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Smoltz Smacked in Yankees’13-6 Dismantling of Red Sox

The Yankees took Game 1 of the four-game showdown in typical Bronx Bomber fashion as New York clobbered John Smoltz and the Red Sox 13-6 Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees took advantage of flat fastballs and short porches as
they spanked four home runs en route to their first win over the Red
Sox this season.

Joba Chamberlain picked up his eighth win
of the campaign despite allowing four earned runs over five innings and
walking seven batters. Chamberlain benefited from an eight-run fourth
inning for the Yankees offense that featured a pair of three-run homers by Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada.

Smoltz
got shelled for eight earned runs on nine hits over just 3 1/3 innings
for his fifth loss of the season and the Red Sox' third straight defeat.
New York walked 12 Red Sox batters but out-hit Boston 18-8. The Sox left 38 runners on base, with David Ortiz leaving eight stranded himself.

Yankees 13, Red Sox 6
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York   
August 6, 2009

Live Blog | Box Score | Recap

Headliner: Catcher Jorge Posada and left fielder Johnny Damon
each homered and posted three-hit games. Posada went 3-for-5 with a
three-run homer, a double and two runs scored while Damon went 3-for-5
with a solo homer and three runs scored. Posada’s 14th homer of the
season came in the Yankees' eight-run fourth inning.

Dirt dog: After rocking a double into the left-field corner in the first inning, Dustin Pedroia
got the Sox on the board in the third with a solo homer over the short
fence in right for a 1-0 lead. It was Pedroia’s eighth long ball of
the season and his first of his career against Chamberlain. The Sox second baseman is
now 8-for-15 (.533 BA) with a homer, three doubles and three RBIs
against Joba. Pedey also singled, walked, was hit by a pitch and gunned
down Posada at the plate in the second inning on a relay from
outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Better luck next time: Another start, another struggle for John Smoltz.
The veteran righty went just 3 1/3 innings and allowed eight earned
runs on nine hits and four walks (one intentional). Smoltz is now 2-5
with an 8.32 ERA and has allowed at least five earned runs in six of
his eight starts this season. He has allowed 25 earned runs over 20
innings in his last four games.

Key moment: The
Yankees’ big fourth inning. Heading into the bottom of the fourth,
Smoltz and the Sox held a 3-1 lead, but that changed quickly thanks to
an RBI single by Robinson Cano and a three-run bomb by Melky Cabrera.
Smoltz issued two walks (one intentional), two doubles, a base hit and
a home run in 1/3 inning. Following his departure, reliever Billy Traber allowed an RBI groundout and the three-run homer to Posada, which allowed the Yankees to pull away with a 9-3 lead.

On deck: It’s another battle of former Marlins hurlers as Josh Beckett takes on A.J. Burnett on
Friday night in the Bronx. In their last duel, Beckett got the
best of Burnett and the Yanks as he hurled six shutout innings en route
to a 7-0 Red Sox win.

Beckett became the AL’s first 13-game
winner last weekend and has been tearing up opponents lately, winning
six of his last seven decisions. In his last eight starts, he has
tallied four shutout performances, and in that span, has lowered his ERA
from 4.15 to 3.27.

Burnett checks in at 10-5 with a 3.89 ERA. The
righty was lit up in his last start, lasting just 4 2/3 innings while
giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits in a 14-4 loss to the White Sox
on Aug. 1. Burnett is 5-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 10 career starts against
the Sox but hasn’t beaten them since Sept. 13 of last season when he
was a member of the Blue Jays.