Red Sox vs Yankees Preview and Prediction
Sports are loaded with rivalries and major league baseball is no exception. One of the biggest rivalries in all of baseball and possibly all of sports will play out tonight in the Bronx, New York.
The New York Yankees play host to the Boston Red Sox in the second game of a critical late season four-game set.
Over the years, these two teams have created some memorable moments both playing baseball and having bench-clearing brawls. When these two teams meet, one thing is guaranteed; anything can happen and usually does.
Boston won game one Thursday night after rallying in the ninth inning against Mariano Rivera to tie the game and then winning it in the 10th inning.
With the win, Boston now has an overall record this season of 85-57. The Red Sox have won 3 straight and are 8-2 over their past 10 games played. Boston has just 2o games left on its regular season schedule and leads the American League East by 6½ games over the Tampa Bay Rays and 9 games over the Yankees.
New York, with the loss, dropped to 75-65 on the season. The Yankees are 6-4 over their past 10 games played. New York is battling with Tampa Bay for the second and final wildcard spot in the league and currently trails the Rays by 2½ games in that race.
Tonight the two rivals return to the diamond to play game two of this current series. Boston will send lefthander Felix Doubront to the mound to face the Yankees.
Doubront is 10-6 this season with a 3.89 ERA. Doubront has faced the Yankees on three occasions this season and has a record of 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA to show for it.
Doubront has dominated a number of Yankees hitters. Robinson Cano has just 2 hits in 18 at bats, while Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson all are just 2 for 13 against the Boston southpaw.
The Yankees will counter Doubront with a southpaw of their own, veteran Andy Pettitte. The Yankee lefthander is 10-9 this season with a 4.01 ERA. Over his past four starts, Pettitte is 3-0 and has 1.05 ERA in the process.
In three starts, New York’s veteran hurler has a record this season of 2-1 with just a 2.41 ERA, versus Boston.
Two players, Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz have had success against Pettitte. Ellsbury has a career average of .333, while Ortiz has regular season career average of .371. However, Dustin Pedroia has just a .229 career average versus Pettitte and is currently in a 6 for 32 slump.
New York will be without on relief pitcher in their bullpen in tonight’s game. Shawn Kelley a right-hander will be out until sometime next week due to inflammation of the triceps.
Ellsbury leads the majors in stolen bases with 52 after recording one in the all-important 10th inning last night. Speed has been important to Boston this season and that was apparent last night. In their ninth inning, Quintin Berry, in as a pinch runner, stole second and scored the tying run.
The current line has the game listed as a tossup, but smart money takes the Yankees to win.
