The Yankees head into Boston one game ahead in the standings, but they are winless in five attempts to defeat their arch-rivals this season.
As Anthony McCarron of the NY Daily News pointed out, the Red Sox have beaten the Yankees in the worst possible ways. They’ve beaten Mariano Rivera, come back from a 6-0 deficit, and stolen home.
However, this series should be different from previous ones because the Red Sox haven’t seen the new-look Yankees. For starters, Alex Rodriguez will make his season debut against the Sox tonight. And along with A-Rod comes a new and improved Mark Teixeira.
In the series finale, the Sox will see CC Sabathia on the hill for the first time in a Yankees uniform, and the Yanks won’t have to face the red hot Jon Lester.
Here’s how the starters will matchup (barring another rainout):
| @ Red Sox | Yankees Starters | Red Sox Starters |
| Tuesday | A.J. Burnett (4-2, 4.69) | Josh Beckett (6-2, 4.09) |
| Wednesday | Chien-Ming Wang (0-3, 14.46) | Tim Wakefield (7-3, 4.50) |
| Thursday | CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.56) | Brad Penny (5-2, 5.85) |
Tonight’s lineups (via PeteAbe):
| Yankees Lineup | Red Sox Lineup |
| Derek Jeter SS | Dustin Pedroia 2B |
| Johnny Damon DH | J.D. Drew RF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Kevin Youkilis 1B |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Jason Bay LF |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Mike Lowell 3B |
| Jorge Posada C | David Ortiz DH |
| Nick Swisher LF | Jason Varitek C |
| Melky Cabrera RF | Mark Kotsay CF |
| Brett Gardner CF | Nick Green SS |
Lineup notes: Both No. 3 hitters are posting excellent seasons and are vying for the starting job in the All-Star Game. In the latest balloting update, Tex overtook Youk for the top spot at first base, but his lead is quite slim at a mere 1,209 votes.
Hideki Matsui finally got a day off. He’s hitless in his last 16 at bats – he could use a break.
Another note: This will most likely be the second series in a row that I have previewed, and the first game gets rained out. Maybe I should stop. Thoughts?
