MySports Today

The Yankees and Red Sox will resume their bitter rivalry with a 3-game weekend series at Fenway Park this weekend.  After the Red Sox won the 1st 8 games of the series in 2009 – with sweeps in April, May and June – the Red Sox sent the reeling Red Sox to a 6th consecutive loss just 12 days ago when the Yankees swept the Red Sox in a 4-game weekend set at the New Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 25-8 in the series, as only 1 of the games – a 15-inning 2-0 marathon on Friday night – was really close.  That sweep pushed the Red Sox back further in the race for the AL East, and the Yankees still have a commanding 6 1/2 games lead for the division title.

The pitching match-ups favor the Yankees right now.  Brad Penny v. Andy Petitte on Friday night; A.J. Burnett v. Junichi Tazawa on Saturday afternoon with the FOX game of the week; and CC Sabathia v. Josh Beckett on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.  With those match-ups, you gotta think the Yankees will win at least 2 of the games, but I guess anything is possible.  If the Red Sox don’t get off to a good start on Friday night, it could be a long weekend for Red Sox Nation in Boston…

A-Rod was all the Yankees needed to end a 5-game skid.  A-Rod crushed the 1st pitch he saw on his 2009 season for a 3-run home run that put the Yankees up 3-0 in the 1st inning.  That would be all that CC Sabathia needed as he cruised through a complete game 4-hitter.  Sabathia needed only 112 pitches to earn his 2nd victory of the season.  Sabathia walked 1 and had 8 K’s.  But the big story was A-Rod who had been rehabbing his hip injury for the last week in the minors.  A-Rod had this to say about his 1st game of 20009 – “It was awesome.  It was just nice to get to the ballpark, give the guys a hug and do what I do best.”

Let’s see if this is the catalyst the Yankees needed to get their season back on track…

The Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 7-4 on Wednesday roughing up Yankees ace CC Sabathia in the process.  Sabathia didn’t make it out of the 2nd inning – giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.  Gary Sheffield hit a 2-run home run off of Sabathia in the Tigers 5-run 2nd inning.  Sheffield hit 2 home runs against his former team in the game.

As for Yankees’ bats, Mark Teixeira had an RBI-single in the 1st inning of Tigers starter Justin Verlander.  The Yankees coaxed Verlander into 3 consecutive walks in the 2nd inning which enabled the Yankees to score on a Posada walk, a Kevin Cash single and a Nick Swisher sacrifice fly.

The Yankees are now 5-7-1 this spring, while the Tigers are 4-8.