners at second and third with one out, Mark Teixeira singled in a run.
Alex Rodriguez followed with a grounder that bounced high and over the glove of third baseman Adrian Beltre for the second run. It was a tricky hop that ate up Beltre.
By the way, are the Yankees going to hit someone at some point? The question is flying around the press box.
End 2nd, 0-0: The Yankees led off the game with two singles, but a double play helped Clay Buchholz escape the jam. The Red Sox lead off the second with two singles, but a double play gets CC Sabathia out of trouble.
Sabathia also made J.D. Drew look silly for his first strikeout of the game.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Clay Buchholz had a minor league start during spring training in which he was involved in several defensive plays. It seemed as if every batter hit a comebacker or a grounder wide of first that required Buchholz to race over.
He made every single play, and indicated while meeting with the media after that he has been working on his defense. With the number of groundballs he gets, it makes sense, and it appears to be paying off.
Buchholz had a putout and two assists in the second inning, a perfect frame.
End 1st, 0-0: CC Sabathia needs a grand total of eight pitches to retire the side in the first. That's not the way to get to the Yankees' bullpen. Speaking of which, closer Mariano Rivera is available for New York after missing time with a stiff muscle in his side.
Mid 1st, 0-0: A pair of infield hits, one on a bunt by Brett Gardner, and a walk later on to Alex Rodriguez had Clay Buchholz working from the stretch most of the first inning. But he gets a double play mixed in and then induces Robinson Cano to fly to center to escape the jam.
Buchholz has not allowed a home run in 29 1/3 innings, going back to the third inning of his first start. Just thought you might want to know.
3:13 p.m.: First pitch was tossed at 3:11 p.m.
2:53 p.m.: Terry Francona is managing his 1,003rd game with the Red Sox, tying him with Bill Carrigan for third on the team's all-time list. Barring anything unforeseen, Francona will pass Mike Higgins and move into second later this year. Joe Cronin is the runaway leader with 2,007. Here are a few other numbers as we await the first pitch:
- The Red Sox' 15-15 mark is their worst through 30 games since they started 14-16 in 1997.
- Including the postseason, Boston and New York have met 148 times since 2003. The Yankees own a 77-71 edge, despite being outscored 823-786.
- On this date in 2004, Pokey Reese hit an inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning and a conventional blast in the sixth to lead the Sox to a 9-1 win over Kansas City.
- With a win today, the Yanks would clinch their ninth series victory in 10 series overall this year. The only teams in franchise history to accomplish the feat were the 1939 and 1928 editions.
- Phil Hughes on Friday became the youngest Yankee to win his first four decisions of the season as a starter since 21-year-old Whitey Ford started 9-0 in 1950.
- Catchers Jorge Posada and Francisco Cevelli have combined to hit .337 (34-for-101) while playing the position, tops in the American League.
2:36 p.m.: The tarp has been peeled from the infield and with nothing falling from the sky this might be the real thing. Last time they just dumped the water and put it right back on. We have a chance for a 3:10 start.
2:06 p.m.: Good news for the Yankees (we know you love to hear that), who have been hit hard by injuries of late. Robinson Cano has been inserted in the lineup as the designated hitter, taking the spot of Marcus Thames. Here is the updated lineup for New York:
Derek Jeter SS
Brett Gardner CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano DH
Nick Swisher RF
Randy Winn LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ramiro Pena 2B
Cano, if you recall, left after taking a pitch off his left knee when facing Josh Beckett in the sixth inning Friday.
1:51 p.m.: They folded the tarp off and were getting set to roll it up when the rain started back up and they put it back on. But we figure to be in the clear soon, based on the latest radar map.
We gave you the lineups a little earlier on. Here is a closer look at the numbers and matchups.
It's pretty amazing how much time we spend breaking down teams before the season, and then just over a month into it you get a day like this. The last four names in the Yankees' lineup are Thames, Winn, Cervelli and Pena. Not exactly a Murderers' Row. And then you have the Sox playing with fill-in left and center fielders for the 19th straight time.
12:42 p.m.: The tarp is on the field but the rain is light right now. Gates will open at the scheduled time of 1:10 p.m., and no delays are expected at this time, but more rain could be coming. We will keep you posted. For now, here is the Red Sox lineup:
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Victor Martinez C
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Mike Lowell DH
J.D. Drew RF
Adrian Beltre 3B
Bill Hall LF
Darnell McDonald CF
8:51 a.m.: Although they never said as much, the Red Sox had to look at this weekend's series with the New York Yankees as a measuring stick. If Friday's series opener is any indication, the Sox still don't stack up.
Following the 10-3 Yankees rout, Boston will send Clay Buchholz to the mound opposite CC Sabathia on Saturday.
Buchholz has won his last two starts, including a clutch effort last week in Toronto when the club needed it most. With New York having taken 12 of the last 14 meetings between the teams, the Sox need Buchholz once again.
First pitch is 3:10 p.m.
