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May 22, 2007
NEW YORK -- Before the Yankees could get any traction from their win in the series opener Monday, the Red Sox brought their momentum to a quick halt last night, jumping to a quick lead, then adding on as the night progressed.
When it was over, the Red Sox had squared the series with an authoritative 7-3 victory and re-established their double-digit lead in the American League standings. The Sox lead by 10 ½ games.
Julian Tavarez, pitching on his 34th birthday, checked the Yanks on three hits through 5 2/3 innings and won his second straight start. Tavarez 10 of the first 11 hitters he faced before faltering some in the fourth and fifth.
He turned the game over to the bullpen in the sixth. Lefty Javier Lopez retired the four hitters he faced through the seventh.
Leading 4-2 in the seventh, the Red Sox broke the game wide open against Mike Mussina and the New York bullpen.
Julio Lugo’s two-out single to center scored Coco Crisp (fielder’s choice, stolen base) and Kevin Youkilis chased Mussina from the mound with a ringing run-scoring double to right-center.
Joe Torre opted for lefty specialist Mike Myers, but David Ortiz foiled the strategy with a double to deep right center, playing Youkilis.
The Yankees squeaked out a run in the eighth when Hideki Okajima walked Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez to fill the bases and Jorge Posada beat the relay to first, avoiding an inning-ending double-play.
The run, meaningless as it was in the big picture, was the first scored off Okajima since Opening Day when Kansas City’s John Buck hit a 400-foot homer on the lefty’s first major league pitch. Okajima had come into the game with a scoreless streak of 20 2/3 innings, the longest for a Sox lefthander since Bruce Hurst in 1987.
Jonathan Papelbon, in a non-save situation, worked the ninth as the Sox’ record against AL East teams improved to 15-6.
The win was the Sox’ sixth in eight meetings with the Yankees this year and their 12th win overall in the last 16 games. It also improved the Sox to 15-7 away from home this season.
Mussina was not sharp from the beginning – his velocity was down sharply -- and the Sox took immediate advantage in the first inning.
Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a one-out single and moved into scoring position when Ortiz slapped a single into left-center. Manny Ramirez, who hadn’t homered since May 9, crushed a pitch from Mussina deep into the seats in left, staking the Sox to a quick 3-0 edge just four batters into the game.
The Sox threatened with more when Mike Lowell doubled one out later and took third on a single to right by Jason Varitek. With runners at the corners, Mussina kept the damage to a minimum when he got Coco Crisp to pop out to first.
A leadoff homer from Lowell which struck the left field foul pole opened the fourth and pushed the Sox’ lead to 4-0.
The Yankees, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going against Tavarez, who didn’t allow a hit until Hideki Matsui lined a one-out single up the middle in the fourth.
New York put a hit-and-run on and saw it executed to perfection when Posada singled to right and Matsui, off with the pitch, scampered to third.
Tavarez then tossed a wild pitch past Varitek, allowing Matsui to scored from third and Posada to move into scoring position. But he got out of the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to fly to center.
Poor command , perhaps resulting from fatigue as his pitch count inched higher, caught up with Tavarez in the fifth. Robinson Cano, who had two extra-base hits Monday night, added another when he roped a double to right with one out.
Consecutive walks to No. 9 hitter Doug Mienkiewicz and Johnny Damon loaded the bases gave the Yanks hope for a big inning. But Tavarez got Derek Jeter to hit into a fielder’s choice as Cano scored and another forceout – this one on a grounder by Matsui –ended the inning.
--SEAN McADAM
Posted by Sean McAdam 
at 10:30 PM | Permalink
