Editor's note: The temperature gauge is a Bill James-created statistic that measures how hot or cold hitters are. We will spotlight Red Sox and opposing team temperatures on game days.
The Red Sox' lineup has had a different look in recent weeks, with Pedro Ciriaco and Mauro Gomez among the new regulars who fill out the Boston batting order.
It's a group that has often looked overmatched but should still be able to pull together enough hits to vie for a win — like Tuesday night, when the Red Sox had the Yankees beat until a New York surge in the bottom of the ninth.
Boston will look to pull off the trick completely Wednesday night as the Sox line up for their last licks before the end of the season. They have one final chance to spoil the Yankees' postseason plans, with a New York loss and a Baltimore win relegating the Yankees to a one-game playoff with the Orioles to decide the fate of the American League East.
If the Yankees lose the division race, they will then have to win a one-game wild card playoff to keep their postseason going.
With plenty to play for, New York brings a stacked roster into Wednesday night's game. Robinson Cano has been ridiculously hot for the Bombers, pumping up his .308 average with eight straight games of two or more hits (a .571 average in that span).
Nick Swisher, with eight hits over his last four games, has also been hot, and the Yankees got a boost off the bench Tuesday night from Eduardo Nunez (2-for-3, double) and Raul Ibanez (2-for-3 with three RBIs as a pinch hitter, including the game-tying homer and the game-winning RBI single).
For the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia continues to be the strongest hitter as the season ends, even as he plays through a finger injury. He was 2-for-5 with an RBI on Tuesday night.
Here are the hitting temperatures for the Red Sox and Yankees for Wednesday, Oct. 3:
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 81
James Loney, 77
Che-Hsuan Lin, 73
Guillermo Quiroz, 73
Ryan Kalish, 72
Mike Aviles, 70
Scott Podsednik, 70
Pedro Ciriaco, 70
Danny Valencia, 66
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 63
Ivan De Jesus, 62
Mauro Gomez, 62
Jacoby Ellsbury, 58
Daniel Nava, 58
Cody Ross, 50
Jose Iglesias, 47
Ryan Lavarnway, 42
Yankees
Robinson Cano, 99
Nick Swisher, 95
Eduardo Nunez, 86
Raul Ibanez, 85
Eric Chavez, 77
Melky Mesa, 75
Francisco Cervelli, 74
Curtis Granderson, 73
Ichiro Suzuki, 73
Chris Dickerson, 72
Derek Jeter, 71
Chris Stewart, 71
Andruw Jones, 70
Brett Gardner, 70
Casey McGehee, 69
Alex Rodriguez, 67
Jayson Nix, 64
Mark Teixeira, 63
Russell Martin, 62
