What's up, New England? My name is Jon Lane and I blog the Yankees for YESNetwork.com and MySpace "Life in the Fast Lane." I've covered the team since 2003, and I'm thrilled to be contributing to the NESN.com team and sharing news, notes and observations around your beloved men in pinstripes.
I have my share of memories from this rivalry, one that — contrary to some thinking — is not old and still packs plenty of power despite the Red Sox coming in six games out of first place and ravaged by injuries. All of our local papers had blanket coverage on this four-game wraparound series. The YES Network and WCBS-AM, the team's flagship station, presented special one-hour pregame shows. The press box and the seats here at Yankee Stadium are packed to capacity and you can feel the energy flow inside and outside of the House that George Built — even after David Ortiz slugged a two-out home run to dead center field and Monument Park off Javier Vazquez to give the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead.
There's also been a lot of talk in these parts about how the Red Sox are on life support — those words were spoken by your radio voice, Joe Castiglione, in the dining room — but Joe and a lot of people I spoke with this afternoon agree that this team is not dead and far from finished. Of course, a four-game sweep by the Yanks will effectively kill any chance at the division, but most predictions call for a split. The loss of Kevin Youkilis is devastating, and the absence of another heart-and-soul guy in Dustin Pedroia hurts a lot, but it's remarkable how the BoSox entered tonight 62-47 — which would have them in the thick of the race in any division not named the AL East. For as long as I've covered this rivalry, this team has always had heart — I'll never forget how I was three Mariano Rivera outs away from covering the 2004 World Series before a few things happened along the way to scratch that idea — and Terry Francona has truly done an amazing job.
Besides, as Big Papi showed in the top of the first, the are still perilous components to this Red Sox offense.
"Victor Martinez is hitting fourth and you know how dangerous he is," said Joe Girardi during his pregame media briefing. "The guy behind him [Adrian Beltre] is extremely dangerous. It's going to be different, but it's still a dangerous lineup."
Either of these teams could be facing Murderer's Row and it'll come down to pitching. Vazquez has yet to prove himself in big games, and the Yankees are trotting out the combustible A.J. Burnett on Sunday night, followed by Dustin Moseley on Monday afternoon, so the Red Sox have the edge in this department. Then again, Mark Teixeira responded to Ortiz with a two-run bomb to the right-field bleachers and the Yankees touched Clay Buchholz for three hits in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned working this rivalry: Expect the bizarre and unexpected.
The Yankees' starting rotation is closer to receiving a big boost for the stretch run. Andy Pettitte, on the disabled list since July 19 with a strained groin, threw 35-40 pitches in a bullpen session before the game and felt very good about it. He was cautious and even a bit scared to push off at full strength during the first 15-20, but grew stronger as he progressed. If it were up to him, he'd throw again on Sunday and increase the intensity, but had to meet with pitching coach Dave Eiland and trainer Gene Monahan to make a plan. The lone issue he'll have to deal with during a simulated or rehab game will be his stamina, but there is no longer pain in the area that landed him on the DL on July 19. On Wednesday, Pettitte was able to do some weight training using his legs for the first time since being sidelined.
"It was big for me to be able to get all the way back and feel comfortable doing that," Pettitte said. "I'm not feeling it at all. I still want to be patient and listen to what they want me to do, but I also want to come back and get going again. I don't want a setback."
Alfredo Aceves, a crucial component in the Yankees' bullpen who has been out since May 9 with a bulging disk in his lower back, will throw again tomorrow. If that goes well, he'll make a rehab start for Triple-A Scranton on Tuesday. At one point, it was feared Aceves was headed for surgery and his season was over, but general manager Brian Cashman told the New York Post on Thursday that Aceves is past having any setbacks.
Last season, Aceves established himself as a modern-day Ramiro Mendoza, an arm that can pitch multiple innings, come in to get one or two important outs and even make a spot start. His absence has left a void felt for much of the season, and to get him back would essentially end most games after six innings.
The Red Sox threatened in the second and put runners on the corners with nobody out after Francisco Cervelli, normally reliable defensively, dropped a routine Mike Lowell popup. Vazquez also made a play for it, which is the wrong move because a pitcher must defer to a position player and Cervelli needed to be more assertive.
It was 4-2 entering the bottom of the second on Friday night. Vazquez issued a bases-loaded, two-out walk to Jacoby Ellsbury and a two-run double to Marco Scutaro, and has thrown a whopping 57 pitches. After a miserable start, he entered this game 8-4, with a a 3.29 ERA in his last 15 appearances, but at this pace he'll be lit up by us scribes for faltering again in a high-stakes affair. Fans, those with long memories dating back to Game 7, 2004, were letting him have it, but this is Yankees-Red Sox.
Expect a long, strange journey into the night.
