Final (5 1/2 innings), Red Sox 3-0:

Mother Nature left her fingerprints all over this game, and it’s finally been called. Fortunately for the Red Sox, we’ve played enough baseball for the game to be considered official.

Clay Buchholz earns the win as the Red Sox walk away with a rain-shortened 3-0 victory.

The night started off with a 45-minute rain delay. Then, there was another lengthy rain delay in the sixth inning before action started back up. At that point, two outs were recorded before the tarp was put back onto the field following the conclusion of the top of the sixth. That’s where this one ended.

Buchholz pitched five shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Red Sox kicked off their scoring in the fourth inning when Mike Napoli followed up back-to-back singles by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz with an RBI groundout. Boston added two more runs when Jose Iglesias and Ortiz smack home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

The Red Sox’ lead over the Yankees in the American League East increases to three games with the win. In fact, the Orioles, who are 2 1/2 games back of Boston, have jumped ahead of the Yanks.

The Red Sox will return home Tuesday to start up a series against the Rangers. Ryan Dempster will pitch the series opener.

Good night, everyone.

11:45 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: What could make this rain delay even better? Oh yeah, lightning. Well, you’ve got it at Yankee Stadium.

11:26 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: It was fun while it lasted.

Boone Logan entered the game, Mike Napoli was caught stealing, and Logan struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia on four pitches.

Now, it’s pouring again, and the tarp is back on the field. You can’t make this stuff up.

It looks like Andrew Miller will take over for Clay Buchholz if and when play resumes in the bottom of the sixth inning.

11:23 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: We’re back underway at Yankee Stadium. Boone Logan has taken over for Hiroki Kuroda.

11:20 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: The tarp is coming off the field, which means we should be starting back up soon. If you need a drink, snack, etc., now is the time to do it.

10:45 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: The rain has finally arrived.

It’s coming down in buckets at Yankee Stadium, and we’ll have a rain delay in the sixth inning. This marks the second delay of the game, as the contest started about 45 minutes late because of the threat of rain.

Prior to the precipitation falling, it started raining baseballs in the seats in right field. David Ortiz absolutely crushed a home run to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead, which is where we stand as Mother Nature laughs at us all.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Clay Buchholz looks fantastic right now.

The right-hander once again kept the Yankees’ offense in check, and he did so via two groundouts and a strikeout.

Kevin Youkilis grounded down to third base, and Ichiro Suzuki grounded down to Mike Napoli at first base.

Buchholz ended the inning by striking out Jayson Nix. Buchholz got him with a four-seamer, which has been excellent in this game.

Buchholz has four strikeouts thus far.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Jose Iglesias isn’t going anywhere, folks.

Iglesias just keeps producing, and he did so with some unexpected power in the fifth inning. Hiroki Kuroda left his first pitch over the plate, and Iglesias drilled it into the left field seats.

It was Iglesias’ second career home run, and he continues to show the Red Sox why he belongs in the majors. The Sox will have an interesting decision to make when Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list, but given Iglesias’ production all season, I can’t envision any scenario in which he’s sent back to Triple-A.

In fact, the bigger question surrounding Iglesias might be whether or not he could earn himself an everyday spot in the lineup if Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew continue their up-and-down ways.

I actually wrote about that very topic today, so if you’re into reading about Iglesias’ awesomeness, feel free to check out that story at the link below.

Click here to read about Iglesias’ hot streak >>

Daniel Nava, who had four hits out of the leadoff spot on Saturday, also singled in the fifth inning, but Kuroda ensured he didn’t go anywhere.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Clay Buchholz pounded the strike zone and cruised through the fourth inning.

Buchholz struck out both Mark Teixeira and Travis Hafner to begin the inning.

Teixeira fanned on a nasty split-finger, while Hafner went down looking at a beautiful cutter on the outside black. Buchholz needed just three pitches to take care of Hafner.

Vernon Wells made sure Buchholz didn’t strike out the side, but his ground ball to third base was easily taken care of by the slick-fielding Jose Iglesias.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox have opened up the scoring.

Dustin Pedroia led off the fourth inning with a single into center field. It was an excellent at-bat by Pedroia, who saw seven pitches before hammering a 3-2 sinker back where it came from.

Hiroki Kuroda, who has been sharp for the most part, then fell behind David Ortiz 3-0. Kuroda battled his way back to fill up the count, but Ortiz shot a single into right-center, which allowed Pedroia to go from first to third.

Pedroia came across with the game’s first run when Mike Napoli grounded softly to shortstop Jayson Nix. The Yankees initially thought about a double play, but the ball simply wasn’t hit hard enough.

Kuroda ensured that Pedroia’s run was the only one that crossed in the inning. The right-hander struck out Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia swinging. Salty’s at-bat was rather lengthy, so while he didn’t produce, he certainly helped add to Kuroda’s pitch count.

Kuroda has now thrown 74 pitches through four innings of work after a good set of at-bats by the Boston offense.

End 3rd, 0-0: We’re scoreless through three innings. The Red Sox flashed a little leather in the third.

Austin Romine singled into right field to get the offense going. Brett Gardner then tried to kick things up a notch, but his line drive was snatched out of thin air by Stephen Drew.

Drew even tried to double up Romine after robbing Gardner of a hit, but Mike Napoli was unable to handle the throw in the dirt.

The Red Sox put the shift on with Robinson Cano at the plate with one out. Third baseman Jose Iglesias was pulled all the way over to the right side, and the move paid off.

Cano hit a chopper right at Iglesias, who kicked off an inning-ending double play.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Hiroki Kuroda has been sharp early on.

Kuroda retired the Red Sox in order in the third inning, and he didn’t really have any issues while doing so.

Jackie Bradley Jr., who had three hits on Saturday, flied out to center field, as did Daniel Nava. Kuroda then struck out Mike Carp to end the inning.

Carp, who has now fanned twice, chased a nasty splitter in the dirt. Catcher Austin Romine made a nice block, and he fired down to first base to finish off the inning-ending out.

End 2nd, 0-0: Ichiro Suzuki scooped up a two-out single in the second, but Clay Buchholz enjoyed an otherwise easy inning.

Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short and third base, respectively, before Ichiro’s single. Jayson Nix then ended the inning by going back to Stephen Drew at short.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: The Red Sox threatened to get on the scoreboard, but hot-hitting Jose Iglesias couldn’t provide a timely knock.

David Ortiz led off the inning with a sky-high popup to second base. Mike Napoli, who hit a grand slam in Saturday’s 11-1 win, then got the offense going with a single into left field.

Stephen Drew flied out to left, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia refused to go down as easy. Salty saw six pitches before eventually turning on a sinker on the inside corner. He yanked it into right field, sending Napoli from first to third.

Iglesias couldn’t come through with runners at the corners, though. He grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

End 1st, 0-0: Robinson Cano walked with one down in the first inning, but he was the only hitter to reach against Clay Buchholz.

Buchholz started the inning by getting Brett Gardner to hit a soft ground ball down to first. Mike Napoli fielded it and ended up taking it to the bag himself. It wasn’t without some brief confusion, though. Napoli and Buchholz nearly collided near the bag, but Buchholz was able to literally jump out of the way.

Following Cano’s walk, Buchholz struck out Mark Teixeira. Teixeira has looked rusty in this series — his first since returning from an injury — so the Yankees are certainly hoping he picks it up a bit. Teixeira is a notoriously slow starter, but he can’t afford to have that be the case in June.

Travis Hafner then hit a fly ball down the left field line with two outs. Daniel Nava gave chase over near the line, and he eventually made a basket catch up against the wall in foul territory.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Hiroki Kuroda did a nice job of cruising through the first inning.

Daniel Nava rolled over a splitter to first base for the first out. It looked like Kuroda had struck out Nava, but the Red Sox’ leadoff man actually got a piece of an 0-2 pitch down and out of the zone.

Kuroda did finish the job against Mike Carp. He froze Carp with a nasty pitch on the inside corner.

Dustin Pedroia, who always does a good job of controlling the outer half of the plate, reached out and poked one into right-center field. Brett Gardner glided in to make the easy play, though.

8:51 p.m.: We’ve got baseball. The action is underway at Yankee Stadium.

8:44 p.m.: What a strange “rain delay.” We’re nearing the first pitch, but it hasn’t rained. Oh, the wonders of meteorology.

8:19 p.m.: They’re taking the tarp off the field, so that’s always a good sign. Stay tuned. We should have baseball soon.

8:04 p.m.: The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium, so we’re looking at a delay. There’s no rain falling yet, but it’s supposed to begin rolling in soon.

7:52 p.m.: Shane Victorino is eligible to return Wednesday, but the news surrounding the outfielder isn’t encouraging.

It’s beginning to sound like Victorino will need more time to heal before returning to the Red Sox, as he’s still not running at 100 percent.

” The one thing that we’re being cautious with here is that, based on experience of having him come right back [in April] and play successive games [following a back injury], he’s had a couple of those setbacks,” John Farrell told reporters in New York. “We want to be sure that there’s a gradual improvement, which he’s showing. To say that he’s going to go on a rehab assignment [Monday] or the next day is probably a little premature at this point. So we’re just being probably a little overly cautious, given what’s transpired.”

Farrell said that Victorino, who is on the DL with a pulled hamstring, has no issues swinging the bat. The issue lies solely in Victorino’s explosiveness, which is obviously a big part of the outfielder’s game.

6:44 p.m.: It’ll be interesting to see if Clay Buchholz experiences any ill effects from his layoff. It wasn’t real lengthy, but it’s the first time that we’ll get a glimpse of the right-hander since the AC joint issue.

Buchholz has been phenomenal thus far this season. He leads the American League with a 1.73 ERA, and he’s one of three undefeated pitchers with seven or more wins (joining Matt Moore and Max Scherzer). He’s also just the second Red Sox pitcher ever to go 7-0 or better with an ERA below 2.00 through his first 10 starts of a season — Sonny Siebert was the other, in 1971 (8-0, 1.62 ERA).

4:54 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury will once again be out of the Red Sox’ lineup, which means Daniel Nava will once again assume the leadoff duties.

Ellsbury, who injured his groin during Thursday’s win over the Phillies, will miss his third straight game because of the injury. Nava has been plugged into the leadoff spot in each of those games, and he even put together a four-hit performance on Saturday that included a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Sunday’s complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (34-23)
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Clay Buchholz, RHP (7-0, 1.73 ERA)

Yankees (31-24)
Brett Gardner, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Travis Hafner, DH
Vernon Wells, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Jayson Nix, SS
Chris Stewart, C

Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (6-3, 2.39 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: What a difference a day makes.

The Red Sox’ bats were kept at bay by CC Sabathia in Friday’s series opener, and they responded by scoring 11 runs and banging out 18 hits in a convincing victory against Phil Hughes and Co. on Saturday. Boston’s win sets up a rubber match between the two teams, and it also ensured that the Red Sox will leave the Bronx will their divisional lead intact, as they enter Sunday’s contest with a two-game edge in the American League East.

Sunday’s series finale should be a doozy. Both clubs will be sending this season’s best to the mound, as Clay Buchholz and Hiroki Kuroda will square off on the national stage.

Buchholz enters Sunday’s game with a perfect 7-0 record, although he hasn’t pitched since May 22 because of an issue with his AC joint, which is located near the collarbone. He was scratched from his start on Monday and then pushed back again later in the week, but the right-hander is ready to go. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball the last time he faced the Yankees, during the season-opening series.

Kuroda is a huge reason the Yankees have enjoyed early-season success. He’s been their most consistent starter, and he enters the game with a 6-3 record and 2.39 ERA. He threw seven shutout innings against the Mets on Tuesday. The last time he faced the Red Sox on April 3 — the same game Buchholz defeated the Yankees — he exited in the second inning because of a bruised finger he suffered on a Shane Victorino line drive.

Sunday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. Go enjoy the sun, but be sure to check back leading up to game time for some updates.

Final, Red Sox 11-1:

Boston racked up 11 runs and 18 hits in the victory, which comes just one night after the Red Sox’ offense was held to one run by CC Sabathia and Co.

Mike Napoli’s grand slam highlighted a five-run third inning that set the tempo. The Red Sox then put the game away late behind home runs from Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew.

Napoli finished the game with three hits, while Nava went 4-for-6 with four RBIs out of the leadoff spot. Jackie Bradley Jr. had three hits, and Drew, Jose Iglesias and Mike Carp did as well.

Felix Doubront pitched six solid innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. He wasn’t dominant, but he is definitely starting to show improvement after some shaky outings earlier in the year.

The Red Sox’ victory sets up a rubber match on Sunday. Clay Buchholz and Hiroki Kuroda will square off, and the action will start up at 8 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 11-1: The Red Sox’ offense is piling it on.

Stephen Drew got a pitch he could drive, and he did just that. Drew connected on a one-out, solo homer to give the Red Sox a 9-1 lead.

Boston wasn’t done, though.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, smoked a ball over Brett Gardner’s head in center field. The ball kicked up over the fence for a ground-rule double.

Jose Iglesias, who flashed some leather during the last half inning, picked up his second hit of the game. He dropped a single in front of Vernon Wells in left field, and Saltalamacchia came around from second base with Boston’s 10th run.

Jackie Bradley Jr. followed up with a double down the left-field line, which put runners at second and third for Daniel Nava, who homered in the eighth. Nava grounded out to shortstop, but Iglesias scored to give the Red Sox an even 10-run cushion.

The Sox have racked up 11 runs on 18 hits, and it comes just one night after they were shut down by CC Sabathia and Co.

End 8th, Red Sox 8-1: Jose Iglesias really is fun to watch.

Craig Breslow breezed through the eighth inning, which ended with a great play by Iglesias, who keeps flashing the leather regardless of where he plays.

After Robinson Cano grounded out and Mark Teixeira struck out, Vernon Wells hit a slow roller down the third-base line. Iglesias charged in with a full head of steam, made the play and got rid of the ball about as quick as you possibly can as an infielder.

Iglesias’ play was fantastic, and it was even more impressive because of how routine he made it look.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-1: The Red Sox have opened this game up a bit, thanks to Daniel Nava.

Nava, who singled in three straight at-bats, crushed a three-run homer into the seats in right-center field. He’s now 4-for-5 in his second game out of the leadoff spot, showing once again that he can wear any hat the Red Sox slap on him.

Adam Warren tried to go upstairs with a fastball to Nava. It was actually up around the lettering, but Nava somehow got on top of it, and he absolutely drilled it.

Prior to Nava’s dinger, which was his eighth of the season, Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit back-to-back singles. Iglesias’ hit dropped just in front of Vernon Wells in left field, and Bradley’s knock was yanked into right field, which allowed Iglesias to take third base.

Warren settled down to retire the next three hitters, including David Ortiz, who struck out to end the inning. The Red Sox are in total control of this one, though.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-1: Junichi Tazawa did what he usually does in the seventh inning, and the Red Sox are six outs away from a victory.

Austin Romine grounded out to third base, Brett Gardner flied out to left field and Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging. Youkilis has now struck out three times in this game.

There’s a quick injury update to pass along as well. Yankees catcher Chris Stewart, who exited after the fourth inning, apparently left the game because of dehydration.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-1: The Red Sox still own a four-run lead, but they’ve missed some chances.

The latest missed opportunity came in the seventh inning, when the Red Sox put the first two men on, but then failed to score.

David Ortiz led off the inning with a walk. Mike Napoli, whose grand slam is still the difference, then pulled a ball into the 5-6 hole. Shortstop Jayson Nix made a nice, backhanded play, but his throw to second base was off the mark, and both Ortiz and Napoli reached their destinations safely.

Adam Warren, who took over on the mound before the inning started, bounced back to get a big double play. Stephen Drew bounced to Robinson Cano, who kicked of the easy, 4-6-3 twin killing.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia ended the inning by striking out for the third time. He’s now 0-for-4.

Doubront’s night is, in fact, over, as Junichi Tazawa will pitch the bottom of the seventh inning. Doubront gave up just one run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out six and threw 103 pitches (62 strikes). The lefty had a few hiccups with his control, particularly early on, but it was definitely an encouraging outing.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Felix Doubront’s night looks like it’s over, and it’s hard to complain about the results.

Doubront yielded a two-out single in the sixth inning, but he kept the Yankees off the scoreboard, and he’ll now likely depart after six solid innings. Junichi Tazawa has been warming up in the bullpen, and Doubront received some congratulatory handshakes after returning to the dugout.

David Adams was the only man to reach in the sixth. Beyond that, Doubront retired Vernon Wells on a popup to Dustin Pedroia in short right field, and he retired Jayson Nix and Ichiro Suzuki on flyouts.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Daniel Nava is having himself a nice night out of the leadoff spot. He has singled in each of his last three at-bats.

Nava hit a line-drive single after Preston Caliborne — who also pitched the tail end of the fifth inning — retired Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the sixth. Nava has been a great on-base guy all season, and it was reasonable to think that he was the next man up — beyond perhaps Shane Victorino, who is injured — when Jacoby Ellsbury struggled out of the leadoff spot in May.

Mike Carp, who hit an RBI double to kick off the Red Sox’ scoring earlier, added to the threat by dropping a base hit in front of Vernon Wells in left field.

Claiborne avoided any damage by getting Dustin Pedroia to hit a lazy fly ball to right field.

End 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Dustin Pedroia needed to dirty his jersey up a bit.

Pedroia made a great diving play in the fifth inning. His Yankees counterpart, Robinson Cano, grounded a ball up the middle with one out. Pedroia ranged to his right and made an excellent backhanded snag before firing a strong throw to first to complete the out.

Pedroia has played Gold Glove caliber defense all season. It’s interesting, though, that his latest Web Gem came against his biggest competitor when it comes to taking home that hardware.

Felix Doubront struck out Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira as part of the 1-2-3 inning. Youkilis whiffed on a curveball, and Teixeira fanned on a cut-fastball.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Phil Hughes’ night ended in the fifth inning.

Hughes started the inning and gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia. Jayson Nix made a nice effort, but the ball scooted into center field. Hughes’ outing ended after he struck out David Ortiz.

The Yankees called upon Preston Claiborne at that point, and Claiborne struck out Mike Napoli in the slugger’s first at-bat since his third-inning grand slam. Claiborne took a little off to get Napoli swinging.

Stephen Drew then singled into center field to put runners at first and second for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but Salty went down on strikes. Claiborne caught Saltalamacchia looking with a 95-mph fastball, and it marks the second time that the Red Sox catcher has struck out in this game.

Austin Romine replaced Chris Stewart behind the plate before the inning started. It’s unclear what ailment Stewart left with.

End 4th, Red Sox 5-1: Sometimes, the first run is the most difficult to score.

The Yankees certainly hope that’s the case, as they broke through for their first run of the game in the fourth inning. It came on a sacrifice fly from Chris Stewart.

The Yankees’ offense went to work immediately in the fourth. Jayson Nix shot one right back where it came from for a leadoff single, and David Adams yanked a ground ball just past a diving Dustin Pedroia to put two runners on with no outs.

Ichiro Suzuki grounded into a forceout for the first out of the inning, but it left runners at the corners. Stewart cashed in with the sac fly.

Felix Doubront made sure that was all the Yankees got by striking out Brett Gardner. Gardner offered at a curveball down in the zone, and he foul tipped it into Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s mitt to end the inning.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-0: Phil Hughes is now tasked with settling down after the Red Sox’ offensive explosion in the third inning. He did a pretty nice job in the fourth.

Hughes picked up two quick outs. Jose Iglesias grounded out to short and Jackie Bradley Jr. flied out to right field.

Daniel Nava ensured that the Red Sox didn’t go down in order by ripping a single into right field. Hughes kept Nava at first base by striking out Mike Carp.

End 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: Robinson Cano connected on a one-out single, but Felix Doubront worked another scoreless inning in the third.

Doubront struck out both Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira in the inning. Youkilis went down looking at a curveball, while Teixeira froze on a fastball.

Vernon Wells grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

Doubront needed that quick inning, which required only 11 pitches. The left-hander threw 49 pitches through the first two innings. That’s 60 total pitches, for all you non-mathematicians.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: Mike Napoli has been one heck of a run producer this season.

Napoli drove a grand slam over the right-center field fence in the third inning, and the Red Sox have jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

Jackie Bradley Jr. got the big inning started with a double over Brett Gardner’s head in center field. He advanced to third base when Daniel Nava singled into left field.

Boston’s first run of the game came when Mike Carp dropped a fly ball down the left-field line. Vernon Wells gave chase and went into a slide, but the ball dropped just out of his reach. It almost hooked foul, but it landed just inside the line — perhaps even kicking up some chalk.

Phil Hughes bounced back to strike out Dustin Pedroia, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi then decided to walk David Ortiz with first base open. That set up a potential inning-ending double play and brought up Napoli with the bases juiced.

Hughes got ahead of Napoli, but the Red Sox slugger hung tough and eventually went the other way with a fastball on the outside corner.

End 2nd, 0-0: The tightrope walk is on.

Felix Doubront struggled with his control in the second inning, but, like we’ve seen plenty of times before, he escaped the inning unscathed.

Jayson Nix walked to lead off the inning, but Doubront wiped him off the bases by inducing a 4-6-3 double play.

At that point, it looked like Doubront was in line for an easy inning. But Ichiro Suzuki capped off a six-pitch at-bat with a two-out single, and Chris Stewart walked on four pitches to spark a mini rally.

Doubront got ahead of Brett Gardner, and ultimately retired him when Gardner hit a little dribbler in front of the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ran out from behind the dish to make the play.

Doubront has already thrown 49 pitches through two innings.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Mike Napoli kickstarted the offense with a leadoff single, but nothing came of it.

Napoli dropped a base hit right in front of Brett Gardner in right-center field. Gardner dove in an effort to make the play, but he came up just short and trapped it.

Napoli took second base when catcher Chris Stewart got crossed up on a curveball from Phil Hughes. Stewart was expecting a high fastball, but Hughes’ offering dipped near the plate and ended up rolling to the backstop.

The miscommunication put Napoli into scoring position, but it didn’t cost the Yankees. Stephen Drew popped out softly to third baseman David Adams, Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to right field and Jose Iglesias struck out swinging.

After watching the replay of Salty’s fly out, which traveled to about the middle of right field, it was clear that he just missed capitalizing on a hanging breaking ball.

End 1st, 0-0: Mark Teixeira got his first hit since returning, and the Yankees put two runners on base. Felix Doubront picked up a big strikeout to end the inning, though, and we’re scoreless after one inning in the Bronx.

Brett Gardner led off by pulling a ground ball over to second base. Kevin Youkilis then walked on five pitches as the Yankees tried to get something going against Doubront.

Robinson Cano got ahead in the count 3-0, which probably had some Red Sox fans yelling at the TV, but Doubront bounced back. The lefty delivered a strike on the inner half of the plate, and then got Cano to lift a harmless fly ball to right field.

Teixeira singled through the left side to put runners at first and second, but Doubront struck out Vernon Wells looking to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Phil Hughes issued a one-out walk to Mike Carp, who is batting out of the No. 2 hole for the first time this season. But he went on to finish the inning strong.

Daniel Nava, who is batting leadoff for the second straight night in Jacoby Ellsbury’s absence, put together a good at-bat to begin the ballgame. Hughes fell behind 3-0, and Nava saw six pitches before rolling over a fastball for a game-starting groundout.

Nava saw eight pitches in his first at-bat on Friday. Those are the types of things you like to see out of a fill-in leadoff hitter.

Carp then walked on four pitches, further raising questions about Hughes’ control early on, but the right-hander bounced back to retire Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz.

Pedroia flied out to center field, and Ortiz struck out looking after taking two pitches and fouling off two other pitches to the left side. Ortiz didn’t agree with the final strike call, as the pitch looked low and away.

7:17 p.m.: Phil Hughes’ first pitch to Daniel Nava is a ball, and we’re underway.

7:02 p.m.: Jonny Gomes got his first start of the season in right field on Friday night. Mike Carp will play right field for just the second time in his career on Saturday. The science behind the move, of course, is that Daniel Nava is better equipped to handle Yankee Stadium’s spacious left field.

6:55 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia has started every game this season, meaning he’ll get his 57th start on Saturday. The last player to start each of the Red Sox’ first 57 games at second base was Marty Barrett. (Barrett started Boston’s first 66 games in 1988.)

6:22 p.m.: John Farrell had some interesting things to say about Jose Iglesias before Saturday’s game. Iglesias has been tearing apart big league pitching this season, which understandably has people wondering where he’ll stand when Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list.

“We haven’t ruled out that he would remain here in a utility role,” Farrell told reporters. “He’s been exposed more to third than he has been to second. Obviously, we’re more than comfortable with him at shortstop. At some point, if we’re to strongly and surely consider him for a utility role, then he’s got to get some exposure to second base. The one thing we’re cautious of is just the pivot on the double play. I don’t know how you can emulate that in early work or in simulated-type situations, but I think most importantly, we haven’t ruled out him being in a utility role.”

That’s big news. The Red Sox didn’t keep Iglesias as a utility player the last time he was up in the majors for a couple of reasons. First, as Farrell alluded to, Iglesias didn’t have much experience at positions beyond shortstop. And second, utilityman Pedro Ciriaco is out of options, and the club really wanted to hang onto him.

Now, this isn’t to say that Ciriaco’s days in Boston are over. But there needs to be a roster casualty if Iglesias stays up when Middlebrooks returns, and it could end up being Ciriaco, who has had a difficult season.

4:18 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury will be out of the Red Sox’ lineup for the second straight night.

Ellsbury was a late scratch from the lineup on Friday because of a left groin strain, and it appears he’s still feeling some tightness. That means Jackie Bradley Jr. will once again get the start in center field, while Daniel Nava, playing left field, will bat leadoff.

Mike Carp is also penciled into John Farrell’s lineup card with a right-hander on the hill. He’ll play right field and bat second.

The rest of Saturday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (33-23)
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Felix Doubront, LHP (3-2, 5.29 ERA)

Yankees (31-23)
Brett Gardner, CF
Kevin Youkilis, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Jayson Nix, SS
David Adams, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chris Stewart, C

Phil Hughes (2-3, 4.97 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Round 1 went to the Yankees. But the fight has just begun.

The Red Sox and Yankees will go toe-to-toe at Yankee Stadium again on Saturday night. The Sox will be looking to bounce back after dropping a 4-1 decision to CC Sabathia and the Yanks on Friday.

Sabathia, who has struggled at times this season, looked like the ace he’s been for much of his career. He pitched into the eighth inning and limited the Boston offense to one run, while Jon Lester struggled with his command en route to his second loss of the season. Felix Doubront and Phil Hughes will be matched up against each other on Saturday, and it’s been an interesting season for both hurlers.

Doubront’s struggles in Boston have been well-documented. He has labored through a number of starts because of lengthy at-bats and high walk totals, but he has shown improvement in his last two outings. He gave up two earned runs on five hits while striking out eight and walking two in his last start against the Indians on Sunday.

Hughes has struggled as well, but he also enters Saturday’s game on the heels of a couple of good outings. Hughes got rocked while lasting less than an inning against the Mariners on May 15, but he surrendered just two runs in six innings against the Orioles on May 21 and one run over seven innings against the Mets on Monday.

The Red Sox enter Saturday’s game with a one-game lead in the American League East, so hold on tight. It should be a fun one.

Saturday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:15 p.m. Be sure to keep it right here throughout the day for all sorts of updates and what not.

Final, Yankees 4-1:

Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz both singled with one out to make a little noise. That noise was quickly silenced when Rivera struck out Mike Napoli and got Stephen Drew to ground out back to the mound.

The Yankees moved to within one game of the Red Sox with Friday’s victory, and CC Sabathia was a big reason why New York took the series opener. Sabathia outdueled Jon Lester in a battle of two premier lefties.

Sabathia allowed one run on six hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out 10, didn’t walk anyone, and he was in complete control throughout the outing.

Lester, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm. He gave up two runs in the second inning, which caused some frustration, and his command wasn’t nearly as good as it’s been at times this season.

The Red Sox and Yankees will do it again on Saturday. Felix Doubront will go up against Phil Hughes, and the action is scheduled to start up at 7:15 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Yankees 4-1: Clayton Mortensen retired the Yankees in order in the eighth inning, but the Red Sox’ offense has its work cut out for it.

Mariano Rivera will enter the game with a three-run cushion. Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are due up in the ninth inning for Boston.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-1: The Yankees have the Red Sox right where they want them.

CC Sabathia put the finishing touches on a fantastic performance in the eighth inning. He got Jackie Bradley Jr. to roll a ground ball over to first base for the first out, and he then gave way to the Yankees’ bullpen.

Setup man David Robertson entered the game, and he took care of business. Jose Iglesias flied out and Daniel Nava struck out.

Nava thought he earned a two-out walk against Robertson, but he was rung up on a pitch down in the zone.

The Yankees are now three outs away from a victory with the best closer in the history of baseball waiting in the wings.

End 7th, Yankees 4-1: The Red Sox scored their first run in the seventh inning, but the Yankees got it right back.

Ichiro Suzuki blooped a single into right field with one out, and Chris Stewart followed up with a little roller down the third-base line that ended in an infield single.

That spelled the end of Jon Lester’s night.

The Red Sox turned to Andrew Miller, who came in and gave up an RBI single to Brett Gardner before striking out Kevin Youkilis and Robinson Cano to avoid any additional damage.

Lester exited after 116 pitches (67 strikes). The run in the seventh inning was charged to Lester, meaning he surrendered four runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked four. Overall, it was a rather mediocre effort, and he never really found much of a rhythm.

Mid 7th, Yankees 3-1: The Red Sox broke through for a run against CC Sabathia in the seventh inning.

Dustin Pedroia, who doubled to the opposite field in the first inning, went the other way again. He sent an 0-1 pitch toward the right-center field gap. Ichiro Suzuki tried to cut it off, but it rolled past him and to the wall for a leadoff double.

Pedroia advanced to third when David Ortiz bounced to first base for the inning’s first out. Pedroia scored when Mike Napoli doubled over Ichiro’s head in right.

Napoli struck out in his first two at-bats, so it’s encouraging to see him make adjustments and put good wood on the ball on a pitch on the outside corner.

Sabathia escaped any further damage by striking out Stephen Drew and retiring David Ross on a groundout to second base.

End 6th, Yankees 3-0: We got a good glimpse of Jackie Bradley Jr.’s range in the sixth inning.

Robinson Cano walked to lead off the inning, and Jon Lester bounced back to strike out Mark Teixeira. Lester went with a fastball low and away, and Teixeira didn’t get the bat off his shoulder. Big Tex also had some choice words for home plate umpire Lance Barksdale as he strolled back to the dugout.

Bradley’s range was on display when Vernon Wells sent the first pitch he saw toward the gap in right-center field. Off the bat, it looked like extra bases. But the rookie took an excellent first step, and he glided over to not only make the play, but also make it look easy.

Jayson Nix flied out to left field to end the inning.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-0: Jose Iglesias keeps on hitting.

Iglesias singled into center field in the sixth inning, giving him two hits for the game. He now has seven multi-hit games this season, and that’s obviously in limited big league action. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Iglesias doesn’t want to go anywhere once Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list.

The Red Sox again couldn’t do anything with the baserunner, though. Daniel Nava waved at a curveball to give CC Sabathia his ninth strikeout of the game, and Jonny Gomes bounced into a tailor-made double play to end the inning.

End 5th, Yankees 3-0: Once Joe Girardi headed back down to the clubhouse after being ejected, Chris Stewart walked to put runners at first and second with one out.

Brett Gardner then struck out, but Kevin Youkilis singled into left field to give the Yankees their third run of the game.

Stewart — anticipating a throw to the plate — tried to go from first to third on Youkilis’ single. Daniel Nava’s throw went to third base, though, and Stewart was nailed to end the inning.

The final out was rather strange. It was a difficult play for Stewart to gauge, and shortstop Stephen Drew was the one who applied the tag — with third baseman Jose Iglesias serving as the cutoff man in that situation.

8:38 p.m., Yankees 2-0: Joe Girardi has been ejected.

The Yankees manager came out to argue a call at second base, and umpire Vic Carapazza eventually had enough.

The play in question was a forceout at second. Ichiro Suzuki grounded back to the mound after David Adams was hit by a pitch. Jon Lester made the play, but his throw to second forced Stephen Drew to stretch. Girardi thought Drew’s foot came off the bag, but the ump ruled that it did not.

Mid 5th, Yankees 2-0: CC Sabathia needed to play the role of stopper, and he has taken care of business through five innings of work.

Sabathia, who fanned Mike Napoli to end the fourth inning, struck out the side in the fifth. He now has eight strikeouts total.

Stephen Drew, David Ross and Jackie Bradley Jr. fell victim to Sabathia in the fifth inning. Drew and Ross both went down hacking at sliders, while Bradley looked at a sinker.

Sabathia actually fell behind Bradley 3-0 before battling back to strike out the rookie.

End 4th, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester enjoyed his second straight effective inning in the fourth.

The left-hander looked doomed earlier in the game, as he struggled to locate his pitches, which inevitably caused some frustration to settle in. Lester escaped the second inning via an inning-ending double play, however, and the lefty has really settled down since.

Mark Teixeira and Vernon Wells both grounded out to Stephen Drew at short in the fourth inning. Jayson Nix, who connected on an RBI single earlier, then hit a hot shot to third base that Jose Iglesias picked on the back hand.

Mid 4th, Yankees 2-0: The Red Sox generated a baserunner in each of the first three innings. They did not do such in the fourth inning.

CC Sabathia, who tossed just eight pitches in the third inning, is doing a good job of pounding the strike zone. He retired the Red Sox in order in the fourth.

Sabathia needed to work a little bit at the beginning of the inning. Dustin Pedroia hit a roller in front of the mound that Sabathia scooped up and fired to first.

David Ortiz then bounced down to first base before Sabathia struck out Mike Napoli swinging to end the inning. Napoli has fanned twice in this game.

8:14 p.m., Yankees 2-0: Kate Upton is at the game. So there’s that.

End 3rd, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester did an excellent job of bouncing back in the third inning.

Lester was already up to 47 pitches after a lengthy second inning in which he surrendered two runs. The lefty kept his emotions in check, though, and he retired the Yankees in order in the third on 13 pitches.

Brett Gardner flied out to center field and Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short. Lester then ended the inning by striking out Robinson Cano with a pitch on the outside corner.

Lester hasn’t gotten many calls early on, but the pitch to sit down Cano could have gone either way. It was located down and away from the All-Star second baseman.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 2-0: The Red Sox have had a baserunner in all three innings, but they have nothing to show for it.

Jose Iglesias led off the third inning with a line-drive single into center field. CC Sabathia flailed his glove in an attempt to knock it down, but he had no chance.

Iglesias took a hard turn around first base, and he appeared to grimace after throwing on the brakes. He stayed in the game and appears OK, but it’s at least worth monitoring as we move forward in this game.

Iglesias was quickly wiped off the basepaths when Daniel Nava grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. It took a very quick turn from Robinson Cano at second base to execute the twin killing.

Jonny Gomes, who struck out in his first at-bat, flied out to center field on the first pitch he saw to end the inning. Sabathia needed just eight pitches to retire the Red Sox in order.

End 2nd, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester looked frustrated in the second inning. It’s somewhat understandable, too, as he didn’t get too many calls.

Lester wasn’t a big fan of home plate umpire Lance Barksdale’s strike zone. The left-hander worked extensively in an inning in which the Yankees struck for two runs on three hits and a walk.

Mark Teixeira, who is making his much-anticipated return, earned a free pass to lead off the inning. Lester got to two strikes on Teixeira, but he missed the outside corner with his 3-2 pitch.

Vernon Wells then jumped on a changeup from Lester, and he drove it over Jackie Bradley Jr.’s head in center field. Wells cruised into second with a double, setting up runners at second and third for Jayson Nix.

Nix opened up the scoring with a single into left field. Lester got ahead with a nice cutter, but his 0-1 curveball hung right over the insid corner, and Nix yanked it through the 5-6 hole.

Ichiro Suzuki added to the lead with a single of his own, and at that point, the Yankees looked poised to add more. Fortunately for Lester, he minimized the damage by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: David Ross is off to a nice start.

Ross entered the game 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts since returning from the seven-day concussion disabled list. He threw out Brett Gardner in the first inning, and he doubled down the line with two outs in the second inning.

But that was the only offense the Sox generated against CC Sabathia, who now has four strikeouts through two frames.

Sabathia struck out Mike Napoli and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the second inning. Napoli fanned on a fastball after getting ahead in the count 3-0, and Bradley whiffed on a slider in the dirt.

End 1st, 0-0: Jon Lester’s command wasn’t all that great in the first inning, but he worked around a leadoff walk to toss a scoreless frame.

Brett Gardner walked on five pitches, and Kevin Youkilis worked the count full. Joe Girardi then put Gardner in motion, which proved to be disastrous for the Yankees.

Lester struck out Youkilis swinging on a fastball, and David Ross delivered a perfect throw to second base to gun down Gardner. Lester’s 3-2 pitch was certainly a big one, as walking Youkilis in that situation would have really put the wheels in motion on the Yankees’ offense.

You can’t fault Girardi for sending Gardner in that situation, either. Gardner has great speed and Youkilis is a guy who handles the bat well.

Robinson Cano bounced out to third base to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Daniel Nava doesn’t seem like a prototypical leadoff hitter on the surface. But he’s a very patient hitter, and that made him a logical choice to place atop the order in Jacoby Ellsbury’s absence.

Nava struck out in the first inning, but he saw eight pitches — fouling off three of them — before CC Sabathia sat him down. Obviously, the end result wasn’t what Nava and the Red Sox were hoping for, but making a pitcher work is an important aspect of batting leadoff.

Sabathia also struck out Jonny Gomes. Sabathia fell behind Gomes, but the slugger missed with a big cut in a 2-0 count. The Yankees ace finished off Gomes with a fastball up in the zone. Gomes thought the pitch was a bit high, but home plate umpire Lance Barksdale felt differently, and he rung him up.

Dustin Pedroia tried to get something going with two outs. He lined a pitch on the outside corner down the right-field line for a double. Sabathia escaped the inning unscathed by getting David Ortiz to fly out to left.

7:08 p.m.: The first pitch to Daniel Nava is a strike, and we’re underway.

6:46 p.m.: Jon Lester will be looking to build on the success he has had at the new Yankee Stadium, which opened up in 2009.

Lester is 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 12 career starts at the new Yankee Stadium. The seven wins are the most by a visitor at the ballpark and three more than the next-highest total.

Lester enters Friday’s start on the heels of a subpar performance in his last outing. The lefty gave up four runs on 10 hits over seven innings against the Indians on Saturday. He received a no-decision, although the Red Sox ended up winning that game.

Sabathia, who was the American League Cy Young in 2007 and who has been an absolute workhorse for the Yankees since singing with the club before the ’09 season, has been up and down a bit this year. He was touched up for seven runs on eight hits in seven innings against the Rays in his last start on Sunday.

6:14 p.m.: YES Network’s Chris Shearn was kind enough to have me on his Off the Wall podcast on Thursday. We talked about the season that both the Red Sox and Yankees are having thus far, and we took a look at the weekend series. If you’re looking for something to do before game time, have a listen at the link below.

Click here for a Red Sox-Yankees podcast >>

5:55 p.m.: How about a quick happy birthday to Andrew Bailey? The Red Sox closer turned 29 on Friday.

5:17 p.m.: It’s worth noting that Daniel Nava will play left field while Jonny Gomes will play right field.

Typically, when both guys have been in the lineup, it’s been the other way around. Since Yankee Stadium has a spacious left field and a short porch in right field, however, John Farrell opted to flip-flop the two outfielders.

5:11 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached base five times and set a Red Sox single-game record with five stolen bases against the Phillies on Thursday, was originally penciled into John Farrell’s lineup card on Friday. Ellsbury apparently felt tightness in his groin area after his fifth stolen base, though, and he is a late scratch.

In Ellsbury’s absence, Daniel Nava will assume the Red Sox’ leadoff duties. The decision to bat Nava leadoff makes sense, especially with Shane Victorino still on the disabled list, as he enters the game with a .398 on-base percentage.

Ellsbury’s absence also means that rookie Jackie Bradley Jr., who was recalled on Wednesday, will be thrust into Boston’s lineup. He’ll play center field and bat eighth.

It’s interesting that both Bradley and Jose Iglesias will be in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday. Both played well during the teams’ first series of the year, and now they’re both back to face the Bronx Bombers after a brief stint down in Pawtucket.

The Yankees’ lineup card also comes with some news. Both Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis will return on Friday.

The rest of Friday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (33-22)
Daniel Nava, LF
Jonny Gomes, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Jon Lester, LHP (6-1, 3.34 ERA)

Yankees (30-23)
Brett Gardner, CF
Kevin Youkilis, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Jayson Nix, SS
David Adams, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chris Stewart, C

CC Sabathia, LHP (4-4, 3.96 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: They meet again.

Roughly two months after kicking off the season with a showdown in the Bronx, Jon Lester and CC Sabathia will go toe-to-toe as the Red Sox and Yankees open up a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

The Sox enter the series with a two-game lead in the American League East, and a good showing this weekend would not only allow them to increase their edge, but it would also go a long way toward proving that they’re for real this season. The Yankees, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back after dropping five straight games.

It’s always interesting when these two teams play each other, but it’s even more exciting when two aces square off. Lester enters the game with a 6-1 record and 3.34 ERA, while Sabathia enters with a 4-4 record and 3.96 ERA.

The Red Sox took two out of three when these two clubs played in April. Doing so this time around would be big, especially with the Rangers, Angels, Rays, Orioles, Tigers and Rockies on the Red Sox’ schedule for June.

Friday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com throughout the day.

Final, Yankees 4-2:

Dustin Pedroia worked the count full against Rivera before earning a leadoff walk. Mike Napoli then got a solid piece of one to right field, but Ichiro hauled it in for the first out.

Jonny Gomes increased the ninth-inning threat by ripping a double down the left-field line. That put runners at second and third, which led to a run when Will Middlebrooks grounded out softly to first base for the second out.

Rivera put the nail in the coffin, though, by freezing Jackie Bradley Jr. with a cutter on the outside corner.

Andy Pettitte pitched eight solid frames before handing the ball over to Rivera. Pettitte has been playing the role of stopper for years, and he was certainly impressive in shutting down the Red Sox’ offense in this one. The Yankees benefited from three double plays, and Boston’s only run came on a two-out double from Jackie Bradley Jr. in the seventh inning.

New York’s offense was powered by home runs from Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli. Lyle Overbay kicked off the scoring with a two-run single in the second inning.

Ryan Dempster made his Red Sox debut on Thursday, and he pitched five innings before his pitch count got the best of him. Dempster threw 101 pitches (58 strikes). He allowed three earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out eight.

The Red Sox now travel to Toronto to take on the new-look Blue Jays. Friday’s game will kick off at 7:05 p.m. ET. NESN’s pregame coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET with Red Sox First Pitch.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Yankees 4-1: Clayton Mortensen came back out for the eighth inning, and he fared much better, retiring the Yankees in order.

Travis Hafner led off with a fly out to center. Vernon Wells then hit one on the screws, but it was right at Jose Iglesias for out No. 2. Ichiro grounded out to Mike Napoli at first base for the inning’s final out.

The Red Sox will need to stage a rally against the great Mariano Rivera in order to avoid their first loss of 2013. Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes are due up for Boston.

This is Rivera’s first outing since April 30 of last year.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-1: The Red Sox grounded into their third double play of the game in the eighth, and they’ll now need some ninth-inning magic in order to keep this game going.

Jose Iglesias reached base once again, but Andy Pettitte benefited from a 1-6-1 double play off the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury to get two quick outs.

Shane Victorino ended the inning with a ground out to Eduardo Nunez at short, and Pettitte has tossed eight fantastic frames.

Pettitte, who has thrown 93 pitches (63 strikes), has allowed one run on eight hits while striking out three and walking one. The Red Sox will likely get their first taste of Mariano Rivera this season in the ninth inning.

End 7th, Yankees 4-1: It didn’t take long for the Yankees to get that run back.

Francisco Cervelli welcomed Clayton Mortensen to the game by jacking a solo shot to left field. Cervelli got into a favorable, 3-1 count, and he launched a fastball from Mortensen well over the fence to extend the lead.

Brett Gardner then hit a hard ground ball down to first base. Mike Napoli ranged over and went into the dive, but the ball ricocheted off the first-base bag and into right field. At first, it looked like a sure double for the very speedy Gardner, but Shane Victorino made a perfect, one-hop throw to Jose Iglesias to cut him down at second.

Robinson Cano grounded into the shift for the second time in this game, and Kevin Youkilis struck out on a nice-looking changeup to end the inning.

Mid 7th, Yankees 3-1: Jackie Bradley Jr. put the Red Sox on the scoreboard in the seventh inning with his third RBI of the season.

Andy Pettitte got two quick outs to begin the inning. He got Mike Napoli to fly out, and he then struck out Jonny Gomes with a 1-2 changeup.

The Sox staged a little rally from there, though.

Will Middlebrooks went the other way for his second hit of the game, which brought up Jackie Bradley Jr., who had been 0-for-2. Pettitte tried to jam Bradley inside, but the rookie turned on the lefty’s offering and drove it into the right-center field gap. Middlebrooks scored all the way from first base.

David Ross — not exactly known for his power — threatened to tie the game by giving a slider a ride to left field. Brett Gardner was able to track it down on the warning track, though, and we head into the seventh-inning stretch with a 3-1 game.

Clayton Mortensen will begin the seventh inning for Boston.

End 6th, Yankees 3-0: Eduardo Nunez singled with one out, but David Ross nailed another would-be base stealer en route to a scoreless inning.

Ichiro Suzuki led off the inning by lifting a fly ball down the left-field line, and Jackie Bradley Jr. made a nice, rangy play over near the seats for the first out.

Nunez then singled, but his stolen-base attempt proved fruitless. Ross fired a strike down to second base, and Jose Iglesias made another impressive scoop on a short hop before tagging out the diving Nunez. (Ross also caught Brett Gardner trying to steal back in the first inning.)

Lyle Overbay ended the inning by grounding out to second base. He broke his bat on the harmless grounder.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-0: Jose Iglesias is picking up infield hits at a ferocious pace.

Iglesias, whose three Opening Day hits were all of the infield variety, opted to bunt his way aboard in the sixth inning. He was the only baserunner the Red Sox would muster up in the inning against a very impressive Andy Pettitte.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino each flew out to center field after Iglesias’ bunt single, and Dustin Pedroia ended the inning by grounding into a 6-4 force out.

Pettitte is breezing through this game for the Yankees. The Red Sox, however, will turn to the bullpen. Junichi Tazawa is coming on to pitch for Boston after five laborious innings by Ryan Dempster.

End 5th, Yankees 3-0: Kevin Youkilis doubled, and Travis Hafner nearly wrapped one around the right-field pole, but Ryan Dempster got through the fifth inning with Boston’s deficit still at three runs.

Youkilis lined a one-out double down the left-field line after Robinson Cano grounded out to first.

Hafner then smoked Dempster’s 1-0 offering down the right-field line. It threatened to hook around the foul pole, but it sailed just to the right of it for a long strike. Dempster would once again use his splitter to strike out Hafner, and the right-hander now has eight K’s in total.

Vernon Wells ended the inning by bouncing a little dribbler in front of the plate. David Ross had some trouble with it, but it was because the ball hit Wells’ bat twice. That forced the umpire to call interference, thus ending the inning.

Mid 5th, Yankees 3-0: We’re halfway through this game, and Andy Pettitte looks to be getting stronger.

Unlike Dempster, Pettitte has been rather economical with his pitches, and his pitch count sits at 54 (36 strikes).

Pettitte got two quick, ground ball outs in the fifth inning. Both Will Middlebrooks and Jackie Bradley Jr. tested Kevin Youkilis down at third base, and the sure-handed infielder took care of business without a problem.

Pettitte struck out David Ross with a nasty slider to end the inning.

End 4th, Yankees 3-0: Ryan Dempster is really being forced to work.

The Yankees have consistently gotten deep into counts against Dempster, and it’s led to a very high pitch count through four.

Ichiro worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the fourth.

Dempster nearly enjoyed a double play, as the right-hander got Eduardo Nunez to bounce down to third base. Will Middlebrooks put his throw in a perfect spot for Dustin Pedroia, who attempted to spin the twin killing, but Nunez was just too fast.

Dempster picked up his sixth strikeout of the night and the second out of the inning by fanning Lyle Overbay, who drove in two of New York’s runs back in the second inning. Dempster then went to the splitter to pick up the K.

Francisco Cervelli managed to work a seven-pitch walk with two outs, and Brett Gardner threatened to do the same. Dempster struck Gardner out on a 3-2 splitter down in the zone, though.

Dempster has already thrown 88 pitches in this one. He has seven strikeouts, but also four walks, and he’s gone to eight three-ball counts. That’s a recipe for a short night, folks.

Mid 4th, Yankees 3-0: Eduardo Nunez made a fine-looking grab to lead off the inning, and although the Red Sox put a runner on, Andy Pettitte is through four innings without surrendering a run.

Shane Victorino led off the inning by lining what looked to be a base hit, but Nunez timed his jump perfectly and made a very nice, leaping grab for the first out. If he was 5-foot-11, Nunez wouldn’t make that play. But at 6-feet, better luck next time, Shane.

Dustin Pedroia worked a one-out walk, but Pettitte bounced back to get Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes.

Napoli fanned on a high, 2-2 fastball for the second out. Gomes bounced to Robinson Cano, who was forced to range to his left. Gomes nearly beat out Cano’s throw, but it was in time to end the inning.

End 3rd, Yankees 3-0: Brett Gardner is known more for his speed than his bat, but he got a hold of one to lead off the third inning.

Gardner placed Ryan Dempster’s offering just over the right-field wall to extend New York’s lead to 3-0. Gardner wasn’t even sure it left the yard at first, but sure enough, it landed just over the glove of a leaping Shane Victorino.

Robinson Cano, who bounced into the shift in his first at-bat, followed up by working a walk. He wouldn’t advance beyond first base, though, as Dempster struck out both Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner swinging before getting Vernon Wells to fly out to right field.

Dempster is already up to 59 pitches through three innings. Andy Pettitte, meanwhile, has thrown just 27 for the Yankees.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 2-0: The Red Sox couldn’t bounce back in the third.

David Ross singled past a diving Eduardo Nunez to lead off the inning, but Andy Pettitte wiped him off the bases by starting a 1-6-3 double play with Jose Iglesias at the plate.

Jacoby Ellsbury then tested his luck by hitting one back to Pettitte, but the left-hander had no problem snagging that one as well.

End 2nd, Yankees 2-0: The Yankees have their first lead of the series.

Travis Hafner, who went deep on Wednesday night, blooped a single into center field to lead off the inning. Ryan Dempster initially did a nice job of bouncing back, striking out both Vernon Wells and Ichiro Suzuki, but he ran into some major trouble from there.

Eduardo Nunez put a charge into one toward the right-center field gap. It dropped on the warning track and kicked up into the seats for a ground-rule double, which was a break for the Red Sox, since even the slow Hafner likely would have scored on the play.

It didn’t matter, though. Lyle Overbay made his former — albeit brief — team pay by dropping a two-run single into left-center field.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Will Middlebrooks finally picked up his first hit of the season, but it didn’t lead to anything.

Middlebrooks shot a one-out single into left-center field, but the inning ended when Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

I guess JBJ is human, after all.

End 1st, 0-0: David Ross showed in the first inning why he’s such a highly thought of backup catcher.

Brett Gardner walked to begin the inning, and the Yankees decided to put the speedy outfielder in motion. Ross gunned him down trying to steal, though, which is a continuation from spring training, when Boston catchers were nailing runners at a very impressive clip.

Jose Iglesias also deserves some credit on the caught stealing. He made a nice play on a short hop before slapping down the tag.

Robinson Cano then showed exactly why the Red Sox put on the major shift when he’s at the plate. With third baseman Will Middlebrooks pulled all the way over in shallow right field, Cano hit a chopper right at him. If the shift wasn’t on, it may have been a bit. But this time, it was an easy out.

Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Shane Victorino made a very aggressive attempt on the bases, but it cost the Red Sox.

Victorino lined a one-out base hit over the head of second baseman Robinson Cano and into right field. He would then move up to second base when Mike Napoli ripped a two-out single into left.

Then, with Jonny Gomes at the plate, Andy Pettitte’s pitch got away from catcher Francisco Cervelli. Rather than Victorino and Napoli each moving up one base, though, Victorino decided to push the envelope.

Pettitte didn’t cover the plate on the wild pitch, and Cervelli didn’t show too much hustle while retrieving the errant throw, so Victorino decided to try and score all the way from second. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Cervelli beat Victorino in the race to the plate. He dove and tagged Victorino up around the shoulder area, resulting in the inning’s final out.

The Red Sox could have had runners at second and third with two outs, but instead Pettitte got out of the inning unscathed.

7:08 p.m.: Andy Pettitte’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re under way in the Bronx …

7 p.m.: We’re just about ready for baseball.

6:25 p.m.: There’s a lot of action for Boston fans to keep an eye on Thursday. Not only are the Red Sox trying to complete a sweep of the Yankees, but the Bruins will continue their march toward the playoffs with a game against the Devils.

Thursday’s Bruins game isn’t an ordinary game, either. Jaromir Jagr will be making his Boston debut, and that has plenty of fans excited.

The Red Sox-Yankees clash will air on NESN, but if you’re looking to supplement your evening of baseball with some Bruins-Devils action, we have you covered in that department as well. The Bruins-Devils game can be found on NESNplus.

In order to see what channel NESNplus is for you, check out the listings at the link below.

Click here for Thursday’s NESNplus channel listings >>

If you’re tuning in to the Red Sox game on NESN, you can also follow Thursday’s Bruins-Devils game with NESN.com’s live blog. Our Bruins/NHL guy, Mike Cole, will be providing his usual, stellar commentary and analysis, so feel free to pop on over there from time to time. (If you promise not to leave me for too long.)

Click here for NESN.com’s Bruins live blog >>

5:32 p.m.: Not only will Thursday’s series finale mark Ryan Dempster’s Red Sox debut, but his battery mate will also be playing his first regular season game in a Boston uniform.

David Ross will get the start behind the plate. He’ll bat eighth, with Jackie Bradley Jr. moving up to the seventh spot in the order.

Jonny Gomes will return to the lineup a day after Daniel Nava served as the designated hitter and batted second. Gomes will bat fifth on Thursday, while Shane Victorino will move back up to the two spot.

The complete lineups are below.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, DH
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., LF
David Ross, C
Jose Iglesias, SS

Ryan Dempster, P

Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Travis Hafner, DH
Vernon Wells, LF
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Francisco Cervelli, C

Andy Pettitte, P

12:55 p.m. ET: The Red Sox got what they wanted out their top two starters, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, to begin the season. Now, it’s time to see if the new guy can keep the Sox rolling in the Bronx.

Ryan Dempster will make his Red Sox debut on Thursday as Boston tries to complete a sweep of the Yankees to begin the season. Dempster joked on Wednesday that he’s shooting for 30 wins this season, so the veteran righty might as well get cracking.

After taking down the Yankees on Wednesday, the Red Sox are now 2-0 to begin the season for the first time since 1999, when then-manager Jimy Williams guided the club to five straight victories to start the year. This year marks the first time the Red Sox have started their season off with two wins against the Yankees since 1973, and it’s the first time the Sox have started with two straight road wins against the Bronx Bombers since 1935.

All of those are undoubtedly good things if you’re a Red Sox fan, but why stop now? The Yankees look like they’re in shambles, and it would be nice for Boston to kick off its season with a three-game sweep before traveling to Toronto to take on the revamped Blue Jays.

The Yanks will send Andy Pettitte to the hill to try and stop the bleeding. At age 40 and entering his 18th season, Pettitte has been around the block, so he should be a worthy adversary.

Thursday’s action will kick off at 7:05 p.m. ET. Coverage of the game on NESN will start up at 6 p.m. ET.

Final, Red Sox 8-2:

The Red Sox showed a patient approach at the plate throughout Monday’s season opener, drawing eight walks and collecting 13 hits. Jackie Bradley Jr., who made his big league debut, walked three times and scored two runs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia also earned three walks, and he reached base safely four times total.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Jose Iglesias each collected three hits, while Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and Jonny Gomes banged out two hits apiece.

The Red Sox got the scoring going with a four-run second inning that was highlighted by a two-run single from Victorino, who finished with three RBIs. The Sox added a run in the seventh and three more in the ninth.

Jon Lester went the first five innings for Boston, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Koji Uehara, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bailey, Junichi Tazawa and Joel Hanrahan then tossed four scoreless frames to close out the win.

Lester ran into some trouble in the fourth inning, when the Yankees struck for a pair of runs, but he was otherwise very effective. Lester featured a nasty cutter, and it was a very encouraging start overall.

The Red Sox will have Tuesday off before squaring off with the Yankees again on Wednesday. Clay Buchholz will get the start in that game.

Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. NESN’s coverage of the game will start at 6 p.m. ET with Red Sox First Pitch.

For those looking to keep talking baseball, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@TheRickyDoyle). More importantly, though, be sure to check back with NESN.com, as we’ll try to satisfy all of your baseball needs throughout the season.

It’s one down, and 161 to go. Have a good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-2: The exits suddenly got very crowded at Yankee Stadium, as the Red Sox put up three more runs in the top of the ninth.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jackie Bradley Jr. sandwiched a single by Jonny Gomes with a pair of walks, which loaded the bases for Jose Iglesias. Salty and Bradley have each walked three times in this one, and the Red Sox have earned eight free passes in total.

Iglesias struck out swinging on a slider against Joba Chamberlain, who came on to pitch at the start of the inning, but the hard-throwing right-hander ran into some two-out trouble from there.

Jacoby Ellsbury chopped one to the right side. Robinson Cano juggled it, which enabled the hustling Ellsbury to reach and Saltalamacchia to score. Ellsbury wasn’t the only one hustling, though, as Jonny Gomes made a good read, and he managed to come all the way around from second base to score Boston’s seventh run.

Shane Victorino added another run and ended Chamberlain’s day with a single into right field.

Cody Eppley then came on and retired Dustin Pedroia on a ground out. Pedroia dove head first into first base in an effort to beat out Eduardo Nunez’s throw, but he was unable to get there in time. Pedroia appeared to jam his hand or wrist on the dive, but he’ll stay in the game.

Joel Hanrahan will come on to try and close this one out at what is now a very empty Yankee Stadium.

End 8th, Red Sox 5-2: Travis Hafner beat the Red Sox’ shift for a one-out single, but Junichi Tazawa got a 1-6-3 double play started to ensure Boston will take a lead into the ninth.

After Vernon Wells flew out to right field for the first out, the Sox stacked the right side of the infield with Hafner at the dish. The slugger did rip one to the right side, but it fell in front of right fielder Shane Victorino. Victorino actually thought about firing to first, but he ultimately made the wise decision to hang onto it.

Tazawa would get out of the inning a hitter later when Ichiro bounced back to the mound. Tazawa snagged it, turned and fired to second to kick off the inning-ending twin killing.

The Red Sox will send Will Middlebrooks, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jonny Gomes to the plate in the ninth inning as they look to extend their lead for closer Joel Hanrahan, who is currently warming up in the bullpen.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-2: Shawn Kelley got his season off to a nice start with a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth.

Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each grounded out in the inning. Victorino rolled one down to Kevin Youkilis, who charged in and made the play, and Pedroia bounced out to Eduardo Nunez at short. Neither team has made an error thus far.

Kelley ended the inning by striking out Mike Napoli, whose first game with the Sox hasn’t exactly been impressive. Napoli is 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in his Boston debut.

Junichi Tazawa will pitch the bottom of the eighth for the Sox.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-2: The knock on Andrew Miller has always been his lack of control. That flaw almost cost the Red Sox in the seventh.

Miller walked Francisco Cervelli and Brett Gardner to begin the inning, putting the tying run at the plate for New York. The tall lefty pulled it together, though, striking out Eduardo Nunez and Robinson Cano before manager John Farrell made the decision to go to Andrew Bailey.

Miller dialed it up to 97 in order to get Cano. Overall, with two walks and two K’s, it was a very Andrew Miller-like performance. The left-hander fanned 14 in 9 1/3 innings during spring training, and there’s no denying he has the ability to dominate hitters at times. The issue has always been his control, though, and he’ll need to cut down on the walks in order to establish any sort of consistency going forward.

Upon entering the game, Bailey was greeted by Kevin Youkilis, who doubled to start New York’s rally back in the fourth inning. Bailey struck him out, elevating a 95 mph fastball to finish the job.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-2: Jackie Bradley Jr. has his first big league RBI.

Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each walked to begin the seventh inning. After Jonny Gomes flew out to right field, which allowed Middlebrooks to tag up and move to third, manager Joe Girardi turned to a left-hander in Boone Logan.

Logan fell behind Bradley, who showed bunt a couple of times throughout the at-bat. The 22-year-old then lined Logan’s 3-1 offering right back where it came from. The ball caromed off Logan and over to second base, but Robinson Cano’s only option was to go to first. That allowed Middlebrooks to score Boston’s fifth run of the game.

With Saltalamacchia at second base, Jose Iglesias picked up his third hit of the game by hitting a slow roller down to Kevin Youkilis at third. All three of Iglesias’ hits have been of the infield variety. In fact, you could line up the distance of all of them, and the end result wouldn’t even reach the middle of the outfield.

Jacoby Ellsbury lined out softly behind the second base bag to end the inning. Andrew Miller is coming on for Boston.

End 6th, Red Sox 4-2: Koji Uehara wasn’t messing around in the sixth. He’s here to throw strikes, and he breezed through three Yankees hitters to enjoy a 1-2-3 inning.

Travis Hafner pinch hit for Ben Francisco, and he popped out to short for the first out. The Red Sox had a major shift on, so Jose Iglesias had to go a ways to make the catch.

Ichiro then popped out to third base before Lyle Overbay — who was with the Red Sox during spring training — pinch hit for Jayson Nix. Overbay flew out to left field to end the inning.

It only took Uehara five pitches to get through the inning. All five were strikes. That’s efficiency, folks.

Overbay will remain in the game as the first baseman. Kevin Youkilis will shift over to third base.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-2: The Red Sox received a stinger in the sixth.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the inning with a triple into the right-center field gap, but the Yankees cut him down at the plate to keep the score 4-2.

After Ellsbury’s triple, Shane Victorino grounded out to second base with the infield pulled in for the first out.

Dustin Pedroia then grounded down to third base, and Ellsbury took off on contact. Jayson Nix made the play and delivered a strike to the plate to nail Ellsbury.

Mike Napoli flew out to left field to end the inning. He’s now 0-for-4 in his Red Sox debut.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-2: Jon Lester struck out two Yankees hitters in a scoreless fifth inning, and he’s now up to seven punch-outs on the afternoon.

Lester started the inning by striking out Eduardo Nunez with a changeup.

Robinson Cano would reach via a one-out single into center field, but Lester buckled down to retire Kevin Youkilis and Vernon Wells to end the inning.

Youkilis made a loud out on a fly ball to center, and Wells went down looking to cap off what was overall an encouraging inning for Lester.

The Yankees will turn to their bullpen in the sixth inning. David Phelps will take over for CC Sabathia, who allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking four.

Lester’s day might also be done. He’s thrown 96 pitches (63 strikes), and Koji Uehara has been warming up in the Boston bullpen.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 4-2: CC Sabathia got two quick outs, but the inning really slowed down from there, as the left-hander found himself in the middle of some trouble.

Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks started the inning with a ground out and pop out, respectively. At that point, it looked as if Sabathia was poised to enjoy an easy inning, and thus allow the Yankees’ bats to get right back to work against Jon Lester. A two-out single from Jarrod Saltalamacchia sent the inning down a different path.

After Salty’s hit, manager Joe Girardi visited the mound, and the Yankees opted to intentionally walk Jonny Gomes to face Jackie Bradley Jr. The rookie responded by drawing a walk to load the bases.

Sabathia escaped the bases-loaded jam by getting Jose Iglesias, who had been 2-for-2, to pop out to Kevin Youkilis on the edge of the outfield grass.

End 4th, Red Sox 4-2: Jon Lester experienced his first struggles of 2013 in the fourth inning, and the Yankees have jumped back into the ballgame.

Old friend Kevin Youkilis kicked off New York’s offensive attack by turning on an inside fastball and drilling a double into the left-field corner.

Vernon Wells nearly did the same, but his bid was just foul. Wells would eventually walk, though, setting up first and second with no outs.

Youkilis and Wells each saw eight pitches in what was a lengthy inning for Lester. The left-hander struggled a little bit with his control, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia was a busy man behind the plate.

After Ben Francisco popped out to Saltalamacchia in foul ground, Ichiro hit a looping line drive into right-center field that dropped just in front of Jacoby Ellsbury. That loaded the bases with one out.

Jayson Nix was the first to take his hacks with the bags packed. He worked the count full, but Lester froze him with a 3-2 fastball on the outside corner to pick up the strikeout. It was a great pitch from Lester, and I really can’t imagine why Nix didn’t offer at it.

Francisco Cervelli then strolled to the plate, and Lester quickly got ahead of the Yankees catcher. Cervelli lined a two-strike, two-out, two-run single into left field, though, and we’ve got ourselves a game.

Brett Gardner ended the inning by hitting a line drive that stayed up just long enough for Shane Victorino to haul in in right field.

It was a less-than-impressive inning for Lester. What has to really sting, though, is that through it all, he was one pitch away from escaping the jam unharmed.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-0: The Red Sox threatened to extend their lead in the fourth, but CC Sabathia settled down to escape the inning unscathed.

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s second at-bat didn’t go quite as swimmingly as his first AB. Bradley — who bounced back from falling behind 0-2 to work a walk in the second inning — struck out on three pitches against Sabathia in the third. The strikeout came on a sinker.

The Red Sox would put two runners on after that. Jose Iglesias dropped down a bunt single, and Jacoby Ellsbury followed up by shooting a base hit the other way into left field.

Shane Victorino, who has two RBIs, grounded out back to Sabathia, and both runners advanced. The lefty would escape the jam, though, by getting Dustin Pedroia to ground out to Eduardo Nunez at short. It’s the first time that Pedroia has been retired.

End 3rd, Red Sox 4-0: The Yankees put a runner in scoring position, and Robinson Cano nearly got them on the scoreboard. Jackie Bradley Jr. was able to track down Cano’s bid for an extra-base hit, though, and the Red Sox’ lead is still four runs.

Francisco Cervelli led off the inning with a fly out to Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and Brett Gardner followed up with a little dribbler in front of the mound that resulted in an infield hit. It was essentially a swinging bunt from Gardner, who actually tried to drop down a real bunt in his first at-bat of the game back in the first inning.

Gardner would eventually move up to second base when Lester fired a pitch into the dirt while facing Robinson Cano. Cano would lift the next pitch to left field. At first, it looked like trouble, but Bradley was able to make a running grab while going back toward the warning track.

It certainly wasn’t a pretty catch by Bradley, as his body was flailing all over the place, but it got the job done.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-0: CC Sabathia gave the Yankees exactly what they needed in the third inning.

Sabathia bounced back from his second-inning struggles and enjoyed a quick, 1-2-3 frame. The big lefty struck out two hitters in the inning.

Will Middlebrooks was the first to take his cuts against Sabathia in the third. Sabathia would eventually win the battle by offering a changeup that Middlebrooks waved at to no avail.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia also went down by way of the K. He looked at three pitches, including an 81-mph slider that resulted in strike three.

Jonny Gomes popped out to shortstop to end the inning.

End 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: Jon Lester has three K’s through two innings.

Lester started off the second inning by getting the vastly overpaid Vernon Wells to ground out to Jose Iglesias at short.

The next batter, Ben Francisco, worked a walk, but Lester would retire the next two hitters in order to keep the lead at four.

With Francisco at first, Ichiro grounded to short. Iglesias tried to start a double play, but even at 65 years old, Ichiro is just too fast, and Dustin Pedroia’s relay to first wasn’t in time.

Lester capped off his inning by striking out Jayson Nix. Nix worked the count full, but Lester froze him with a nasty cutter on the outside corner to pick up the K. Nix knew as soon as it hit Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s mitt that he should have offered at it.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: CC Sabathia got himself into some trouble in the second inning, and the Red Sox have struck first.

Will Middlebrooks led off the inning with a sharp bouncer down the third-base line. Jayson Nix made a very nice, backhanded snag, and then delivered a strong throw to first for the inning’s first out.

From there, the inning got a little bit more difficult for Sabathia.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia worked the count full before drawing a walk to get the offense going. Jonny Gomes then hit an absolute bullet down to third base. Nix lunged and got a glove on it, but the ball was hit too hard. It ricocheted off the end of Nix’s leather, putting runners at first and second for the Sox.

Jackie Bradley Jr. then came up for his first major league at-bat, and he showed the plate presence of a grizzled vet. Sabathia quickly got ahead of Bradley 0-2, but the rookie managed to battle back in the count, and he earned a walk to load the bases. Bradley saw seven pitches in the AB.

The Red Sox put up their first run of the game when Jose Iglesias hit a ball into the hole between shortstop and third base. Shortstop Eduardo Nunez made the play on the backhand, but his throw to second wasn’t in time to get the hustling Bradley. Everyone was safe, and Saltalamacchia scored the game’s first run.

After that, the wheels really came off for Sabathia.

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a 3-2 force out, but Shane Victorino followed up by ripping a base hit into left field. Both Bradley and Iglesias came around to score to give Boston a 3-0 edge.

Dustin Pedroia extended the lead to 4-0 by shooting a base hit into right field. Pedroia is now 2-for-2 to start his season.

Sabathia would get Mike Napoli to fly out to end the inning, but the damage was done. Sabathia has already thrown 49 pitches after tossing 34 in the second inning. His velocity also seems a bit low, as his fastball has consistently been around 90-92 mph.

All in all, the Red Sox couldn’t have asked for a better start to this season.

End 1st, 0-0: Jon Lester got his day off to a nice start.

Lester began his outing by striking out Brett Gardner. The Red Sox pulled the infield in a little bit, thinking Gardner might try to use his speed and bunt his way on. Gardner did attempt to drop down a bunt on the second pitch of the at-bat, but he popped it up behind the plate. Two pitches later, Lester struck out Garnder on a cutter low and away.

After Eduardo Nunez grounded out to Jose Iglesias at short for the second out, Lester struck out Robinson Cano on a nasty cutter down and out of the zone. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the ball traveled to the backstop, which allowed Cano to reach base.

Lester ensured it didn’t matter, though. He retired Kevin Youkilis on a fly out to right field to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The Laser Show is under way.

After CC Sabathia got two quick outs, Dustin Pedroia lined a fastball into center field for the Red Sox’ first hit of 2013. The hit wouldn’t contribute to any damage, though, as Sabathia bounced back to strike out Mike Napoli in the slugger’s first at-bat as a member of the Sox.

Prior to Pedroia’s hit, Sabathia got Jacoby Ellsbury to hit a harmless popup to short for the game’s first out.

Sabathia then struck out Shane Victorino. Victorino saw six pitches in the at-bat before Sabathia pulled the string on a changeup for the inning’s second out.

Napoli struck out to end the inning on a changeup down outside of the strike zone. It was a nice first inning for Sabathia, who mixed speeds well throughout the frame.

1:10 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes a first-pitch strike, and the 2013 season is under way.

1:09 p.m.: Who’s got the Opening Day butterflies? Anyone?

Lou Piniella just tossed out the first pitch. Sweet Lou’s offering was in the dirt. Oh, Sweet Lou.

12:57 p.m.: The Yankees just held a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown, Conn., tragedy while the names of the victims were scrolled on the scoreboard. Powerful stuff.

12:55 p.m.: Kevin Youkilis was just introduced, which drew some “Yooouk” chants from the Yankee Stadium crowd. That’ll take some getting used to.

Jon Lester even admitted that it’ll be weird playing against Youkilis as a member of the Yankees. The left-hander made it clear that Youk is now “one of the bad guys,” though, so there will be no taking it easy going forward.

12:27 p.m.: What makes this Opening Day even more exciting is that the American League East is wide open.

On paper, the Blue Jays look like the most talented team in the division. They’re hardly a lock, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see all five teams in contention come September and October.

Each AL East team has question marks, yet each has immense potential if everything comes together. That includes the Red Sox, who — as you know — only won 69 games last season.

Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will really need to be the two-headed monster that they’re capable of being at the top of Boston’s rotation. Both pitchers enjoyed a great spring, and if that can carry over into the regular season, the Red Sox might exceed expectations in 2013.

Vote: Where will the Red Sox finish this season in the American League East? >>

Speaking of spring training, I took a look at the 10 things Red Sox fans should take away from this year’s Grapefruit League action. Before we kick off the regular season schedule, free free to scope those out at the link below.

Click here for 10 Red Sox spring training takeaways >>

And, if you’re a fan of predictions, you can also check out my MLB awards predictions — if you haven’t already — at the link below. Feel free to rip into me. I’ve got thick skin.

Click here for 2013 MLB award predictions >>

12:16 p.m.: We’re getting closer.

One cool aspect of Monday’s games is the patch that all MLB teams will be wearing to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy. The logo will also be displayed on the field. Very nice gesture by MLB.

11:45 a.m.: So how many people called in sick today? Show of hands.

Don’t worry, I won’t blow your cover. What I will do, however, is pass along some more neat Opening Day notes. (That’s right, neat notes.)

This year marks the 73rd time the Red Sox have opened up their season on the road. They are 31-40-1 in their first 72 road season openers.

Opening up on the road has been a familiar sight in recent years. The Red Sox have opened on the road 15 of the last 18 years.

Among those on Boston’s active roster, Dustin Pedroia has the most Opening Day starts with the Red Sox (6). And not only that, but Pedey typically hosts a laser show on Opening Day. He’s hit safely in all six Red Sox season openers since 2007, batting .409 (9-for-22) in that span.

9:25 a.m.: Here are your starting lineups.

Yankees
Brett Gardner, CF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Ben Francisco, DH
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Jayson Nix, 3B
Francisco Cervelli, C

CC Sabathia, P

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jonny Gomes, DH
Jackie Bradley, Jr., LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, P

8 a.m. ET: Opening Day is finally upon us, and what better way to kick off the season than with a Red Sox-Yankees showdown?

Jon Lester will take the ball for Boston after a magnificent spring. He led the Grapefruit League in ERA (0.75), and he looks poised to bounce back in 2013 after a horrendous 2012 season.

Getting off to a strong start will be a difficult task, though. The last 11 teams to visit the Bronx on Opening Day have lost. The Red Sox will try to become the first team to open the season with a win over the Yankees in New York since 1982.

Working in Boston’s favor is Lester’s impressive resume in New York. The left-hander is 7-2 in 12 career road starts against the Yankees. That includes six wins at the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009, whereas no other visiting pitcher has more than four wins at the ballpark.

The biggest news to come from the Red Sox over the weekend surrounded Jackie Bradley Jr., who completely tore apart opposing pitchers during spring training. As a result, Bradley earned a spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster, and he’ll play left field going forward.

The Red Sox enter Monday’s game with a 54-57-1 record on Opening Day and on the heels of two straight Opening Day losses. We’ll soon find out if they can inch closer to the .500 mark.

NESN’s coverage of Monday’s contest will kick off at 11 a.m. ET, and the game’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in, and keep it right here for additional commentary and analysis.

The Yankees exploded for four runs on five hits in the second inning, and it proved to be the game’s only offense. Vidal Nuno pitched five solid frames as the Yankees earned a 4-0 win over Felix Doubront and the Red Sox.

Doubront started off the game on the right foot, striking out two while tossing a scoreless first. The left-hander was lit up in the second inning, though, which was all the Bronx Bombers needed in order to secure a victory.

Doubront allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one in the loss, while Nuno pitched well on the other side for New York. Nuno allowed just two hits in his five shutout innings.

Boston’s offense was only able to muster up four hits. Two of the hits came off the bat of Jackie Bradley Jr., who continues to make his case for a big league roster spot out of camp.

The Red Sox’ pitching was once again solid — with the exception of Doubront’s second-inning implosion. Andrew Bailey, Joel Hanrahan, Clayton Mortensen and Andrew Miller all held the Yankees scoreless.

The Sox will be back in action on Thursday night against the Phillies at JetBlue Park. John Lackey is set to get the start. His first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and all of the awesomeness can be found on NESN.

End 8th, Yankees 4-0: Andrew Miller issued a leadoff walk and had to throw 20 pitches in the inning, but he kept it a 4-0 game.

Miller went to a full count against Dan Johnson before walking him. Johnson would then move up to second base when Addison Maruszak chopped out slowly to Jonathan Diaz.

Miller struck out Jose Pirela swinging and got Bobby Wilson to fly out to center to cap off the inning, and Boston will now take its cuts in the ninth down by four.

Mark Montgomery will try to close the game out for the Yankees.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-0: Josh Spence started the inning for New York, and Cody Eppley ended it. Both pitchers did their job.

Spence came on to replace Joba Chamberlain, who worked the seventh, and he retired Ryan Sweeney on a comebacker to the mound. It looked as if Spence was hit in the hand, though, and he was forced to exit the game after just the one batter.

Eppley then came on and faced Drew Sutton and Jose Iglesias. Sutton flew out to right field, and Iglesias struck out swinging to end the inning.

Andrew Miller will pitch the bottom of the eighth and try to keep this a four-run game.

The Red Sox have also made some substitutions. Jonathan Diaz, Christian Vazquez and Jonathan Hee are in. Brock Holt, David Ross and Jose Iglesias are out.

End 7th, Yankees 4-0: The Red Sox have once again gotten some good pitching, with the exception of the Yankees’ big, four-run second.

The Yankees banged out five hits during that productive inning, but they’ve been held to just two additional hits in the other six frames. Still, though, New York’s pitching has been just that much better, and the Bronx Bombers hold a 4-0 edge as we head to the eighth.

Clayton Mortensen came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh for Boston, and he easily retired the side in order.

Brett Gardner hit a line drive into left field that Daniel Nava tracked down for the first out, and Eduardo Nunez then grounded out to second.

Kevin Youkilis stepped up to the plate with two outs, and Mortensen got to two strikes on him before Youk popped up in the infield. Youkilis is now 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Mid 7th, Yankees 4-0: There’s been some talk recently that perhaps Joba Chamberlain is falling out of favor in New York. Some solid innings could go a long way toward restoring faith in the polarizing right-hander, though.

Chamberlain enjoyed a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Mauro Gomez lined out sharply to Brett Gardner in left field for the first out. Chamberlain then struck out Mike Carp before David Ross flew out to center field for the third out.

A report surfaced recently that the Texas Rangers were scouting Chamberlain. If the Rangers are indeed interested, they’ll definitely like what they saw in the seventh.

End 6th, Yankees 4-0: Boston’s catchers continue to do a nice job with runners on base.

David Ross gunned down Melky Mesa trying to steal second base to end the sixth inning, and it continues what has been a rather impressive defensive spring overall by the team’s backstops.

With the most recent caught stealing, Red Sox catchers have thrown out 11 of 23 attempted base stealers this spring. That has them tied with the Rays for the best mark in the American League.

A lot of Boston’s success in gunning down runners has come with Christian Vazquez — who has since been optioned to Double-A Portland — behind the dish. It’s certainly an encouraging sign to see such production from the catchers, though, as it really helps out the club’s pitching staff, which has also performed admirably.

The Yankees were held off the scoreboard in the sixth. Joba Chamberlain will pitch for New York in the seventh.

Mid 6th, Yankees 4-0: Daniel Nava singled up the middle with one out, but David Robertson managed to cool down the red-hot Jackie Bradley Jr. and keep the Yankees’ four-run lead intact.

Robertson struck out Brock Holt looking before Nava delivered his single. As quickly as Nava reached, however, the threat ended. Bradley grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The play was pretty close at first, but it looked as if Nunez’s throw beat Bradley by a step. Nunez actually delivered the throw while flat-footed, which looked a bit strange despite getting the job done.

Joel Hanrahan will pitch the sixth inning for the Red Sox.

End 5th, Yankees 4-0: Andrew Bailey now has four straight scoreless outings to his credit — assuming his day is done.

Bailey replaced Felix Doubront after Juan Rivera flew out to right field to lead off. Bailey got Ben Francisco to ground out, and he then struck out Jayson Nix, who fouled into David Ross’ mitt for the final out of the inning.

The hard-throwing David Robertson will come on for the Yankees in the sixth.

Mid 5th, Yankees 4-0: Drew Sutton’s error in the fourth inning allowed Eduardo Nunez to reach. Nunez returned the favor in the fifth.

Nunez’s error didn’t lead to any blemishes on the scoreboard, though. Vidal Nuno got the next batter, Jose Iglesias, to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, with Nunez starting the twin killing.

End 4th, Yankees 4-0: Kevin Youkilis had a chance to extend the Yankees’ lead, but he fanned for the second time in this game and is now 0-for-3.

Felix Doubront got two quick outs to begin the fourth inning, but Drew Sutton couldn’t handle Brett Gardner’s groundball to third base, and the the inning stayed alive.

Doubront gave Gardner plenty of attention over at first base after he reached, and understandably so. Gardner stole 49 bases in 2011 and 47 bases in 2010 — the  two highest single-season totals for a Yankees player since 1989.

Doubront even utilized a slide step while facing Eduardo Nunez, but the attention he paid to Gardner ultimately led to Nunez roping a base hit into left field. Youkilis’ strikeout ended the inning, though.

Mid 4th, Yankees 4-0: Vidal Nuno’s solid spring has extended into this game.

Nuno retired Mauro Gomez, Mike Carp and David Ross in order in the fourth inning. Gomez and Ross flew out to left field while Carp lined out softly to second base.

It was another easy inning for Nuno, who continues to make quick work of the Red Sox. He’s pounding the strike zone and getting into a rhythm, which has kept the Boston offense in check.

As mentioned, Nuno enjoyed a nice season last year in the Yankees’ minor league system. He went 10-6 with a 2.54 ERA in 31 games (21 starts) split between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.

End 3rd, Yankees 4-0: Felix Doubront bounced back from giving up four runs in the second inning to keep the Yankees off the scoreboard in the third.

Juan Rivera flew out to center for the first out, and Doubront struck out Ben Francisco looking for the second out.

With two outs, Doubront got to two strikes on Jayson Nix, but Nix ripped a 3-2 pitch into left field.

Doubront got Chris Stewart to fly out to left field to end the inning.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 4-0: Vidal Nuno breezed through the first two hitters before the Red Sox started to threaten. Nuno still managed to hold Boston scoreless.

Drew Sutton and Jose Iglesias kept Kevin Youkilis on his toes down at third base. They grounded out to the former Red Sox infielder to give Nuno and the Yankees two quick outs.

After that, it was back to the top of the order. Brock Holt singled into center, and Daniel Nava walked, setting the table for the scorching Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley, who doubled down the left-field line in his first at-bat, threatened to drop one into the left-center field gap. Brett Gardner tracked it down, though, and we’re still looking at a 4-0 Yankees lead.

Felix Doubront will come back out looking for better results in the third inning.

End 2nd, Yankees 4-0: The Yankees really hit Felix Doubront hard in the second.

Juan Rivera got the ball rolling with a hard line drive into center field for a base hit. Ben Francisco, who was recently added to further spark the team’s outfield competition, then grounded down the left-field line. Drew Sutton tried to snag it on the backhand, but it was out of his reach, and Francisco ended up at second base with a double.

The Yankees got on the scoreboard when Jayson Nix lifted a sac fly to right. That was just the beginning of a long, long inning for Doubront, though.

Chris Stewart, Thomas Neal and Melky Mesa then struck three straight singles, with Mesa’s dropping just in front of Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field. That put the game at 2-0.

The lead would increase a batter later, when Doubront fired a wild pitch to the backstop, allowing Chris Stewart to score New York’s third run.

The Yankees upped the lead to 4-0 on a sac fly by Eduardo Nunez.

Overall, the Yankees plated four runs on five hits. The inning ended with Kevin Youkilis striking out.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Vidal Nuno, who works at a brisk pace, enjoyed a quick inning in the second.

Mike Carp started off the inning by popping out to the shortstop, and David Ross then gave one a ride to left-center, which Melky Mesa hauled in easily.

Ryan Sweeney got a pretty good piece of Nuno’s two-strike offering with two outs, sending Brett Gardner back tracking. The Yankees left fielder was able to use his impressive speed, though, and he tracked it down to end the inning.

Nuno entered the game having allowed just one run in 8 1/3 innings this spring. He now has two more scoreless frames in this one.

End 1st, 0-0: Good stuff from Felix Doubront in the first inning. He retired the side in order while striking out the first two hitters he faced.

Doubront struck out Brett Gardner looking with a nasty slider. The lefty then fanned Eduardo Nunez with a high fastball.

Kevin Youkilis ended the inning by grounding out to Drew Sutton at third base.

Doubront continues to K hitters at an impressive rate. He entered the game with 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings this spring.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Jackie Bradley Jr. just keeps on hitting.

Yankees starter Vidal Nuno, who had a great 2012 season while pitching in the minors, got two quick outs. First, he got Brock Holt to line out softly to Eduardo Nunez at short. He then got Daniel Nava to bounce out to Kevin Youkilis at third base for the second out.

That’s when Bradley came up, and before he could even be properly introduced, the hot-hitting outfielder drove a double down the left-field line. Bradley kept his head down and put a nice swing on it.

Nuno bounced back, though, and retired Mauro Gomez.

Bradley’s bid to crack the Opening Day roster will continue to be one of the biggest storylines over the final 12 days of spring training. I wrote earlier this week why the Red Sox should start him in the minors to begin the year, even if it proves to be an unpopular decision. What do you all think?

Click here for an opinion on Jackie Bradley Jr. >>

Manager John Farrell did say that the Red Sox have no plans to play Bradley in left field. In other words, if he makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll likely play right field. Shane Victorino would then move to right while Jonny Gomes starts at DH in David Ortiz’s absence.

1:05 p.m.: There had been some rain in the Tampa area, but things are looking OK for now. Let’s play some baseball.

1 p.m.: We’re just about ready for some day baseball.

Wednesday’s game will hardly contain the excitement of April 1′s season opener, but it’s always interesting when these two teams meet up. They’ll do so 19 times during the 2013 regular season.

The Red Sox went a dismal 5-13 against the Yankees in 2012. It was Boston’s first season series loss to New York since 2007, when the Sox went 8-10.

This season marks the first time Boston will open up in the Bronx since 2005. The Red Sox have opened the regular season against the Yankees 28 times — more than they have opened against
any other opponent.

11:35 a.m.: The Red Sox have a few ongoing positional battles, and Wednesday will give us a good glimpse of those.

Jose Iglesias, Brock Holt and Drew Sutton will all be in the lineup. They had been fighting for an infield bench spot all spring, and the battle heated up recently with the news that shortstop Stephen Drew might not be ready for Opening Day. Right now, it looks like Iglesias may have the leg up in the open competition, but Holt and Sutton are all looking to prove they deserve a shot with the big club at some point this season.

Jackie Bradley Jr. will also be in Wednesday’s lineup. His red-hot spring has been well-documented, and he’s still doing all he can to prove he deserves to make the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old enters Wednesday hitting .439 (18-for-41) with a home run and five RBIs. Bradley’s .439 average ranks second in the Grapefruit League, and his .549 on-base percentage ranks first among spring qualifiers.

Daniel Nava, Mike Carp, Mauro Gomez and Ryan Sweeney — all of whom would like to make the team in some capacity — are in the lineup as well.

Check out the lineups below.

Red Sox
Brock Holt, 2B
Daniel Nava, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Mauro Gomez, DH
Mike Carp, LF
David Ross, C
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Drew Sutton, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Felix Doubront, P

Yankees
Brett Gardner, LF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Juan Rivera, 1B
Ben Francisco, RF
Jayson Nix, 2B
Chris Stewart, C
Thomas Neal, DH
Melky Mesa, CF

Vidal Nuno, P

8 a.m. ET: Take a good, long look. Wednesday marks the last time the Red Sox and Yankees will share a field before the games start counting for real.

The Sox and Yanks will play the second of their two spring training matchups on Wednesday. Boston dropped a 5-1 decision to New York at JetBlue Park  on March 3. The two teams, of course, will open up the season against each other in the Bronx on April 1.

Felix Doubront will get the start for Boston on Wednesday. Like much of the Red Sox’ pitching staff, he’s pitched well this spring. The left-hander tossed four scoreless innings in his most recent start against the Twins on Friday, and he’s allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out 11 in 8 2/3 innings overall. Boston’s starters have combined for a 2.31 ERA (21 earned runs in 81 2/3 innings) over 26 games this spring.

Doubront will be followed by Clayton Mortensen, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bailey, Anthony Carter and Joel Hanrahan. The game’s first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Final, Yankees 5-2:

Mauro Gomez and Mike Carp each worked a walk in the ninth inning, and Gomez would come around to score on a wild pitch, but that was all the Red Sox could muster up.

Boston’s bats were silent for much of the afternoon, as Mike Napoli’s solo home run back in the second inning was the Sox’ only offense until the ninth. The Yankees, meanwhile, got to Joel Hanrahan for three runs in the sixth inning, and never looked back after grabbing the lead.

Hanrahan couldn’t make it through the sixth, as he was hit hard and struggled with his control.  Andrew Bailey and Pete Ruiz allowed the other two runs in the eighth and ninth inning, respectively. The rest of the Red Sox’ hurlers pitched pretty well on Sunday, including starter Ryan Dempster.

Dempster pitched three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two. He was very efficient with his pitches, and it’s the second straight encouraging outing for Dempster, as he tossed two perfect frames in his spring debut on Tuesday.

The Red Sox will be back in action at JetBlue Park against the Rays on Monday. The game’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET. Felix Doubront will make his first start of the spring for Boston.

Mid 9th, Yankees 5-1: Pete Ruiz came on to pitch the ninth inning, and he was greeted rather unpleasantly.

Thomas Neal used an inside out swing to launch a home run into the bullpen in right-center. The next batter, Tyler Austin, made a bid for a longball himself, but instead settled for a double when the ball dropped on the warning track in left-center.

Either Jeremy Hazelbaker or Mitch Maier should have been able to make a play on Austin’s towering fly ball, but it was misplayed. Hazelbaker sprawled out for the ball, but it was just out of his reach.

Things didn’t get any easier from there, as Rob Segedin worked a walk to put runners at first and second for Austin Romine. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Ruiz was able to buckle down and record three straight outs.

Romine struck out for the first out of the inning and Ronnier Mustelier flew out to left field for out No. 2. Addison Maruszak then put a charge into one toward the gap in right-center, but Maier was able to make a running catch to end the inning and keep the deficit at four.

End 8th, Yankees 4-1: It’s a tough day to be an infielder.

Two innings after Drew Sutton made two costly gaffes for the Red Sox, Yankees third baseman Rob Segedin and shortstop Addison Maruszak each made a throwing error in the eighth. Fortunately for the Yankees, neither miscue led to any damage on the scoreboard.

After Ryan Lavarnway reached on the error by Segedin, Pedro Ciriaco chopped one right back down to the third baseman. Segedin was able to make the play and fire to second for one out, but Ciriaco beat out Jose Pirela’s throw to first to avoid the double play.

Ciriaco then swiped second base, which put a runner in scoring position for Mitch Maier. Maier responded by hitting a groundball to short. Maruszak made the routine play, but his throw soared high, allowing Maier to reach safely.

With runners at first and second, Josh Spence came on to pitch for New York. The first batter he faced, Justin Henry, hit a chopper down to first. Luke Murton was able to make a backhanded play and fire to second base for the second out of the inning.

The Red Sox’ rally came to an end when Brock Holt grounded out to second base.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-1: It looked as if Andrew Bailey was going to breeze right through the eighth inning, but the Yankees’ bats woke up with two outs and pushed across a run.

Bailey struck out Ronnier Mustelier and Addison Maruszak to begin the inning, but Jose Pirela and JR Murphy proved to be worthy adversaries.

Pirela ripped a double into the right-center field gap to get the offense rolling. Murphy followed up with a double of his own down the left-field line into the corner.

Bailey bounced back to strike out Luke Murton, but not before New York increased its lead.

End 7th, Yankees 3-1: Seven innings are in the books, and the Yankees hold a two-run lead.

Daniel Nava was the first Boston hitter to take his cuts against Chase Whitley in the bottom of the seventh. He grounded out to the first baseman Luke Murton for the first out.

The next two hitters, Drew Sutton and Mike Carp, wouldn’t fare much better. Sutton, who made two big errors in the Yankees’ three-run sixth inning, grounded out to shortstop, and Carp struck out in his first at-bat.

Mid 7th, Yankees 3-1: Junichi Tazawa has settled things down since coming in the game for Joel Hanrahan.

Tazawa struck out the first two Yankees hitters he faced in the seventh inning, and then got Austin Romine to ground out to second base to end the inning.

Tyler Austin and Rob Segedin were the strikeout victims.

End 6th, Yankees 3-1: The Red Sox came to the plate for the first time while trailing in the sixth inning, and they were unable to make up any ground.

Dustin Pedroia, Stephen Drew and Mauro Gomez, who was batting for the first time since entering the game, were retired in order.

Pedroia grounded out to third base, and Drew lined out to right field. Gomez then grounded out to end the inning.

The Yankees made a whole bunch of changes before the sixth inning. Ronnier Mustelier, Addison Maruszak, JR Murphy, Tyler Austin, Rob Segedin, Austin Romine, Luke Murton and Jose Pirela are now in the game.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-1: Joel Hanrahan struck out Zoilo Almonte to begin the sixth inning, but then quickly found himself in a world of trouble.

Corban Joseph singled to center field to get the rally going. Drew Sutton, who took over at third base for Will Middlebrooks, then made an error to put runners at first and second with one out.

Hanrahan ran into some control issues from there. He threw a ball in the dirt, and while David Ross was able to block it, the ball kicked away, allowing both runners to advance. The big righty would eventually walk Brett Gardner to load the bases.

Eduardo Nunez put the Yankees on the scoreboard with a base hit into right field. Jayson Nix followed that up with a groundball to short. Stephen Drew tried to start a double play, but Nix was able to beat out the throw at first base while another run crossed the plate.

Sutton’s inning really took a turn for the worse with two outs. Having already made an error in the inning, Sutton bobbled a ground ball off the bat of Juan Rivera, which resulted in New York’s third run of the game.

Hanrahan’s day would end after he walked Dan Johnson to again load the bases. Junichi Tazawa took over on the hill, and he escaped any further damage by striking out Melky Mesa.

End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox were 90 feet away from a second run, but the Yankees ensured the deficit remained at one.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia started off the inning with a hit into left field. Salty showed some great hustle, and he was able to stretch the hit into a double, despite at first looking like he’d be out by about 15 feet.

Saltalamacchia was then lifted for a pinch runner in Mark Carp, and Carp would advance to third base when Jackie Bradley Jr. flew out to center field with one out.

Jacoby Ellsbury nearly knocked in the second run with a hit to the right side. Jayson Nix gobbled it up, though, and he fired the throw over to the pitcher Jose Ramirez, who was covering the bag, just in time to record the third out.

Joel Hanrahan will pitch the sixth inning for Boston.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox’ pitching has been very impressive in this game. Andrew Miller was the most recent hurler to provide some effective work.

Miller struck out the side in the fifth inning. He sat down Juan Rivera, Dan Johnson and Melky Mesa in order, and showed an ability to get swings and misses in a variety of ways. Miller recorded one strikeout with his fastball and two with his slider.

Miller is sort of an overlooked reliever in Boston’s strong bullpen, but he could become a very valuable long reliever. The lefty certainly has the stuff.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox threatened to score in the fourth inning after the first two batters reached safely, but Jose Ramirez eventually walked away unscathed.

Dustin Pedroia kicked off the inning with a single, and Stephen Drew followed up by lining a base hit of his own into right field. That was where Boston’s threat would come to an abrupt stop.

Ramirez pulled the string on Mike Napoli, and the slugger whiffed for the first out of the inning. Daniel Nava then flew out to center field, which allowed Pedroia to tag up and move to third base. It didn’t matter, though, as Will Middlebrooks ended the threat with a groundout.

Andrew Miller is coming on to pitch for Boston.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Koji Uehara was the first pitcher out of the Red Sox bullpen, and he cruised through the Yankees’ lineup.

The first batter, Brett Gardner, skied at fly ball to right field. Jackie Bradley Jr. showed a quick first step, though, and he easily hauled it in for the inning’s first out. It was a relatively simple play, yet Bradley’s instincts were really on display as he glided toward the baseball.

Uehara then got Eduard Nunez to ground out to second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who had to hurry the throw in order to record the out. The inning ended with Jayson Nix flying out to shallow center field.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Adam Warren was able to bounce back from giving up the second-inning blast to Mike Napoli to pitch a scoreless third inning.

Warren looked solid in the frame, striking out David Ross and Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the inning. He then retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a weak groundout to the shortstop, Eduardo Nunez.

Retiring Bradley has been no easy feat this spring. Entering his first at-bat of the game, the 22-year-old outfielder had been 8-for-15. He’s been drawing rave reviews from many people this offseason, including manager John Farrell.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Ryan Dempster’s day is likely over with three innings in the books. The right-hander again looked very impressive, though.

Dempster got Zoilo Almonte to ground out to first base to start the third, and he then struck out Corban Joseph looking. The righty ended the inning by getting Bobby Wilson to ground out to Will Middlebrooks at third base.

Dempster didn’t allow a run in his three innings of work, and he allowed just one hit. The veteran also fanned two Yankees hitters.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Mike Napoli passed all of the tests put in front of him during his spring training debut on Friday night. Now, he looks locked in.

Napoli led off the second inning with a blast to center field. The slugger knew right away that he got a good piece of it, and the ball easily cleared the wall in center field.

Daniel Nava then got a hold of one to the opposite field, but Brett Gardner was able to backtrack and haul it in just in front of JetBlue Park’s version of the Green Monster for the first out.

Will Middlebrooks, playing in his second game since leaving Wednesday’s contest against the Orioles with a wrist injury, worked a one-out walk, but Warren got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to ground into an inning-ending double play to avoid any further damage.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Ryan Dempster looked impressive in his first performance of the spring, and he’s not looking too shabby against the Yankees either.

Dempster got Juan Rivera to ground out to shortstop to begin the inning, and he then struck out Dan Johnson for the second out. Dempster capped off the frame by getting Melky Mesa to ground out to Will Middlebrooks at third base.

It’s good to see Middlebrooks showing no ill effects of the wrist injury that knocked him out of Wednesday’s game.

End 1st, 0-0: Adam Warren was able to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the first inning by way of a very easy, 1-2-3 frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia each grounded out to begin the game. Then, Stephen Drew — who is hitting out of the No. 3 spot with Shane Victorino having departed for the World Baseball Baseball classic — hit a little bouncer back to the mound that Warren was able to field cleanly for the final out.

After one inning, it’s Red Sox 0, Random assortment of players in the Yankees organization 0.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Ryan Dempster gave up a leadoff hit to Brett Gardner, but the Yankees were unable to do anything with it.

Gardner hit a slow roller to short to begin the game. Stephen Drew charged in and tried to make a barehanded play, but he was unable to corral the dribbler, which allowed Gardner to reach.

Gardner, who is always a threat to steal, was quickly wiped off the basepaths, though. Eduardo Nunez hit a bouncer over the mound that Dustin Pedroia snagged before stepping on second and starting a double play.

Jayson Nix flew out to center field to end the inning.

1:36 p.m.: We’re underway at JetBlue Park…

1:34 p.m.: We’re almost ready for baseball, but first, I’d like to point out that Sunday marks Military and Veterans Appreciation Day at JetBlue Park. The pregame ceremony included a seat dedication and a moment of silence in honor of prisoners of war and those missing in action. The seat, which has been permanently placed at the base of the center-field flag pole, will remain unoccupied.

A big thanks to all you troops out there. I respect the heck out of you.

12:42 p.m.: The Yankees’ lineup card is in, and there are plenty of names on it that might sound unfamiliar.

Sneak a peek below.

Yankees
Brett Gardner, LF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Jayson Nix, 2B
Juan Rivera, DH
Dan Johnson, 1B
Melky Mesa, CF
Zoilo Almonte, RF
Corban Joseph, 3B
Bobby Wilson, C

Adam Warren, P

11:20 a.m.: The Sox will don the home whites against the Yankees on Sunday. They’ll rock the whites three more times after that — March 8, 19 and 27.

Plenty of regulars fill John Farrell’s lineup card to start, including Will Middlebrooks, who will be playing in his second consecutive game after sitting out Thursday and Friday. Mike Napoli, who made his spring training debut on Friday, will also be in the lineup. He’ll once again bat cleanup and play first base.

One player to watch in this game is Jackie Bradley Jr. Not only has he been red hot this spring, but he’ll get the start in right field against the Yankees. Typically, as you probably already know, Bradley is a center fielder, so the decision to play him at the corner outfield positions seems to indicate that Farrell might seriously consider adding Bradley to the big league roster out of camp if the 22-year-old continues to impress. Farrell didn’t rule out the possibility when asked about Bradley making the Opening Day roster, and although it’s likely the outfielder will begin the season in the minors, it’ll certainly be a difficult decision for the Sox skipper if things keep going the way they’re going. Bradley is 8-for-15 with a double, walk, four runs and a stolen base thus far.

The rest of Boston’s lineup is below.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Stephen Drew, SS
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH
David Ross, C
Jackie Bradley Jr., RF

Ryan Dempster, P

11 a.m ET: Sunday afternoon will give us our first glimpse of Red Sox-Yankees action in 2013. It’ll also be Ryan Dempster’s first taste of the rivalry.

The Sox will host the Bronx Bombers at JetBlue Park, with Dempster toeing the rubber when the game kicks off at 1:35 p.m. The clash is the first of two between the bitter AL East rivals this spring, and it sets the stage for their 19 regular season showdowns, which will start on Opening Day in New York.

The Red Sox have opened up the season against the Yankees 28 times in their history, with the most recent instance coming in 2010. That showdown was hosted at Fenway, but the last time the Sox opened up in New York was in 2005.

We’ve still got a month before regular season action comes upon us, though. It’s rapidly approaching, but let’s focus at the task at hand, shall we?

Dempster will be making his second appearance this spring. In his first outing, the veteran tossed two perfect innings with two strikeouts against the Cardinals. He’s expected to be followed up by Junichi Tazawa, Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bailey and Koji Uehara on Sunday.

.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia immediately made it look like Boston would do it, mashing a huge home run.

Daniel Nava then clubbed a big fly toward the Green Monster, but the thing fell incredibly straight — right into Chris Dickerson's glove, against the wall.

Mike Aviles squeaked out an infield hit, but Jacoby Ellsbury couldn't fulfill the Fenway Faithful's hopes for one more night. The Sox were so, so close but came up short.

It's a night to remember for the Red Sox, who once again showed that they have plenty of tools and ability. Ultimately, though, Joe Girardi managing his mind away and the Yankees getting the early edge allowed them to scrape out the win.

(The Orioles won tonight, too, keeping the American League East even.)

Tomorrow night will be a different story, though. It's anyone's game at this point, and Fenway Park should be just as much fun when the two sides go at it again.

Check back here for our live blog for that game, plus coverage of what has been a pretty fun series throughout the day.

Mid 9th, Yankees 5-3: This place is still a little bent out of shape after that double ejection.

Bobby
Valentine has the feather in his cap of setting the record for Red Sox
ejections in a year, for both players and managers. His six is the new
benchmark.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, appear to want to take this one in the ninth again. A Jayson Nix strikeout ends the Yankees rally, and Boston prepares for last licks.

10:43 p.m.: Vicente Padilla is in with two outs and two baserunners to try to keep the Red Sox within rallying distance.

End 8th, Yankees 5-3: Whoa.

Cody Ross had Rafael Soriano right where he wanted him. Man on second, two outs, full count — and Ross took a pitch he thought for sure would give him first base.

And the umpire called him out.

Ross was yelling at the umpire for a long time after that call, even after being ejected from the game almost immediately for screaming at him. Bobby Valentine hustled out there and was physically holding Ross back. "Livid" doesn't even begin to describe how torqued Ross was.

Was that a ball or a strike? I don't know. Truly borderline. But I've never seen a player go off like that — especially in a place that already had so much electricity during the at-bat.

No one in Fenway Park could believe that call, and a Sox rally has been scratched.

Bobby Valentine came back out to go at the ump again, and Fenway Park loves that, too. He was also tossed out of the game. (That's his sixth ejection of the season — and 43rd all-time.)

Say what you will about Valentine — he knows how to fight 'em.

Best part of the situation? When Ross was called out, he had the bat raised over his head. Common sense got the bat lowered before his mouth went off and the shouting really heated up.

10:25 p.m. Man, the Red Sox love that left-field corner tonight. At this rate, they may well come back and pull a you-know-what again. James Loney just doubled with two outs to keep the Red Sox threatening.

Yankees closer Rafael Soriano is in the game — the seventh New York pitcher of the night. Joe Girardi, all jokes aside, needs to do everything he can right now to get some wins. He can't let this one get away.

10:18 p.m.: For those of you wondering why Ivan De Jesus came into the game at second base, it isn't just to get the newcomer from the Dodgers trade some more reps.

Dustin Pedroia has reportedly left the game to be with his wife, who is in labor with their second child.

Mid 8th, Yankees 5-3: Derek Jeter may have been trying to do a little too much on that play.

Jeter appeared to pull up lame after trying to beat out a double-play ball, and he's been taken out of the game. Casey McGehee goes in at third, and Jayson Nix will play short.

The Yankees had a chance to add on in that inning. Mike Aviles blew an Andruw Jones offering to short, bobbling the ball in what resembled a juggling act. He was then unable to snag a pickoff throw from Jarrod Saltalamacchia after Chris Dickerson — pinch running for Jones — bolted for second. Ichiro Suzuki sacrificed Jones to third.

But, after Chris Stewart walked, Jeter bounced into the double play, destroying the Yankees' chances at building on the lead — and perhaps hurting the team's outlook moving forward, if the injury was more than a tweak.

End 7th, Yankees 5-3: Mauro Gomez did his part of the job, grounding home a run.

Then Mike Aviles, pinch-hitting for Jose Iglesias, did one better, sending a double into left to plate another run and keep the Red Sox threatening.

(Bobby Valentine isn't going to miss a chance to go toe-to-toe with Joe Girardi on the pinch-hit sweepstakes.)

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to end the threat, but Boston is two runs closer after a quiet night.

9:53 p.m.: Ah, another Joe Girardi move to the mound. Daniel Nava doubled, and that means Girardi wants a new pitcher. (Jarrod Saltalamacchia is at third due to that ball not falling well enough ahead — he used up all his juice on that triple.)

This time the pitcher is Joba Chamberlain, who will look to hang on to New York's 5-2 lead. It's a shame Kevin Youkilis isn't in Boston anymore, or this move would be full of intrigue. Instead, Mauro Gomez is headed to the plate as a pinch hitter with a chance to start some fun of his own.

9:49 p.m.: Boone Logan is now in for the Yankes after Cody Eppley gave up a ground-rule double to Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Start your egg timers — this one is showing the usual Yankees-Red Sox length.

9:43 p.m.: Cody Eppley is in to pitch for the Yankees.

Mid 7th, Yankees 5-1: Chris Carpenter did his job, getting an immediate groundout from Jayson Nix. But New York is distancing itself with time running out.

Curtis Granderson padded the Yankees' lead in that inning with his 37th home run, which followed a Derek Jeter single.That's
been how the Yankees have liked to score their runs this season — a
little on-base action from the top of the order, and the long ball. (They've won only four games this year without a home run, in fact.)

9:38 p.m.: Chris Carpenter continues the parade of relievers from the bullpen for the Red Sox. He's on in relief after Alfredo Aceves gave up a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher slammed his second double of the night.

Aceves did not seem pleased as he left the mound, the latest in the series of strange moments that have marked his time with the Red Sox and his relationship with manager Bobby Valentine.

End 6th, Yankees 3-1: No Mark Teixeira? No problem.

Nick Swisher is headed into a free agent offseason, and the right fielder who has rejuvenated his career in New York could be highly sought after not only for his bat but also for his ability to play several positions. Swisher just showed his skills at first base are no joke with that great play.

In fact, Swisher makes our list of free agents the Red Sox should seriously consider this offseason as they look to rebuild for the future.

Other news: Ivan De Jesus is getting some field time at Fenway Park.

9:22 p.m.: The Yankees now turn to the bullpen. Clay Rapada is coming on in relief with Dustin Pedroia on first base and two outs.

David Phelps, who has thrown 93 pitches, appeared to have escaped trouble when he erased a Jacoby Ellsbury single with a double play, but Rapada will face James Loney and try to preserve the lead.

9:13 p.m.: One more note on this Joe Girardi madness: He just pulled Eric Chavez, who was 2-for-2 tonight with two doubles, for Jayson Nix, who is a .250 batter this season. Yes, Chavez got his hits against Aaron Cook, but he's a far better batter and fielder than Nix. Andruw Jones is also staying in the game in left field for Raul Ibanez.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-1: We have a Joe Girardi sighting!
I knew we'd see Girardi go all National League on
us at some point, and he started his shenanigans in this frame by
sending Jayson Nix and Andruw Jones to the plate to pinch hit with Nick
Swisher on second after a leadoff double.

With Girardi and Bobby
Valentine sharing such an affinity for baseball strategy, you almost
wish we'd get to see them square off more often (that's a joke,
friends).

Valentine has made the most of his pitching situation
with his bullpen gymnastics this year, but he hasn't been able to employ
too many other tricks.

Girardi still gets scrutiny for how he
uses his stacked repertoire of relievers, fielders and general fill-in
guys. The recent slide that's evened up the playoff hunt in the American
League East hasn't earned him any more fans, either. In fact, Girardi
is getting that usual big-city "FIRE THE MANAGER NOW!" rubbish quite a
bit right now.

Girardi's maneuvers did nothing in that inning. Rich Hill and Alfredo Aceves combined to retire their Yankees batters, pinch hitters or not, and the score remains the same.

If you're wondering how the Orioles are doing tonight, they're tied with the Rays 2-2 after five innings.

9:08 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves has come on in relief for Rich Hill.

Hill struck out Jayson Nix and walked Andruw Jones before giving up a fielder's choice to Ichiro Suzuki, who beat out a bad throw to first base.

8:56 p.m.: That's Rich Hill coming into the game, folks. Aaron Cook threw 81 pitches, but the dozen or so in the fourth inning were his undoing.

He just gave up a banger of a double to Nick Swisher, and Hill will take the task of keeping the bases clean for this frame.

Cook allowed seven hits and struck out two tonight.

End 5th, Yankees 3-1: By saying "add some salt to that wound," I didn't mean Jarrod Saltalamachia. But he'll work. That's his first triple of the season and the fifth of his career. Very fine, no?

Saltalamacchia dropped the ball into the perfect spot in Fenway Park for a three-bagger — the corner in center field. Curtis Granderson, who is a great center fielder, was there, but the thing rattled around pretty well. By the time Granderson came up gunning, Saltalamacchia had decided to try for third, and he took it when Robinson Cano's sidearm whip was off the mark.

Still, for as well as Saltalamacchia has done tonight (1-for-1 on that triple, with a walk), I gotta say I miss Ryan Lavarnway and that thing that was growing on his upper lip. (Word is that he's shaved, however. How sad.)

Meanwhile, the Yankees' defense is looking far more playoff-worthy than last night's version. Granted, the Yankees did have their entire farm system on the field last night, but this inning had a great popup snag by Derek Jeter, who was ranging well behind third base.

And you've got to tip your hat to David Phelps, who has needed just 78 pitches so far. He rang up Daniel Nava and Jose Iglesias to end another Sox threat.

Mid 5th, Yankees 3-1: Derek Jeter graced the Fenway Faithful with his 3,281st career hit to start off the inning, then did some head's-up baserunning and took second on a long Curtis Granderson fly to center field. Jeter tested Jacoby Ellsbury's arm and came up with the base easily.

From our stat box, courtesy of the Red Sox: Jeter currently stands 32 hits away from the 225 that 39-year-old Paul Molitor posted for the Minnesota Twins in 1996. That's the highest total ever posted by a hitter who was 38 years or older.

Aaron Cook, meanwhile, is giving no more reasons to take him off the mound. He ended that inning by inducing yet another groundout, with a great nab of Robinson Cano at first erasing the threat of more runs. He's thrown 75 pitches tonight.

The great play that got Cano? Just a kid named Jose Iglesias. You may have heard of him, and please rush to your television to see the replay of that play if you didn't catch it live. This is why people gush about Iglesias.

8:30 p.m.: If you like salt in wounds, I submit: Curtis Granderson's home run and Robinson Cano's two-run dinger.

End 4th, Yankees 3-1: Well, I hope you enjoyed my first three innings of blather about Aaron Cook and David Phelps, because both have regressed to their usual stat lines.

The Sox jumped on the board in their part of the frame behind a Dustin Pedroia double and James Loney single. Cody Ross bounced into a double play to keep the home team from scoring further.

This one could turn into a slugfest.

Mid 4th, Yankees 3-0: How quickly a nice night for Sox fans can unravel. The Yankees have decided to start hitting.

Curtis Granderson started the barrage with a huge fly to right-center that landed a few rows into the bleachers, putting the Yankees ahead 1-0 on Cook's 46th pitch. That's Granderson's 36th home run of the season.

Alex Rodriguez didn't wait long to see what Cook would give him, ripping a single, and Robinson Cano lashed the second pitch he got into the Monster seats. The homer — Cano's 30th — marks his single-season career high. (Does anybody think this is the last time we'll see that many home runs from No. 24?)

Nick Swisher unloaded on the first pitch he saw, too, but merely flied out to the left-field warning track. These balls are all getting rifled, though, showing that whatever Cook flummoxed the Yankees with early is either gone or was easy enough to get a hold of the second time through.

Raul Ibanez hit a long flyout to right, but Eric Chavez dumped another double into the center-field wall. The consistency with which he's pounding the ball to that exact same spot shows that his timing is near perfect at the plate.

Ichiro Suzuki also got on the board for the first time tonight with one of his trademark slaps to short. Pedro Ciriaco looked close enough to make the play, but the ball bounced through his glove. Jose Iglesias grabbed it behind him but didn't have time to make the throw to first. The play has been ruled as an error on Ciriaco, although that would have been hard to turn into an out with the speedy Ichiro.

Cook limited the damage by getting Chris Stewart out, but that inning showed the early honeymoon could be over for good. Clayton Mortensen is now warming up for the Red Sox. It's time for the Red Sox' bats to warm up as well.

End 3rd, 0-0: David Phelps is getting his fielding practice in tonight, too. He took another comebacker to the mound and flipped it to first to get Scott Podsednik out. 

Phelps also got Jose Iglesias and Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out easily.

This isn't your fireball pitching matchup — both of tonight's starters rely on guile and placement to get hitters to connect less than seamlessly with the ball — but the effectiveness is top-tier so far. Aaron Cook has some serious juice in his sinking fastballs, and Phelps has been putting them where the Sox' bats can't get to them.

We'll see if the hitters have a better chance at the offerings in the next loop through the order.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Ah, the jinx worked. We have our first hit of the game from Eric Chavez, who has been great this season for the Yankees.

Chavez laced a double out toward the Hundai sign in left-center to start the inning — the 300th double of his career. Chavez is taking the reigns at third base tonight from Alex Rodriguez, who continues to get some extra time resting after working back from a disabled list stint due to a broken hand.

Chavez has been such a great addition to the Yankees. The 34-year-old is talented enough to be a starting third baseman, but he wanted to be a backup due to injury troubles he's had throughout the years. That's why he and the Yankees are such a good fit — he wanted to be on a great team where he could get a chance to contribute, and New York needed a top-notch, capable backup in the infield. When Rodriguez went down for a few weeks with the broken hand, both sides benefited even more.

Chavez is batting .282 this season and has hit 13 home runs for the Yankees as well as giving an above-average hand at third base. He's also been known to start a rally or two, but not this time — Aaron Cook responded masterfully, getting Ichiro Suzuk to ground out, Chris Stewart to fly out and Derek Jeter to strike out most emphatically.

I've always heard that Jeter crowds the plate, but seeing it from my bird's-eye view up here in the press box is something else. That guy is all over the plate, and I can barely tell whether those pitches to the inside are balls or strikes. It's a good thing we have a professional calling it down there.

End 2nd, 0-0: And you thought we needed CC Sabathia, Jon Lester, Huroki Kuroda or Clay Buchholz to have a decent pitching night at Fenway Park during this Yankees-Red Sox series.

David Phelps and Aaron Cook are having no trouble cleaning out these power-hitting batting orders early. The real trick will be when they sweep through the lineups for the second time, but nary a hit from either pitcher — both of whom have had very poor stretches this season — is pretty amazing.

For the Sox, James Loney grounded out, and Cody Ross went down on strikes. Phelps walked Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but Daniel Nava grounded out to second.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: That was a pretty funky play involving Nick Swisher there. He twisted to move away from an inside Aaron Cook offering and ended up taking the pitch off the end of the handle of his bat.

Those who follow the Yankees, Derek Jeter or the general hate tirade against MLB umps will know that was a pretty similar play to when Jeter took one off the end of a bat against the Rays and got to take first base thanks to some clever acting last year.

This one clearly bounced off the bat and skittered into the infield, though, and Swisher had to try to run out his pseudo-bunt attempt. He was a step too short, accounting instead for the second out of the inning.

Of all the things Red Sox fans generally detest about the Yankees, the tricks they get away with are probably high on the list. Jeter's ploy was the winner in the catalogue of Yankees gaming the system until a fella named DeWayne Wise had the clincher earlier this season.

End 1st, 0-0: It's nice to see Jacoby Ellsbury back in the leadoff spot, where he's done so much damage for the Red Sox before. He's coming out of a nasty slump that had Bobby Valentine sending him all over the batting order to try to work out the kinks, including the No. 6 hole. 

Ellsbury continues to be hitless against David Phelps, though, striking out to start the side for the Sox.

The Yankees also weren't quaking in their boots when the guy with "77" on his back came up to bat. That hitter, of course, is Pedro Ciriaco, whose name is rattling on everyone's tongue this night thanks to his affinity for punching holes in the New York defense.

Phelps got him, too, on a weak grounder back to the mound, then cleaned out Dustin Pedroia on a grounder to short. Pitcher's duel, anyone? It's a good night for baseball.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Aaron Cook looks solid in the first inning, using his sinker to get Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to ground out. He also struck out Curtis Granderson and needed just 12 pitches to hang the zero in that one.

I ran into some National League West fans before the game who were coming to Fenway for the first time. They're huge baseball fans and took the week to check out one of the game's best parks.

And yes, the Dodgers fan was thankful to the Red Sox for that nice trade that happened just a few short weeks ago.

7:15 p.m.: Game time! Derek Jeter is squirming in the batter's box, and Aaron Cook is throwing away.

6:57 p.m.: For those of you saying "We'll get 'em next year," take a look at the Red Sox schedule for next year and see how exactly you'll get 'em. 

6:48 p.m.: For those of you caught off-guard by that 6:46 p.m. National Anthem, don't worry — first pitch is still 7:10. The Red Sox are holding a ceremony on the field honoring Joe Castiglione tonight before the game.

6:30 p.m.: Scott Atchison has been activated off the 60-day disabled list, and Franklin Morales will get time on the 60-day DL himself, ending his season. Morales has been experiencing some shoulder fatigue, and Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine had said it was unlikely he would keep pitching, as there's no need to aggravate the injury.

Atchison is 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA over 46 innings pitched for the Sox this year, with 34 strikeouts in his 37 appearances.

Morales went 3-4 this year with a 3.77 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings, split between the  bullpen and starting. 

6:20 p.m.: With football season starting, baseball is back to fighting for the attention of sports fans.

The pennant race is certainly thick across MLB, but one part of the football season has even World Series hopefuls thinking quarterbacks and receivers: Fantasy Football.

I heard just as much today about trading for Peyton Manning as I did about whether Jose Iglesias would be making crazy plays at short for the Sox.

The Yankees clubhouse especially had fantasy chatter going, when the players weren't watching a documentary about boxer Vitali Klitschko. Hey, maybe they read my earlier stories from today and were interested in my punching analogies. Because if there's anything the Yankees want more of, it's spoiler analysis from the great Jen Slothower (who, by the way, won her inaugural fantasy football league with a team she named the Ferrets, just to annoy all the hard-core fantasy players — many talents, you see).

6 p.m.: It's business as usual in the clubhouses and news conferences today, but Red Sox fans looking for some fire and something to highlight the end of this season have plenty to cheer for tonight and tomorrow.

The Red Sox got the fun started yesterday with a big win that shows several of their stars are playing to make statements about the team's future right now, and everybody else who still can't stand the Yankees are hoping this series will pay back some of the misery the American League East counterpart has dealt over the years.

5:50 p.m.: Some notes on the lineups for today.

The Red Sox haven't had a lot of experience against David Phelps, leaving a very small sample size to see how they may fare tonight. Dustin Pedroia and Cody Ross are 1-for-6, Mike Aviles is 1-for-3, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is 2-for-2, and Jacoby Ellsbury, Scott Podsednik and Ryan Lavarnway are 0-for-3.

Pedro Ciriaco? Well, he's 3-for-4, of course.

Ciriaco is batting .486 against the Yankees this year and just .265 against everyone else (more stats below, plus Yankees manager Joe Girardi's reaction).

The Yankees have more of a history against Aaron Cook, but it's not necessarily stellar (except for that poor start Cook posted July 27).

Nick Swisher is 3-for-8 against Cook, Curtis Granderson is 4-for-6, Ichiro Suzuki is 2-for-6, Robinson Cano is 1-for-5, Eric Chavez is 0-for-4, Derek Jeter is 1-for-3, Alex Rodriguez is 2-for-2 and Chris Stewart is 1-for-1.

Russell Martin, who is out of the lineup for tonight, is just 2-for-20 against Cook. He may be a pinch hitter once (if) Cook is gone from the game. Raul Ibanez (7-for-14), Andruw Jones (2-for-14) and Casey McGehee (5-for-11) are also starting on the bench but have seen Cook before.

5:30 p.m.: Ladies and gentlemen, your Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees lineups:

Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
James Loney, 1B
Cody Ross, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Daniel Nava, LF
Scott Podsednik, DH
Jose Iglesias, SS

Aaron Cook, P

Yankees

Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Alex Rodriguez, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, 1B
Raul Ibanez, LF
Eric Chavez, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chris Stewart, C

David Phelps, P

3:20 p.m.: For those of you thinking fall may have come a little early, it's positively summer-like here at Fenway Park.

The players are warming up on the field, and the place is humming already.

12 p.m.: After a season full of waking up and wondering what happened the night before, most Red Sox players likely crawled out of bed this morning with smiles on their faces.

(Also, the Yankees may have woken up wondering how a Fenway Park gate got the best of their bus.)

Last night's win wasn't just great for being a timely spoiler — it also puts the team in place to say huge things about where it's headed and how it will compete with the Yankees in the future.

Both teams will be back at it in just a few hours. Until then, some thoughts from Yankees manager Joe Girardi on this Pedro Ciriaco guy, who is 17-for-35 (.486) with 11 runs scored and seven RBIs in nine games against the Yankees. Five of Ciriaco's 13 multihit games this season have also come against the Yankees, and he was batting just .114 over the last 10 games coming into last night, when he had two hits.

Girardi: "He was struggling coming in, too. He hits a ball off his shoe tops to get a hit in the ninth. He just finds a way against us."

8 a.m. ET: The idea of the Red Sox as spoilers was alluring but somewhat unrealistic coming into yesterday. As much as the Red Sox have been able to foil the Yankees before, New York (79-62) entered the game with plenty to take care of due to their crunch in the standings — and the Sox (64-78) have shown they could find plenty of ways to lose.

But Jacoby Ellsbury and his pals had a little something extra last night. In a game marked by several New York defensive miscues, Ellsbury delivered a 4-for-5 night with two RBIs, including a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth.

He and the rest of the Red Sox will be back tonight aiming to do it again.

After a marquee pitching matchup last night, both sides will send starters out tonight who are less distinguished but have still proven themselves in big moments: David Phelps (3-4, 3.55 ERA) and Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.17).

Phelps found a spot in the New York rotation after Freddy Garcia stumbled badly at the beginning of the season, and he's picked up spot starts as Andy Pettitte works his way back from an ankle injury. Cook, meanwhile, was great when he came back from injury partway into this season and mowed down opposing batters with his sinker. He hit a wall a few weeks in, however, and has been struggling to keep hitters off the bases since.

Phelps has pitched 12 2/3 innings against the Red Sox this year, with a 4.26 ERA and 12 strikeouts. Cook, in his only appearance against the Yankees, went just four innings and allowed six earned runs.

The fun starts at 6 p.m., with the NESN studio crew bringing you pregame details. We'll also have lineups and other updates for you here on the live blog as the game approaches, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. Leave it here for the superb analysis and general merriment, and maybe some good old Yankees-Red Sox intrigue.

Final, Red Sox Win 4-1: So, that's another huge step in the right direction for Jon Lester (7-10), who gives up just a single run in seven innings of work, scattering five hits and two walks.

Additionally, Pedro Ciriaco goes 4-for-4, including a double and his eighth stolen base.

With the win the Red Sox improve their record to 59-62, while the Yankees drop to 71-49. Lester picks up the win while David Phelps (3-4) gets saddled with the tough-luck loss.

Well, that's about it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. Stick with us right here at NESN.com for all your postgame needs, and be sure to tune into NESN at 10 p.m. for NESN Daily. We'll be right back here with yet another live blog tomorrow evening, as the Red Sox and Yankees play the rubber game of their three-match set, with first pitch scheduled for a late 8:05 p.m. ET. You can also follow and Tweet at this live blogger at @ZachStoloff to talk Red Sox and all things MLB.

Until tomorrow, adios.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 4-1: Ciriaco just continues to be in the middle of it all when the Red Sox take on the Yankees. He won't get credit for a run scored or an RBI in that last half inning, but the infielder's double set up Podsednik to score on Eppley's wild pitch.

So, the Sox manage to push one insurance run across here in the ninth, but can't get across the runners at second and third with no outs.

So, on to the ninth, as Boston tries to make that three-run lead — and Jon Lester's stellar outing — stand up.

End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: As has been noted, this pitching change, with Craig Breslow coming in, marks the first time a pitcher-catcher battery has been an all-Yale duo since 1883.

Since this live blogger drove through New Haven just this morning, perhaps it's appropriate, but either such oddities are the reason we all continue to tune into baseball.

I wonder what the tandem's collective IQ is? For the record, Breslow majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, while Lavarnway majored in philosophy — good thing he had that baseball career to pick up the slack.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-1: With only a two-run lead and facing the ever-vaunted Yankees offense, you'd really like to see the Sox break through and add some insurance runs in that situation, but it was not to be.

Instead, credit Cody Eppley for getting Ross and Lavarnway in a key situation there, and leaving those inherited runner stranded on first and second.

We'll see if not pushing across those insurance runs hurts Boston as New York goes down to its final six outs.

End 7th, Red Sox 3-1: So, can we declare Jon Lester back?

As this live blogger mentioned earlier, it appears that Lester's mechanics (his arm slot, specifically) aren't quite back to where they were when he was at his peak, but it has seemed not to matter his last couple times on the hill.

Anyway, after 105 pitches the left-hander's day may well be done, but Lester put in a largely dominant start against one of the game's great offenses in one of the toughest hitters' parks in Major League Baseball. The only Yankee to do any real damage against him was Granderson, so credit Lester for returning to form.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-1: It's time to stretch, wherever you happen to be.

Despite giving up three runs on the evening, Phelps sure gave the Yankees a boost in the absence of CC Sabathia. The right-hander yielded seven hits over the course of his 6 2/3 innings pitched, but largely scattered those and didn't walk a batter. Perhaps a better metric of how well Phelps pitched is indicated by his seven strikeouts, getting consistent swings and misses.

End 6th, Red Sox 3-1: Neither pitcher has had a long roll of consecutive retired batters, rather the hits have been sprinkled in. Nonetheless, it just kind of feels like both pitchers are well in control of what they're trying to do on the hill, and are largely keeping the opposing hitters off balance.

Lester, in particular, has minimized the mistakes, keeping his misfires exclusively to a bad fastball to Curtis Granderson.

End 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Credit Punto with a great day all around at third base, adding to the day's acrobatics with that nice recovery play to get Jeter.

Aside from that, if you're watching the FOX telecast of the game, Tim McCarver made a rare valid point in that last half inning, but didn't complete the thought. The fact that Lester is getting so many batter to roll over on ground balls to the left side of the infield is indeed a sign that he's pitching well.

What it means is that the Yankees' right-handed bats are putting Lester's cutter into play but not staying inside the ball, driving it into the ground and not posing much of a threat.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: This live blogger questions Ciriaco's viability as a long-term option in the starting lineup, but one thing can't be debated: this guy absolutely owns the Yankees.

On the season, Ciriaco is now 13-for-27 against New York, and that includes a couple of game-winning hits back in July.

In that inning, it looked like just the threat of the 26-year-old's speed appeared to be a disruptor, with Phelps distracted just enough to leave a pitch out over the plate to Punto.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: That's about as much extension as you'll ever see from an infielder, so put an exclamation point next to that play in your scorebook — if you happen to be keeping a book, that is.

Otherwise, that sure wasn't a cheap home run — in fact, it would have been out likely at any park in baseball — but it's a reminder how quickly a game can change when you're pitching to the still-loaded Yankees lineup.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-0: So, save for Phelps' first inning, we're thoroughly locked in a pitcher's duel during the early stages of this game.

That would be a rarity for New Yankee Stadium, as it always feels like a cheap home run is right around the corner. Nonetheless, if Lester's cutter is on, that pitch can have a similar effect to a sinker and induce ground balls, so that should work to his advantage in one of the most pitcher-hostile environments in baseball.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: So what's different about Jon Lester?

Since giving up 11 runs back on July 22, Lester has pitched four games which each gave reason for varying degrees of optimish that the lef-hander might turn it around. Well, Lester still looks like his arm slot is a little bit lower than during his prime, but nonetheless his cutter has returned with a vengance, seeming to have a bit more of a lateral break, but it's still a sharp, biting pitch.

Aside from that, Lester's mechanics look a bit more consistent, thus he's hitting his spots a bit better and relying a bit more on his curveball. We'll see if he can come all the way back and be the domiant, ace-caliber starter, but Lester has certainly looked much better of late.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Let's talk about the fastball Phelps threw to Crawford to get the left fielder looking.

That wouldn't qualify as having a cut action (a cutter normally has a sharper break and moves downward slightly) but that tailing fastball was abosolutely nasty — you won't often see better pitches. As the hitter, there is absolutely nothing you can do about that, it's essentially an unhittable pitch, so don't fault Crawford for leaving the bat on his shoulder.

The location was also perfect, starting well off the inside corner and moving back towards the plate just enough to catch the inside edge.

End 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: For the second consecutive half inning, the second baseman is at the center of a dynamic defensive effort.

This time it was Dustin Pedroia, who did well in two aspects in turning that double play. First was simply staying on the base long enough to receive the throw and record the out. Then, throwing from a very awkward position, Pedroia was able to get just enough on his toss over to Gonzalez to record the double play. Pedroia was basically throwing across his body and off his back foot, so credit him for getting that second out.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Enough can't be said about how great a play Cano made on Lavarnway's sharp liner back up the middle.

Usually, when a pitcher has to duck out of the way to avoid being hit, it's an automatic base hit. But that's why we're giving credit to Cano, not for just showing some soft hands and snaring the ball on one hop, but for being there in the first place. That is a prime example of knowing the hitter at the plate and positioning yourself accordingly. So, chances are the scouting report says Lavarnway doesn't often go the other way, so Cano did well to know the situation.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Jon Lester struggled a little bit with his command to begin the first inning, but in the end, he kept the Yankees off the scoreboard.

Derek Jeter worked a five-pitch walk to start things off, and Nick Swisher followed up with a base hit. That got catcher Ryan Lavarnway and second baseman Dustin Pedroia visiting the mound early.

Lester bounced back to strike out Robinson Cano, and he then forced Andruw Jones to hit a slow dribbler to third base, which Nick Punto was able to make a play on for the inning's second out. Lester then battled with Casey McGehee before ultimately striking him out to end the inning and end the threat.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out on the game's second pitch, but Carl Crawford followed up with a base hit, allowing the Red Sox to get the wheels in motion.

Crawford first took off on a hit-and-run attempt with Dustin Pedroia at the plate. He was forced to retreat, however, when Pedroia skied one to left-center. Although Crawford would eventually swipe second base once Adrian Gonzalez came up, it didn't matter too much, as the Sox first baseman went the other way for a two-run shot.

Cody Ross struck out to end the inning after running the count full.

4:08 p.m.: And they're off…

4:05 p.m.: We're about ready for the game's first pitch, and it's clear skies at Yankee Stadium. That's a good sign after last night's downpours.

2:30 p.m.: The lineup cards are in, and it looks like Ryan Lavarnway is going to be back in the Red Sox lineup. He'll get the start behind the plate.

The Yankees, meanwhile, go with the same lineup card they drew up on Friday night. It worked, so why not?

The rest of Saturday's lineups are below.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Cody Ross, DH
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Scott Podsednik, RF
Pedro Ciriaco, SS
Nick Punto, 3B

Jon Lester, P
Yankees
Derek Jeter, DH
Nick Swisher, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Andruw Jones, RF
Casey McGehee, 3B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C
Jayson Nix, SS
Ichiro Suzuki, LF

David Phelps, P

8 a.m.: The Red Sox fell victim to the long ball on Friday night, dropping a game to the Yankees following five solo home runs off the bats of the Bronx Bombers.

Franklin Morales was victimized by the New York bats en route to a 6-4 loss. But on Saturday Jon Lester will be on the mound, looking to continue with the solid form he showed when striking out 12 earlier in the week.

The Yankees bats will come to play again, but Lester will be looking to find the holes and mow them down. As for the Sox, Dustin Pedroia looked stellar with a three-run bomb on Friday, but the other bats need to come alive if Boston has any hopes at pulling out two of three in the Big Apple.

Keep up with the Red Sox Live Blog for all your info and analysis at gametime.

Final, Yankees win 6-4:

Swisher blasted two home runs to spark the Yankees, who managed five solo home runs on the night, to a 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Dustin Pedroia provided basically all of the Sox offense on Friday, belting a three-run home run in the third inning and giving himself nearly the best possible gift on his 29th birthday — a win was likely more desired.

Franklin Morales got roughed up while Phil Hughes looked damn good, and the Sox drop back to four games under .500 and even farther out of the playoff picture.

End 8th, Yankees 6-4: After striking out Granderson to start the inning, Andrew Miller was pulled in favor of Andrew Bailey.

Bailey made quick work of the two Yankees he saw, though. Getting the Sox out of the inning and back to the plate looking for a chance to tie things up.

Ross, Salty and Aviles are due up, so don't get too jacked up for heroics, although each of them has had their fair share this year.

Mid 8th, Yankees 6-4: The Boston bats nearly came alive with a bang in the eighth, but Pedroia came up just a few feet short of saving this one.

Carl Crawford got lucky on a ball up the middle when it went off reliever David Robertson's foot, extending the hit to a double. But Pedroia's moonshot fell short and Gonzo couldn't do anything with the big opportunity.

It's not looking good for the Sox, and hopefully they can turn it around the ninth. But I wouldn't get your hopes up.

End 7th, Yankees 6-4: Nick Swisher did it again.

After taking the lead in the sixth, Swishalicious went deep for the second time on Friday, giving the Yanks a 6-4 lead and just the insurance they were looking for.

That will likely be it for Mortensen, who pitched admirably but not perfectly — as the Sox needed.

Andrew Miller came on to close things out in the seventh and looks to have some of his best stuff.

Now, let's see if the Sox offense has what it takes to reclaim the lead.

Mid 7th, Yankees 5-4: Phil Hughes can't be stopped.

With another 1-2-3 in the seventh, that marks eight in a row retired by the big right-hander.

The best news for the Red Sox from this is likely the fact that Hughes now has 103 pitches and will probably be riding the pine the rest of the way

Already facing a three-run deficit, they better hope the relievers can hold up and keep the offense in the game at least.

End 6th, Yankees 5-4: Morales got a quick out to kick off the sixth, but after a pair of base hits and a couple of men threatening, it was time to call on the bullpen.

Clayton Mortensen came on in relief, attempting to avert the danger, but Jayson Nix got the best of him with a bloop single to left.

With the run, the Yankees took a 5-4 lead and look to keep Boston in check as the game enters the home stretch.

The run was charged to Morales, meaning his final line was five hits and five earned over 5 1/3 innings. Rough night, especially considering he only missed on a few pitches.

Mid 6th, 4-4: Phil Hughes is cruising at this point.

He may have struggled for a few batters in the third, mainly due to his own error, but he's rediscovered that zone and is absolutely dealing now.

Gonzo, Ross and Salty all went down in order and never seemed to have a line on any of his pitches.

End 5th, 4-4: Morales finally looked to settle in after a three-run debacle to start things off. But just when things were going good, Derek Jeter struck.

Jeter bombed home the Yankees' fourth home run of the night, belting one to the left-field seats and tying this one up at 4-4.

The Yankees now have four hits here on Friday night, and each of the four have been taken over the wall — not a good sign.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 4-3: Ichiro has been a solid offensive addition to the Yankees since joining the club almost a month ago. But in the fifth, he also showed off his defensive prowess.

The Yankees left fielder made a couple of stylish grabs to sit down Ciriaco and Crawford, avoiding another Red Sox rally.

Hughes has been nothing less than stellar since allowing four runs in the third. It should be interesting to see if this one turns into a pitcher's duel down the stretch.

End 4th, Red Sox 4-3: Franklin Morales may have struggled his way through the first two innings, but since the rain has held up, it's been clear sailing.

Morales struck out Casey McGahee to start things off, and then saw both Granderson and Martin ground out to end the inning.

His curveball is staying up in the zone, but he's got so much movement on it that it's difficult to judge. Through four, Morales has thrown just 58 pitches, so if he continues to settle in on the mound — and the rain holds off — maybe he could make it through six or seven out there.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-3: After a brutal third inning, Phil Hughes seemed to regain his form in the fourth.

Hughes sat down both Ross and Salty on strikes, giving him four on the night.

Aviles was able to bloop in another single — he's now 2-for-2 on the night — but Podsednik popped one up to end the inning and send things back over to Franklin Morales.

End 3rd, Red Sox 4-3: Scott Podsednik helped start the Red Sox four-run rally in the top of the third, and he may have just saved a run in the bottom half.

Cano blasted a shot toward deep right field, but as the ball approached the top of the fence, Podsednik made a leaping grab and robbed the second baseman of a lead-changing home run.

Take that, Yankees!

But for a moment of concern, Franklin Morales is giving up all the long balls tonight. Let's just hope that he gets through five before the Yanks see another one leave the yard.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-3: The Red Sox have got a chance after all.

After falling behind 3-0 in the early going, the Red Sox got hot in the third.

It started with Aviles and Podsednik finding their way on base, and after Ciriaco knocked in the first run, Pedey went deep.

Pedroia, who is celebrating his 29th birthday on Friday, sent a three-run shot 'la luna' — to the moon — and gave the Sox a 4-3 lead with his 10th home run of the season.

7:45 p.m.: I think they're holding off on any rain delays in this one, especially given the forecast.

It doesn't look like there's much in the way of rain headed in New York's direction over the next few hours, so barring an all-out disaster this one should finish up before the storms return.

Check out the three-hour forecast in the photo below.

End 2nd, Yankees 3-0: So, Franklin Morales looks good out there. No? Okay, I concede to that notion.

After giving up a solo bomb to Nick Swisher in the first, Morales has allowed back-to-back jacks to Granderson and Russell Martin in the second.

Maybe, for the Red Sox sake at least, the rain wouldn't be the worst thing here.

Either that or they need some runs, and fast.

Mid 2nd, Yankees 1-0: Hughes isn't having any trouble with the Boston bats thus far.

The Yankees starter got Gonzo on a foul popup, followed by a Cody Ross flyout and Salty's one billionth strikeout of the season.

Alright, maybe I'm being too hard on Salty, but in reality he's been so hit or miss — pun intended — this season. He's got a few big bombs, but he's also struck out a good deal.

I know he's the starter and all, and Lavarnway's been miserable, but maybe it's time to get this guy some coaching at the dish.

End 1st, Yankees 1-0: Franklin Morales made quick work of Derek Jeter, but Nick Swisher? Not so much.

Swisher belted a high fastball from Morales in the bottom of the first and gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.

Morales responded quickly with a strikeout of second baseman Robinson Cano, sitting him down with a confused look on his face. Andruw Jones quickly went down on a groundout as well and the Sox may be in business.

Rain could be on the way, though, which wouldn't be a great sign for this one.

Mid 1st Inning, 0-0: First pitch may have gone off without a hitch, but the first raindrops of the night started to fall before Phil Hughes even retired the top of the Red Sox lineup — and they went down quick, too.

Hughes blew through the Sox lineup, needing just 13 pitches to get by Ellsbury, Crawford and Pedroia.

Franklin Morales better be on his game in this one, because it seems that Hughes has his best stuff flowing early.

6:51 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks may be out with a broken right wrist, but that won't keep the third baseman from getting in his reps out on the diamond.

On Friday, Middlebrooks was spotted taking part in fielding drills at Yankee Stadium, even with a cast on that broken wrist.

Middlebrooks will reportedly not need surgery for the injury, meaning that there is a small chance he will be healthy in time to return and play for the Sox this season.

Check it out in the photo below.

Photo via Twitter/@RedSox

6:04 p.m.: The Mark Prior experiment is over for the Red Sox.

After a four-plus month look at the hard-throwing right-hander, general manager Ben Cherington and the Sox officially released Prior on Friday.

The move was to make room for the recently acquired Pedro Beato on the 40-man roster.

Prior was an asset for the Pawtucket Red Sox out of the bullpen, and although his numbers — 1-0 record with 3.96 ERA — weren't stellar, the move was a low-risk, high-reward maneuver.

Check out the full details of Prior's release.

4:35 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury, who is battling a minor leg issue, is back in center field and hitting leadoff for the Sox in their series opener with the Yankees out in the Bronx.

The club would love for Ellsbury to get hot, especially in front of players like Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez, both of whom have been streaking of late.

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter gets the start at DH as Jayson Nix will take the field at shortstop for the pinstripes.

Here are the lineups.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Cody Ross, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Aviles, SS
Scott Podsednik, RF
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Franklin Morales, P

Yankees
Derek Jeter, DH
Nick Swisher, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Andruw Jones, RF
Casey McGehee, 3B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C
Jayson Nix, SS
Ichiro Suzuki, LF

Phil Hughes, P

8 a.m.: The Red Sox finally broke out of their zombie-like slump on Thursday night, taking a much-needed 6-3 win in Baltimore.

Now Boston moves along on its road trip, heading into New York for a three-game set with the rival Yankees. This could be a make or break series for the Red Sox, who are still clinging to the hopes of a playoff berth but with very little wiggle room to work with.

Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross paced the offense on Thursday with the Nos. 2-5 batters accounting for nine of Boston's 13 hits on the night. The offense will need similar production from its big bats this weekend in the Big Apple.

Franklin Morales will be the first to take the hill against a potent Yankees lineup that ranks second in MLB in runs scored — only three more than the Red Sox, though. Phil Hughes will be on the mound for the Yanks, looking to lock down his 12th win of the season.

Tune into NESN for the Red Sox pregame show starting at 6 p.m., and be sure to catch all the game action with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.

5:12 p.m.:

BREAKING: everyone on the #RedSox to receive Tommy John during off season.

— Jessica Chahanovich (@RedSoxChach) July 31, 2012

5:07 p.m.: Yes, the Pirates did in fact acquire Qualls for third baseman Casey McGehee.

Most inexplicable trade of the deadline: Anything for Chad Qualls

— jonahkeri (@jonahkeri) July 31, 2012

4:50 p.m.: It appears that the Cubs have received right-hander Kyle Hendricks and infielder Carlos Villanueva in exchange for Dempster. That's a boon for the Rangers, as they're able to hold onto shortstop Jurickson Profar and third baseman Mike Olt.

4:30 p.m.: We'll wait to see if anything else filters in here, but it was an interesting trade deadline, even if many of the biggest names tossed around didn't end up changing teams.

Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence and Ryan Dempster were the big fish to move on the final day — Victorino to the Dodgers, Pence to the Giants and Dempster to the Rangers.

We also saw the likes of Hanley Ramirez and Zack Greinke move leading up to Tuesday's deadline day, though, meaning there's plenty of names to keep an eye on down the stretch — even if Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee and Josh Johnson are staying put.

The hometown team didn't make any huge splashes, with Craig Breslow being the lone pickup. The Red Sox sent out Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik to make that happen, and they've reportedly traded Lars Anderson to the Indians for a minor league pitcher.

Like I said, deals could still come in, so keep checking back. Also, be sure to bounce around NESN.com throughout the evening for more up-to-the-minute news and analysis.

At this time, I'll be handing the live blog over to my esteemed colleague Zach Stoloff, who will keep you up to speed on whatever else the night brings. If you'd like, feel free to follow yours truly on Twitter @TheRickyDoyle, because the party never stops.

4:20 p.m.: It looks like Lars Anderson might also be departing Boston. He'll be going to Cleveland for a minor league pitcher, according to CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam.

4:11 p.m.: Sherman is reporting now that the Yankees have, in fact, traded reliever Chad Qualls for infielder Casey McGehee.

4:09 p.m.: The Yankees may have snuck in a trade under the gun. The New York Post's Joel Sherman is working to confirm, but the Yankees were reportedly talking with the Pirates about trading Chad Qualls for Casey McGehee.

4:06 p.m.: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Cubs will receive two Class-A pitchers in exchange for Dempster.

4:03 p.m.: Others are now confirming Olney's report that Ryan Dempster is going to the Rangers. It's a move that definitely boosts Texas' rotation, but one has to wonder how much of a difference-maker he'll be in the American League.

4 p.m.: It took until the closing moments, but ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Rangers have landed Ryan Dempster.

3:58 p.m.: Shin-Soo Choo is expected to remain with the Indians, according to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.

3:56 p.m.: The Dodgers are out on Dempster, but the Yankees are still talking to the Cubs, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

3:50 p.m.: Ryan Dempster won't be going to the Dodgers, according to The Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez. The Dodgers are reportedly out on Dempster, and will not be making any other moves today.

If this ends up being true, it ends a busy trade deadline for the Dodgers. They acquired Shane Victorino this afternoon, while also adding Hanley Ramirez, Randy Choate and Brandon League in previous days.

Hernandez is also reporting that the Dodgers made a late push for Twins left-hander Glen Perkins, but nothing materialized.

3:48 p.m.: Josh Johnson is another name we haven't heard much of this afternoon, and it looks like he's staying in Miami. FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports the Marlins ace will not be traded.

3:42 p.m.: Chase Headley and Stephen Drew are two guys we haven't heard much of here in the final hour. Again, there's still time, but it wouldn't be surprising to see either of them stay put.

3:39 p.m.: There's still time to wheel and deal, although ESPN.com's Gordon Edes is reporting that it's unlikely the Red Sox will be involved in any more transactions before 4 p.m.

3:36 p.m.: We're in the final half hour now. Don't go anywhere when the clock strikes 4, though. That's the deadline for paperwork to be filed to the league, and we've seen deals come in after 4 o'clock in the past. Think Manny Ramirez.

3:30 p.m.: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Jonathan Broxton is going to the Reds.

3:26 p.m.: To follow up on a previous report, it doesn't look like Denard Span will be joining the Reds. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports a deal for the outfielder isn't happening between Minnesota and Cincinnati.

3:25 p.m.: The Orioles are reportedly in on Broxton as well, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

3:22 p.m.: And here comes Jonathan Broxton's name. The Reds and Giants are trying to pry the closer away from the Royals, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden.

Broxton, of course, was a huge question mark entering this season, but he's been a nice surprise with Kansas City and could go a long way toward bolstering someone's bullpen.

3:19 p.m.: Alfonso Soriano appears to be staying in Chicago. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Cubs have said Soriano is likely staying put, although things could reportedly change in August when he clears waivers.

3:16 p.m.: Alfonso Soriano's name is becoming increasingly popular as we hit the 45-minute mark. CSNChicago.com's David Kaplan is reporting that the Tigers and Cubs are hard at work on a deal for the outfielder.

The Tigers were believed to be in the market for a middle-of-the-order bat earlier in the day, and while Soriano isn't the player he once was, he's putting together a nice campaign and remains somewhat of a power threat. Soriano has 19 jacks and 61 RBIs this season.

According to Kaplan, money could end up being the big hold-up in a potential deal.

3:12 p.m.: We've seen crazy things happen in the closing moments of the trade deadline, but it's worth noting that Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kelly Shoppach are both plugged into Boston's starting lineup tonight, and Josh Beckett is still tapped as tonight's starting pitcher.

All three of those guys' names were tossed around in rumors over the past 24 hours, so their presence in the lineup could indicate that a deal is unlikely in the final hour.

3:10 p.m.: It looks like Gaby Sanchez will be going from Miami to Pittsburgh, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden.

Sanchez has had a rough season and could benefit from a change of scenery with the Pirates.

3:01 p.m.: It looks like Breslow will indeed be joining the Red Sox.

FOXSportsArizona.com's Jack Magruder is also reporting the deal, tweeting that the Red Sox will be shipping Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik to the Diamondbacks in exchange for the reliever.

The thinking is likely that this move allows Franklin Morales to move back into the rotation if needed. Lefty relievers like Breslow are always valued this time of year, even if they're not the sexiest additions.

2:54 p.m.: It looks like the Red Sox may be on the verge of a trade as we get ready to hit the final hour before the 4 p.m. deadline.

According to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Sox may be acquiring left-handed reliever Craig Breslow.

Breslow, of course, pitched for the Red Sox in 2006. This season, he's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 40 games with the Diamondbacks. The lefty boasts a 3.02 ERA in his seven-year major league career.

Keep in mind, nothing is yet official. But the report is at least out there at this moment.

2:50 p.m.: Big trade to report! OK, not really, but it's a deal, nonetheless.

Peter Gammons reports that the Cardinals have received Edward Mujica in exchange for Zack Cox.

2:48 p.m.: Don't count out the Dodgers on Dempster just yet. They're still in on the 35-year-old righty, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Meanwhile, the Cubs would likely eat most of Dempster's salary if he's sent to the Yankees, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

2:43 p.m.: The Yankees have confirmed discussions with the Cubs about Ryan Dempster, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden. That's the first confirmation we've heard from the Yankees side of things, so clearly landing Dempster isn't out of the realm of possibility.

The Yankees did not confirm that Dempster would waive his 10-5 rights, but ESPN.com's Bruce Levine reports that Dempster said he would accept a trade there, as well as to the Rangers and Dodgers.

2:39 p.m.: Back to the Blanton-Orioles talk. Apparently, the Phillies hurler isn't the only player the O's are targeting leading up to the 4 p.m. deadline. According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Baltimore is also seeking a reliever while exploring other rotation options.

2:29 p.m.: One hurdle in any potential Ryan Dempster trade is getting him to agree to the deal. Dempster would approve a deal to the Yankees, however, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.

2:27 p.m.: The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo is reporting that the Red Sox are exploring a hitter and a reliever (preferably left-handed).

2:14 p.m.: The Hunter Pence deal is official. Pence heads to the Giants in exchange for Nate Schierholtz, Tommy Joseph and Seth Rosen.

2:11 p.m.: FOX Sports' Jon Morosi is now reporting that he and his colleague, Ken Rosenthal, have also been told that the Yankees and Cubs have discussed Dempster.

We'll see if these talks go anywhere, but it's no secret that New York could use a starting pitcher. Dempster might be a gutsy choice, though, as his track record is a bit sporadic despite the superb season.

2:04 p.m.: The Yankees surfaced earlier as a potential suitor for Ryan Dempster, but it was then reported that they weren't involved in any discussions for the Cubs hurler. Well, the flip-flopping continues.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Cubs are engaged in "heavy discussions" with the Yankees about Dempster, while also talking to the Dodgers and Rangers.

2:00 p.m.: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is also reporting that the Diamondbacks are trying to land a big-time starting pitcher.

1:58 p.m.: The Reds and Twins are now jumping onto the deadline map, discussing a trade involving Denard Span, according to CBSSports.com's Scott Miller. Miller reports that he's hearing there's a 50/50 chance of a deal happening.

1:57 p.m.: The Nationals remain a possibility for Kelly Shoppach if the Red Sox deal the backstop, according to CBSSports.com's Dany Knobler.

1:56 p.m.: ESPN's Jim Bowden reports that other teams have jump in on the Ryan Dempster sweepstakes, and that there's a "serious game of chicken" going on between the Cubs and Dodgers at this point.

1:54 p.m.: Joe Blanton-to-the-Orioles is gaining steam again, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly reports that at least one source he spoke with said it would now be a surprise if the O's didn't land Blanton.

1:51 p.m.: ESPN's Jim Bowden has taken Olney's report regarding the D-Backs and Cubs a step further, saying that Justin Upton is not part of any Matt Garza trade negotiations.

1:39 p.m.: The James Shields chatter had died down a bit in recent days, but don't close the book on it just yet.

According to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, the Rays and Rangers have had discussions about a trade involving Shields.

1:37 p.m.: I noted a little while ago a report stating that Diamondbacks executives were having a closed door meeting. ESPN's Buster Olney is now reporting that the D-Backs are working hard on something big.

Olney notes that a Matt Garza-Justin Upton framework makes sense for both sides, but the Cubs are reportedly on Upton's no-trade list.

1:33 p.m.: While it looked like Ryan Dempster would trade Cubs blue for Dodger blue, that too isn't a done deal, and there's reportedly still some hold-ups.

CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler tweeted that the Cubs have long wanted pitching prospect Allen Webster in any deal, but the Dodgers aren't budging.

"We'll see who blinks," Knobler says. Not us — stay right here.

1:29 p.m.: The Hunter Pence deal isn't 100 percent official yet, but CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman is hearing that the Phillies will receive Tommy Joseph and outfielder Nate Schierholtz in the deal, with a pitcher potentially being the third element in a 3-for-1 swap.

1:05 p.m.: The Dodgers and Giants have traded blows, which means the D-Backs are on the outside looking in at this point. It's as if there's a deadline party, and Arizona isn't invited.

We'll see how long this ends up being the case, though, as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Diamondbacks executives are meeting behind closed doors at a hotel in Los Angeles. Mysterious.

We'll see if the D-Backs decide to up the ante and go after an ace starting pitcher, which there's been some conflicting reports about throughout the morning/afternoon.

12:58 p.m.: Details are still coming out about a potential Hunter Pence deal, but it looks like the Phillies would be receiving minor league catcher/first baseman Tommy Joseph as part of the trade, according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.

Pence is eligible for free agency after 2013. He's hitting .271 with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs this season.

12:55 p.m.: The Dodgers have officially announced the Shane Victorino deal. Figured you'd like to know.

12:50 p.m.: Josh Beckett's name has popped up again out on the Twitterverse. Nothing new to really report, though.

WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that the Red Sox and Rangers are "definitely" not going to revisit any Beckett discussions before today's deadline. That's in line with the reports of late last night, which indicated that Boston will not deal away the right-hander.

Bradford tweets that there's a possibility the two sides could revisit talks prior to the waiver deadline.

12:41 p.m.: A couple of Red Sox updates for all you Bostonians.

ESPN.com's Joe McDonald reports that Ryan Kalish is on his way to Boston. That's likely just the result of Ryan Sweeney's injury, however.

Meanwhile, the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman reports that the Brewers are not in on Kelly Shoppach, which contradicts a previous report stating Milwaukee and Washington were interested in the Boston catcher.

12:32 p.m.: It looks like Ryan Dempster is finally getting his wish and heading to Los Angeles. ESPN's Jim Bowden reports that the final dotting of I's and crossing of T's is being worked on.

It's been a wild hour for the Dodgers, who have now reportedly acquired both Dempster and Victorino while watching the rival Giants reportedly scoop up Hunter Pence.

12:30 p.m.: Developments are coming fast and furious right now, as it appears Hunter Pence is, in fact, on his way to the Giants.

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman is reporting the deal.

12:26 p.m.: The Dodgers might not be done dealing either. ESPN's Jim Bowden reports that the Dodgers and Cubs are finally closing in on a Ryan Dempster deal.

We've really seen an increase in activity over the past hour or so, and most of it is out in the NL West.

12:22 p.m.: It didn't take long for the Giants to counter the deadline punch thrown by the Dodgers. The Giants are nearing a deal for Hunter Pence, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.

The Phillies are really playing a hilarious role in all of this. It's like they're trying to start a fight between the two clubs for their own personal amusement. Classic little kid move.

12 p.m.: As the clock strikes noon, it looks like Shane Victorino is finally ready to become a Dodger.

Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown reports that the Phillies have traded Victorino to the Dodgers in exchange for Josh Lindblom and Ethan Martin.

Not really a surprise there since a deal has been speculated all morning, but it's the first report that a deal has actually been completed.

11:57 a.m.: There's still plenty of time for things to pick up in Boston, but it's pretty quiet on the Red Sox trade front as the clock gets ready to strike high noon.

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reports that Sox GM Ben Cherington said via text message that the club is "not engaged in escalated trade talks" at this hour.

11:42 a.m.: The Orioles are an interesting team in all of this. They enter Tuesday's action just two back of a wild card spot. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, the O's were sent medicals on Joe Blanton, as well as two Phillies minor leaguers. Busy day in Philly.

11:37 a.m.: When your middle of the order consists of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, typically you wouldn't consider that an area of need. However, it's now just a "50/50" shot that Victor Martinez — who was expected to return as soon as late August — returns to the Detroit lineup at all this season, meaning the Tigers are looking for a middle-of-the-order bat, according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.

11:29 a.m.: We're roughly 4 1/2 hours away from the big 4 p.m. deadline, and there's still plenty of rumors flying. You guys tired yet?

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports that he's hearing the chances of Chase Headley getting dealt is at "50/50." He lists the Indians, Orioles, Pirates, Athletics and Yankees (longshot) as potential suitors.

11:22 a.m.: Well, the belief of many was that a Shane Victorino deal would spell the end of the Hunter Pence trade talk. That's hardly the case, however.

CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury is reporting that Hunter Pence could still go to San Francisco.

It's also interesting to note that Domonic Brown has been scratched from the lineup in his Triple-A game, which presumably means he'll join the big club in Philly in the wake of a deal. That could be the biggest indication that a Victorino trade is nearing completion.

11:19 a.m.: Travis Snider is now a member of the Pirates, and his first order of business is learning how to spell Pittsburgh. Snider's first tweets as a member of the Bucs included him addressing "Pittsburg."

Hey, the guy was excited and he noticed his mistake, so we'll give him a free pass.

11:10 a.m.: ESPN's Jayson Stark is the latest to toss Jarrod Saltalamacchia's name into the trade mix, doing so on SportsCenter. ESPN's Jim Bowden tweeted earlier that the Red Sox may consider dealing the catcher in an effort to pave the way for Ryan Lavarnway, thus getting younger in the process. This should all be taken with a grain of salt at this point, though.

10:56 a.m.: The Rangers could still have interest in Matt Garza, but FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Texas finds the quality of available starting pitchers to be "minimal." With that said, the Rangers could wait until the August waiver period, and then reassess the market.

10:52 a.m.: At this point, by all accounts, it looks like Shane Victorino-to-the-Dodgers might just be a matter of time. Numerous reports state that a deal is close.

A couple of interesting sidenotes of a potential Victorino deal, however, come from ESPN's Jayson Stark. Starks tweeted that a Victorino trade almost certainly ends the possibility of the Phillies dealing Hunter Pence before this winter because they're now short on outfielders. He followed that up by saying that the Victorino deal would also mean Alfonso Soriano won't be attached to any Ryan Dempster trade between the Cubs and Dodgers.

10:45 a.m.: ESPN's Jim Bowden is reporting on Twitter that the biggest name the Sox may move today is "Jarrod Saltallamchia." No telling whether that particular Jarrod is familiar with Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

10:37 a.m.: The Cubs have traded Geovany Soto to the Rangers. Oh, wait, you already knew that?

Well, the two teams finally made the deal — which was widely reported Monday night — official. Soto heads to Texas along with cash in exchange for pitcher Jake Brigham and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Nope, not Johnny Cash. Not Kevin Cash. Not even the Cash Money Millionaires. Just cold hard Cash, my friends.

10:26 a.m.: The Yankees might not be in on Ryan Dempster after all.

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Yankees are telling teams that, contrary to reports, they're not in on the Cubs right-hander.

Welcome to the trade deadline, everyone.

10:22 a.m.: We've got an update on the Matt Garza front. The Cubs are discussing the gutsy right-hander with the Rangers and two other teams, sources tell CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.

The Cubbies could reportedly elect to hold on to Garza, though, as he's under team control through the 2013 season. In fact, that's part of what makes him so appealing to other clubs.

Heyman goes on to report that the Reds are believed to have some interest in Garza, and the Blue Jays have spoken with the Cubs as well.

10:01 a.m.: It might only be a matter of time before Victorino becomes a Dodger. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports that a deal between the Phillies and Dodgers is looking very likely, while ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that Los Angeles is close to acquiring the veteran outfielder in exchange for Josh Lindblom and a second player.

The action, as expected, is coming fast and furious this morning. A lot of coffee could be in the cards.

9:53 a.m.: You hear that? That's the Yankees suddenly making a little noise.

The Yanks have joined the Dodgers and Rangers in pursuit of Ryan Dempster, according to CSNChicago.com's David Kaplan. Dempster (who has 10-5 rights) would reportedly approve a deal to any of those three teams if the Cubs can agree to a suitable return in exchange for the veteran righty.

The Dodgers have long been linked to Dempster, but the Yankees and Rangers have reportedly stepped up their pursuit over the past 48 hours.

The Rangers are reportedly also looking at Matt Garza in the wake of another subpar outing by Roy Oswalt.

9:45 a.m.: It's looking more and more like the Flyin' Hawaiian could be taking flight.

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies and Dodgers are in serious talks about Shane Victorino. The Giants and Reds were reportedly also in the mix, but the Phillies are focusing on the Dodgers at this time, and they reportedly want relievers in return.

Victorino, of course, has spent the last eight years in Philly.

Fun fact: Victorino was actually drafted by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1999 draft. Bet'cha didn't know that!

9:37 a.m.: Well, here's something you rarely come across at this time of year. The Yankees are quiet at the moment, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

The Bronx Bombers have reportedly been trying to acquire a "defense-first type" to help at third base.

9:27 a.m.: Kelly Shoppach has been a very respectable backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia this season, but when you have Ryan Lavarnway waiting in the wings down in Pawtucket, fans are always going to start talking.

The Brewers and Nationals apparently think the Red Sox could consider dealing Shoppach, as they have interest in the 32-year-old backstop, according to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo.

9:23 a.m.: Classic trade deadline stuff already.

After a report surfaced stating that the Diamondbacks were looking to swing a blockbuster deal for an ace starting pitcher, another report has surfaced that sort of contradicts the initial report. Classic mix-up.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the D-Backs say Justin Upton is definitely staying, and that there is no truth to rumors of Cliff Lee or Felix Hernandez. That doesn't completely rule out the possibility of a "blockbuster" for a "starting ace," I suppose, but those hurlers seem like the two who would fit that bill. Plus, you have to think Upton would have been a part of any such megadeal.

Nightengale also reports that the Diamondbacks are likely to part with shortstop Stephen Drew before today's deadline.

9:07 a.m.: Felix Hernandez is….probably not being traded.

That's the impression CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman gets from Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, who reportedly said there's "no change on my Felix thoughts.'' No change, of course, would mean King Felix stays put.

9:00 a.m.: It's 9 o'clock, do you know where your links are?

Thought now might be a good time to share some recent stories we've posted here at NESN.com. One gallery details the Red Sox' activity at the trade deadline since 2000, while the other is a glimpse of how some teams should approach the hours leading up to today's buzzer.

Enjoy. This one's on the house.

Click here to relive the Red Sox' trade deadlines since 2000 >>

Click here to see which teams should be buyers and sellers >>

8:53 a.m.: Shane Victorino's name is reportedly still popping up in trade chatter. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies are looking for a "reliever/plus" in exchange for the Flyin' Hawaiian.

8:45 a.m.: Ryan Dempster's name will undoubtedly be a hot topic leading up to the 4 p.m. deadline. He's a guy that appeared to be on his way to Atlanta just last week. Now, there's some question as to whether or not he'll end up getting dealt.

The latest on him comes from CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, who reports that as of late Monday, nothing was close between the Dodgers and Cubs. This comes after FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that Dempster "remains adamant that he will only approve a trade to the Dodgers."

Ah, the beauty of 10-5 rights.

8:20 a.m.: Interesting development surrounding the Arizona Diamondbacks this morning. The D-Backs, who have the same record as the Red Sox, are trying to swing a blockbuster deal for an "unknown ace starting pitcher," according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

It's unclear who exactly that ace is, or even who we can slap the "ace" label on nowadays, so trying to pinpoint their target is nearly impossible. Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez and Josh Johnson are three names that have been tossed around like rag dolls lately, though, so perhaps it's one of them. Again, pure speculation. Then again, who doesn't love speculation?

In that same speculation vein, one would assume Justin Upton would have to be part of any deal for a starting ace. I've been wrong before, but it seems like a safe bet.

8:05 a.m.: One name to keep an eye on today is Justin Masterson. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reported on Twitter Monday that the Red Sox remain interested in the Cleveland right-hander despite seeing him "at his worst" recently. Presumably, Cafardo is referring to Masterson's last start on Saturday, when he allowed 10 runs (eight earned) in 5 2/3 innings against the Twins. According to CBS Sports' Danny Knobler, the Sox had a scout on hand for that start.

Even if the Red Sox don't pull the trigger on a deal for Masterson, other teams could be interested in the righty, as he's under team control through 2014 after coming off the first offseason in which he was arbitration eligible.

Masterson, who had a solid season in 2011, has struggled for the most part this year. ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that he is "definitely on the market," though.

7:55 a.m.: Now that everyone's finally gotten up after the 11th snooze, the eye boogers are out and the coffee's poured, it's time to get you caught up on some late-night/early-morning happenings.

First, there's been plenty of speculation regarding the hometown team in recent days, particularly involving Josh Beckett. ESPN.com's Gordon Edes is reporting, however, that the Red Sox will not trade Beckett before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline. WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that a trade of the right-hander is "unlikely."

In other words, don't expect Beckett to be packing his bags any time soon.

Red Sox fans also shouldn't expect to see last year's MVP runner-up, Jacoby Ellsbury, go anywhere. Edes reports that while the club fielded numerous inquiries about the outfielder's availability, the Sox have no plans to trade him at this time.

7:30 a.m. ET: Well, here we are.

After weeks and months of trade speculation, we've finally stumbled upon the big day. The MLB trade deadline will come and go at 4 p.m. ET this afternoon.

There's still a lot that could happen between now and then, however — as we've seen in the past. Then, of course, there's the period immediately after the deadline passes, when we wait to see if any other last-second deals were consummated.

NESN.com will be here for all of your trade deadline needs this morning, afternoon and evening. Heck, we'll be here for the rest of eternity. Consider us like a BJ's or sorts; a one-stop shop capable of providing all that you're looking for. We'll have rumors, analysis, commentary and maybe a dash of humor and ruggedness for good measure.

So stick around here throughout the day for all of your up-to-the-minute news. Come on, you at least need an excuse to slack off a little bit, right?

Final, Red Sox Win 8-6:

On the one hand, that might seem ridiculous with the new playoff format this early in the season, but the reality is that was what the Red Sox were facing coming into this game, as if they were to have suffered a sweep to the Yankees, it would be hard to justify not getting what they could for the team's assets. Nonetheless, with the win the Red Sox have to feel like they're still in it, as they move to within 10 games of the Yankees (60-40) in the AL East.

Andrew Miller (3-1) gets the win by throwing a third of an inning and two pitches, while Rafael Soriano (2-1) picks up the loss, through no fault of his own.

First pitch on Sunday is schedule for 8:05 p.m. ET, and we'll be right back here with yet another live blog. We'll have the starting lineups and your other need-to-know information in the hours beforehand, but until then, good night.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-6: It was a bit of a gift from Granderson, but those are two runs the Red Sox will gladly take.

Losing this game after giving up a five-run lead could have been devastating, so for them to respond with two runs — whether or not they would have scored without the aid of Granderson — is a huge statement. Now, presumably, the game gets turned over to Alfredo Aceves, who will get to prove that he does indeed deserve to remain as the Red Sox closer despite the imminent return of Andrew Bailey.

End 8th, 6-6: Think the fued between Teixeira and Padilla isn't personal? Just look at how long Teixeira stood and watched his long home run off the bat before breaking into his trot. That was clearly intended to send Padilla a message, so keep an eye out for the next time those two might meet again.

For now, it's a whole new ballgame, as the Red Sox have squandered a five-run lead in a game they badly needed to win, and now go to the ninth trying to eek one out against a tough Yankees bullpen — even without their future Hall of Fame closer.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 6-4: So, clearly, this is what everyone has been waiting for.

We would guess that Vicente Padilla will come in to pitch the eighth inning for the Red Sox, meaning that if one Yankees batter reaches base, we will see the long-awaited matchup between Padilla and Teixeira, the first since their war of words earlier this month.

While you never want to root for injury or fighting on the diamond, we have to admit that it would likely be pretty entertaining if Padilla "lost control" of a pitch.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-4: Gonzalez has already had himself a heck of a game, and he almost added to it there if not for quite a catch by Ichiro.

As the right fielder pulled up, however, it showed how dangerous the playing field can be in these wet conditions, as it looked like Ichiro had trouble stopping, and ultimately kicked up some large divots in the outfield grass. That's an easy way to pull a groin muscle.

End 6th, Red Sox 6-4: First off, a recognition of Jon Lester's 1,000th career strikeout.

It was a heck of an inning to do it in, as the lefty looked like he made a slight mechanical adjustment, and subsequently his cutter began to look deadly again, getting Teixeira and Cano on strikes on the pitch. At 101 pitches, Lester's night is likely done, and it was probably a good note to end on, bouncing back well after a very tough fifth inning.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 6-4: Tonight's been a pretty good example of the value of CC Sabathia, who will end up eating at least six innings — possibly seven, depending on what Yankees manager Joe Girardi does with his big lefty after 104 pitches — even though it clearly hasn't been his best effort.

But that's what separates an ace from any other middling pitcher — the ability to give their team something of value each and every time out on the mound.

End 5th, Red Sox 6-4: This is not the way the Red Sox were hoping to see Lester respond.

First of all, not that we're letting Lester off the hook, because it was a well-hit ball, but Nix' home run looks like another case of a ball that wouldn't have been out of most stadiums in baseball. But, Yankee Stadium being the joke that it is, it's a ball that gets about two or three rows up into the stands.

Aside from that, what you're seeing from Lester at this point is someone whose mechanics have completely broken down. Whether or not that's a result of anything mental, who knows, but Lester was dramtically (emphasis on "dramatically") dropping his elbow in that last half inning, bringing down his arm slot. That's forcing him to come partially sidearm or under the ball, which is why he's leaving pitches up in the zone or way up and away to right-handed hitters, or up and in to left-handed hitters.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 6-1: So, it's safe to say that Gonzalez hasn't been uncomfortable at the plate facing the left-hander Sabathia.

After hitting a screaming line drive to double in an RBI in the first inning, it actually looked like the first baseman missed his pitch with Ciriaco and Pedroia aboard in that last half inning. Not sure if that one can be attributed to the Yankee Stadium effect, but either way Gonzalez hit a very high home run into the right field stands, giving Lester and the Red Sox a 6-1 advantage.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: As our Red Sox Live Blog Lester Watch continues, there really isn't much to report, and that's a very, very good thing.

On Teixeira's line-drive single to center field, it looked like a fastball that Lester again left over the plate. However, aside from that one bad pitch, the left-hander has looked relatively like his old self through four innings. Of course, this game has that feel that it could all turn around in an instant, but we'll see how Lester responds the rest of the way.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Speaking of Herman Cain, he's been making some guest spots on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart lately that have been absolutely hilarious.

The recurring segment is called "Herman Cain, an American Presidency" and features Cain responding to various hypothetical situations as if he had actually won the presidency in this upcoming November election.

You can see the first segment here, in which Cain owns up to the American people on what he would do if his actions had lead to the accidental death of actor Nicholas Cage.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: As former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain famously said, "I don't have the facts to back this up," but we're guessing that Yankee Stadium is the only ballpark in America which would have yielded that home run to Chris Stewart.

It was probably the first really hard-hit ball Lester had yielded all night — save for maybe Cano's second-inning lineout — but that's a double at Fenway, and Lester is out of the inning after Jeter's groundout. Bad break there for the left-hander.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: Sabathia looks to have settled in after a tough first inning. That could make it a difficult rest of the night for the Red Sox, who may be forced to hold that three-run lead — we'll see if Lester is up to it.

Like Lester, the difference between Sabathia in the first inning and therafter has been fastball command, as the big lefty had a couple fastballs hit very hard in that first frame.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Our Red Sox Live Blog Lester Watch continues.

Again, Lester looked great in that second inning, as well, and put away Nix there on a perfect fastball, basically an unhittable pitch when it's places like that. With all the talk about what's wrong with Lester and his confidence level and all the other theories put forward, the root of his problems are simple enough — location. Hitters never looked much more comfortable against Lester's breaking stuff, but they've been absolutely teeing off on the fastball as of late, as the left-hander has been leaving it over the plate consistently, something he won't get away with in the low 90s.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Great at-bat by Ellsbury there, who just showed that he's getting closer and closer to peak form. In 13 games since returning from the disabled list, the center fielder has hit .309 with a .752 OPS, but has looked just a bit off from his near-MVP form of a year ago, mostly lacking the power that saw him hit 32 home runs last year.

Since returning, Ellsbury has knocked three doubles and a single home run.

End 1st, Red Sox 3-0: Let's not get too excited yet, but suffice to say that Lester looked pretty good in that first inning. That last breaking ball to Teixeira, in particular, looked like vintage Lester, using a well-spotted fastball to get ahead in the count, and then getting the hitter with a tight breaking pitch low and out of the zone.

It's a long game, but any time the Red Sox can get through the first inning without any damage it feels like a moral victory.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 3-0: Credit Will Middlebrooks as an inning-saver there. One of the Red Sox problems lately — at least it feels that way — is that they haven't been able to get multiple runs across the plate in a given inning, leaving runners on the bases on a fairly consistent basis. We'll try to back that up with some stats later in the game.

Either way, big hit by Middlebrooks, who stakes Lester to a 3-0 lead before he even takes the hill. That's got to be a new feeling for him.

Let's see what he does with it.

6:09 p.m.: We have first pitch! For those wondering, the first pitch temperature in New York is 71 degrees. And yes, there is a lot of moisture in the air.

5:45 p.m.: We're hearing reports that this game will be starting at 6:05 p.m.

4:55 p.m.: This Red Sox rain delay is presented by LL Bean.

It looks to be absolutely pouring in the Bronx, so we really have no idea when (or if) baseball is being played today in New York City. The forecast, however, call for just a small chance of rain in the coming hours, so we'll keep you posted here on our live blog.

4:30 p.m.: Here are your lineups, in case this one ever gets under way:

Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Pedro Ciriaco DH
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Cody Ross RF
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Kelly Shoppach C
Mike Aviles SS
Daniel Nava LF
Jon Lester P

Yankees

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Adam Jones LF
Jayson Nix 3B
Russell Martin DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chad Stewart C
CC Sabathia P

Click here for the inside scoop on the batting orders, including how the Red Sox fare against Sabathia.

4 p.m.: Looks like a rain delay at Yankee Stadium. No word yet on when this one will start, but they first grabbed the tarp around 2:30, and it's still on the field.

8 a.m. ET: Jon Lester has arguably been the Red Sox worst pitcher over the past month, and that needs to change on Saturday.

Lester enters Yankee Stadium on Saturday with a bloated 5.46 ERA and a miserable 5-8 record on the season. Coming off an 11-run outing against the Blue Jays on Sunday, Lester will be looking to bounce back in a big way but with CC Sabathia taking the hill for the Yanks it should be a battle.

Dustin Pedroia was pretty fired up after Boston's embarrassing 10-3 loss on Friday night, so look for the emotional second baseman to make a big statement on Saturday and propel this offense to a n even higher level.

Keep up with the Red Sox Live Blog for all your up to date info and analysis before, during and after the Sox take on the Yanks.

The night started out well, as Pedroia took Hughes deep and it appeared the Sox offense would be roaring. But the Yankees starter settled in and Aaron Cook got rocked for six runs over four innings.

Boston has a shot for much of the late innings, sitting a 6-3 deficit, that is until Melancon struggled mightily and gave up a massive Grand(erson) Slam to deep right field. And that was all she wrote, as the Yankes took a 10-3 lead and didn't look back.

That moves the Sox to a regrettable two games under .500, and if Jon Lester can't turn things around on Saturday this team may be headed straight for the chopping block.

End 8th Inning, Yankees 10-3: Mark Melancon may not have regrets about his time with the Yankees, but he's definitely regretting that pitch.

After narrowly escaping trouble, thanks to stellar defense from Mike Aviles, Melancon walked the bases loaded and allowed Curtis Granderson to unload them with one swing of the bat.

With that bomb, the Yankees take a commanding lead.

Mid 8th Inning, Yankees 6-3: Even the top of the Boston order couldn't manage a rally against the Yankees.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to find any sort of rhythm with this lineup, and it certainly doesn't help when Cook gives up a couple big bombs and settles in with a 6-3 deficit.

The bullpen has been outstanding on Friday, but without any signs of further offense it looks like this one will just drop the Sox to two games under .500 — yikes!

End 7th Inning, Yankees 6-3: Andrew Miller was stupendous in relief, taking after Franklin Morales strong outing and laying the Yankees down.

Miller struck out Teixeira and was lucky enough to get Raul Ibanez swinging, a first after his early-inning escapades.

The BoSox offense needs to kick it into gear with David Robertson headed on in relief, though.

Mid 7th Inning, Yankees 6-3: The Boston offense has been nearly non-existent since Salty's fourth-inning blast.

There's only been one base runner for the Red Sox in the past three innings and no sign of life or chance at a run.

It will be interesting to see with the top of the lineup slated to come up in the eighth, if there's any change in the behavior or demeanor at the plate.

This game real is make or break!

End 6th Inning, Yankees 6-3: You might as well call Franklin Morales the lawnmower, because he just cuts guys down at the dish.

Morales had another stellar showing in the sixth, this time sitting down Derek Jeter on strikes to get into the top half of the seventh.

With just 30 pitches thrown and nearly five days of rest since his last outing, don't be surprised if Morales has the juice for another inning. But Valentine would be wise to save the lefty for the rest of the weekend.

Phil Hughes has been stellar over the past three innings, and really overall on Friday.

Another 1-2-3 affair in the sixth and the Yankees are cruising as Hughes mows down the Sox lineup.

Gonzalez and Ross went down quick, and Salty — surprise, surprise — headed back to the dugout with a big K to his name.

Is it time to give Kelly Shoppach the full-time gig behind the plate? It might at least be worth a shot…

End 5th Inning, Yankees 6-3: Aaron Cook was finished after just four innings, but Franklin Morales came on with a seamless transition — catch the baseball pun there?

Morales walked Raul Ibanez — suddenly a Red Sox killer — but otherwise was stellar, sitting Cano, Teixeira and Jones in a simple 14-pitch inning.

The Boston bats need to come alive again to keep the Sox in this one, though.

Mid 5th Inning, Yankees 6-3: The Red Sox have five hits through five innings at the dish. But three of them are home runs, and they all come in as solo shots.

Pedroia came close to belting another and getting the Sox back to within one run, but the blast fell just short and Ichiro put the inning to rest.

With five different guys responsible for all five hits, it may take the will of one man to make this game back into a competitive outing. To be seen if any of them have the ability to get the Sox back in it.

Some ominous clouds are making their way over the top of Yankees Stadium, which could signal some trouble for this one. Let's hope they hold off, though, as this could well be the first Red Sox-Yankees game to finish in under three hours in decades…

End 4th Inning, Yankees 6-3: This is becoming a game of "anything" — as in, anything you can do, I can do better.

So what, Salty hits a big bomb and suddenly Russell Martin feels inferior? Oh sure, let's break out the tape measure and see who's is bigger — bats, I mean.

Anyways, Martin gives the Yankees another three-run lead and Cook could be headed for the pine in no time, as Franklin Morales and Junichi Tazawa are ready to come on in relief.

The Yankees are pumped, though, just look at Mark Teixeira's face after the bomb…

Mid 4th Inning, Yankees 4-3: Big Bash City!

Saltalamacchia absolutely crushed a fastball deep to left field, giving the Sox their third solo shot of the evening and yet again cutting the deficit to just one run.

Salty's been boom or bust of late it seems, either striking out or going deep — there's really no in between.

Still, even with the Salty blast, the Sox still trail 4-3 and are in need of more consistency out of Cook on the bump.

End 3rd Inning, Yankees 4-2: Ruh roh, Cookie Monster. After four innings, it's becoming pretty clear that Cook just doesn't have his best stuff on Friday.

A quick rally in the start of the third inning, and Mark Teixeira makes the Sox pay yet again.

This time it was sacrifice fly to left field, and Jeter came in from score to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. It's not out of hand by any means, but if Cook doesn't get his stuff together on the mound, this one could get ugly early.

Mid 3rd Inning, Yankees 3-2: Carl! So good to see you again!

After going hitless in his past 17 at bats, Crawford just laid into that one sending it on a ride and reinvigorating the Boston offense.

The Sox are now back within a run and looking to continue capitalizing on the top of the lineups success against Hughes.

End 2nd Inning, Yankees 3-1: Much like Hughes, Cook settled down in the second inning.

The Yankees had nothing going after a three-run first, sitting down in order and getting this game moving along nicely.

Cook will need to hold off the New York bats if he has any hope of getting the Sox in a position to take this one.

Mid 2nd Inning, Yankees 3-1: After a rocky start to his night, nearly letting the Red Sox blow open a big lead in the first, Phil Hughes has seemingly settled in.

Hughes — which is a great last name I might add — had no problem making quick work of the Red Sox in the second, sitting down Middlebrooks, Nava and Aviles 1-2-3

End 1st Inning, Yankees 3-1: Aaron Cook's groundball inducing style nearly snuck the Red Sox out of some trouble, but Mike Aviles just couldn't get the handle down.

Raul Ibanez capitalized on a 1-2 fastball and took Cook deep to right field with a big blast, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead.

After a Curtis Granderson single led things off, Robinson Cano moved him along with a single. But it was Mark Teixeira's hustle down the first base line, paired with a little indecision from Aviles, that saw Grandy come all the way around to score.

The double-play would have seen the Sox head back to the dugout unscathed, but instead they are in yet another early hole.

Start digging, boys!

Mid 1st Inning, Red Sox 1-0: Dustin Pedroia is sick of losing and he's doing everything he can to make sure that ends — and fast.

Pedey blasted a home run in the top of the first inning off Yankees starter Phil Hughes and gave sinkerballer Aaron Cook some early comfort in this one.

The big blast sparked the offense, too, as Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross got in on the action with a pair of hits. But Jarrod Saltalamacchia fell back into his old ways with a brutal strikeout to end the threat.

Still the Sox are on the board early with a 1-0 lead and there's finally some signs of life in this team after a dreadful 1-5 stretch since last weekend.

7 p.m.: Let's get this baby underway, the Red Sox need at least two games in this series and it all starts with Friday night's Bronx beatdown.

6:18 p.m.: As the Sox head into New York for a crucial three-game set, they'll be squaring off with the team with MLB's best record.

The Yankees are tied with the Washington Nationals with a 59-39 record on the season. But even with the current dominance, the rich just continued to get richer this week as Ichiro Suzuki joined on with the Bronx Bombers — making the wild card race rather pointless.

Ichiro's presence should help the Yankees the rest of the way and in their weekend series with Boston, but the former AL MVP isn't quite sure what to expect from the rivalry.

"When I watched those games on TV," Ichiro said, according to the New York Post. "They looked like fighting, not in a real sense, but physically. It was more like a fighting atmosphere is what I felt watching TV. "I know there is a lot of tradition. I have just been here a few days. I don't know what to expect."

5:45 p.m.: Carl Crawford will continue his shuffle up and down the Red Sox lineup on Friday, batting second after staying in the seventh spot the last two games.

For the Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki will get his introduction to the Boston-New York rivalry for the first time, making his NYC debut as a member of the Bronx Bombers. He'll face Aaron Cook, pitching for the Sox and hoping to rebound from one of his worst performances of the year.

Check out the full lineups below.

Red Sox (49-50)
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Carl Crawford LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Cody Ross RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Daniel Nava DH
Mike Aviles SS

Aaron Cook P

Yankees (59-39)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez LF
Andruw Jones DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Russel Martin C

Phil Hughes P

8 a.m. ET: Saying that the Red Sox' first trip to New York this year is important might be an understatement.

After losing two out of three to the Texas Rangers, Boston is languishing in last place of the AL East and is nearing a critical point of the season.

The trade deadline is only days away, and how the Sox fare against the Yankees is likely going to determine the direction the team takes on July 31.

If the Sox can find a way to win a couple or even sweep the Bronx bombers, Ben Cherington and the top brass might be encouraged to enter the trade deadline as buyers in the hopes of making a run at the playoffs. If the Sox falter, the team could begin shipping out pieces to retool for next year.

Aaron Cook will be the first to take the mound for Boston, coming off one of his worst performances of the year. While the righty has been solid in a Red Sox uniform for the most part, he was tagged for the loss against Toronto in his last start after giving up five runs in 6 1/3 innings.

He'll face the new-look, first-place New York on Friday, as Cook joins new Yankee outfielder Ichiro Suzuki in getting a first taste of the rivalry.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., but check back throughout the day for updates and be sure to tune in for pregame coverage on NESN beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Final, Prince Fielder Wins:

An impressive performance all the way around by the son of Cecil, who participated in a couple derbies himself.

That's it from us, but you can log on to NESN.com tomorrow for our companion All-Star Game blog. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Final, 2nd Batter: You have to wonder if this tweet is motivated by, you know, having also been booed a few times.

The people booing Robinson Cano and cheering when he got out at the #HRDerby should be ashamed of themselves. #itsacharityeventpeople

— Nick Jonas(@nickjonas) July 10, 2012

Final, 1st Batter: Attention: Angel Stadium. Please look to Kauffman as an example of how to do a classy water feature.

For those not in the know, the home of the Los Angeles Angels features a faux rock waterfall out in center field, that looks very much the remnant of Disney ownership that it in fact is.

Coors Field also has a very pretty water feature in front of the rock pile seats, a mock-up of a Colorado brook.

Final, 1st Batter: Has anyone else noticed that Prince Fielder and John Kruk have the same body type?

Round 3, Swing-Off: And we have our finalists. It will be Prince Fielder versus Jose Bautista going against each other in the final round.

Round 3, 4th Batter: We have some drama at the Home Run Derby. With Bautista and Trumbo tied, we're headed to a swing off.

It's all-too appropriate, with two of the most powerful men in baseball going head-to-head.

Round 3, 3rd Batter: So with Bautista coming up only two behind him, it looks like Trumo won't make it into the final. However, it's safe to say that he put on the most impressive display in terms of distance, as it certainly looked like he took one completely out of the stadium.

He also hit two into the fountain, for a derby total of 11 on the evening.

Round 2, 3rd Batter: And here comes Trumbo again. We'd tell everyone in Omaha to watch out… if Omaha weren't in the opposite direction. Thanks for the deadpan, George Brett.

Round 2, 2nd Batter: Beltran goes into the water twice, for nine on the night total.

As an aside, is it just me, or does watching John Kruk suck down ribs kill your appetite? Also, is that a form of cannibalism?

Round 2, 1st Batter: Fielder finishes with four waterballs (seven total on the night) and 16 home runs overall after his two rounds. He'll have a legitimate shot to move into the final.

Round 2, 1st Batter: Fielder does it again. That's six.

From this point on, we should probably just sit back and wait on Fielder's session to end.

Round 2, 1st Batter: Fielder goes into the waterworks again, and that's five wet ones on the night.

Round 2, 1st Batter: Fielder splashes down! And trust me, when he splashes down he creates tsunamis.

That's four waterballs on the night. Did someone make a wish?

Round 1: Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison decided to weigh in with his thoughts on Cano's poor showing.

Robinson Cano's dad looks like Matt Cain/Philip Humber right now #HRDerby

— Logan Morrison (@LoMoMarlins) July 10, 2012

Round 1, 8th Batter: So, basically, each of the captains completely flailed out there.

Either way, in terms of pure power, the four remaining are probably the cream of the crop, so this should continue to be an exciting contest. Who's ready for more Trumbo?

Round 1, 8th Batter: Okay, this is pretty entertaining, watching the Kansas City crowd delight in Cano's failings.

Not sure why the crowd is cheering to hard against the Yankees second baseman aside from the fact that he plays in New York, but either way it's good for a laugh.

Round 1, 7th Batter: After an anemic showing there, it recalls Kemp's showing in Arizona last year, where he hit two, giving him three total in the last two derbies. Maybe they shouldn't let him in next year.

Round 1, 6th Batter: Fielder hits one into the fountain. That's the third waterball on the evening.

Round 1, 6th Batter: Looks like Prince Fielder was feeling pretty confident coming into today:

@JustinVerlander has agreed to pitch to me tonight… that should make it fair for the rest of these guys.

— Prince Fielder (@FatCatPrince) July 10, 2012

Round 1, 6th Batter: Splashdown redux! Prince Fielder sends the second ball of the day into the Kauffman Stadium fountains, an arcing bomb to straightaway left field.

Round 1, 6th Batter: So currently Carlos Beltran stands tied for second with seven home runs as the first batter to come up in the competition.

Want to see how he did it? Yeah, you do.

Round 1, 5th Batter: Finally! McCutchen becomes the first to put one in the fountains, with a line-drive shot to left center. That's the first water shot of the day; we'll continue to keep track.

Round 1, 5th Batter: There was a brief period this year when Trumbo was teammates with Bobby Abreu, who put on perhaps one of the two most memorable rounds in derby history — the other being Josh Hamilton.

In 2006, Abreu hit a record 41 longballs in Comerica Park, many of them absolute bombs.

Round 1, 4th Batter: Impressive show from Trumbo there, now let's see if it holds up. Not only did the Angels outfielder and first baseman hit some of the longest home runs you'll ever see, but the shorter ones were almost as equally impressive, being that he hit two of them practically off his shoe tops on a line.

Round 1, 4th Batter: And here comes Trumbo. Let's see if his inexperience in the event turns out to be the equalizer. But again, he has as much power as anyone in this event.

Round 1, 3rd Batter: So close! Gonzalez just came within a few feet of sending one into the fountain. We're still waiting for that first water shot.

Round 1, 3rd Batter: Carlos Gonzalez may be a hitter, but it will be interesting to see how his power translates a little closer to sea level and away from the mile-high environment of Coors Field. So far, with six outs and two home runs, not so well.

Round 1, 2nd Batter: Hey Red Sox fans, there's a cameo by David Ortiz, who can probably help the participants out with some advice from his win in the 2010 contest. Today, he's playing caddy, bringing a towel and some Gatorade to Bautista.

Round 1, 2nd Batter: Bautista is sure being selective up there. If the derby could transform into a game of chess, then the Blue Jays outfielder is trying to make it so, clearly having learned something from his past foray in the event.

Round 1, 1st Batter: Beltran just missed the fountains on his sixth home run, and we'll be keeping track to see who's the first one to get wet, and how balls end up in the waterworks.

Round 1, 1st Batter: On Beltran's fourth home run there, you saw an instance of how the Kansas City heat will aid the players. Off the bat, it sure didn't like Beltran got all of that one, but it just kept carrying for a home run.

8:16 p.m. ET: We have first toss! Carlos Beltran is first up, and for those wondering, the temperature in Kansas City is 88 degrees.

8:05 p.m. ET: Not too sure about the derby pregame tradition of on-field musical performances, which has been going on for a while now. Then again, the Zac Brown band — whose twang is perhaps appropriate for Kansas City — doesn't seem to really translate on a baseball telecast.

Perhaps the best, most appropriate performance? That honor would probably go to the pop punk band The Ataris, who performed their rocked-out cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" before the 2003 derby at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Great song in its original, and a the cover was very nicely jazzed-up. That was a song which felt right for baseball.

7:55 p.m. ET: Further evidence for picking Trumbo? How about the fact that, at 419.5 feet, the Angels first baseman has the longest average home run distance in 2012. That's an average of more than seven-feet longer than his closest competitor in this derby.

However, it's definitely been easy to miss what Trumbo's done this year, as the big stories coming out of Los Angeles have been Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. So, catch yourself up and check out some Trumbo highlights (they call them "Trumbombs") in this MLB video.

7:30 p.m. ET: Let's run through the lineups before we get going.

American League

Jose Bautista, 2nd derby, 27 2012 home runs
Robinson Cano, 2nd, 20
Prince Fielder, 4th, 15
Mark Trumbo, 1st, 22

National League

Carlos Beltran, 1st derby, 20 2012 home runs
Carlos Gonzalez, 1st, 17
Matt Kemp, 2nd, 12
Andrew McCutchen, 1st, 18

If I'm making a pick in this one, I'd take Mark Trumbo, having watched him on a relatively everyday basis for the past couple seasons. Trumbo doesn't have the best pitch recognition skills in baseball, but in a format like this which rewards a consistent stroke and pure power, that is where I'd place my money. Not since Barry Bonds during his 'roided-up prime have I seen someone hit the ball so far so consistently. Then again, I unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to watch much of Giancarlo Stanton.

Behind him, my next bet would be either Robinson Cano for his easy power or Jose Bautista, because he's probably the best combination of all power skills. But as they say, that's why they play the game.

First toss is set for about half an hour from now.

8:45 a.m. ET: "It's going, going, going, it's…."

Chances are you'll be hearing that phrase a lot Monday night, as Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium provides the setting for the 2012 edition of the Home Run Derby. Begun in 1985, when Dave Parker hit six home runs representing the Cincinnati Reds at the Metrodome in a single round, the competition has become fierce in years since, with each year's top home run hitters compelled to take part.

In at least a couple mid-1990s video games, you could actually break the famous Kauffman Stadium fountains by hitting a home run into them. We're not sure if that's actually possible to do in real life, but if it can be done, the derby would be the time.

This year's derby features a number of interesting storylines and players and one of the best fields in years. The most notable absence is Miami Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton, who pulled out of the competition Sunday night after deciding to have arthroscopic knee surgery, which will keep him off the diamond at least a month. That's a shame, as Stanton had been noted for his mammoth blasts, but the remaining field has no shortage of players who can do the same.

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano took last year's derby, and while he may not be the first guy you think of when hearing the phrase "raw power," he also has the advantage of what scouts call "easy power." Jose Bautista and Prince Fielder are, however, known for their pure slugging ability, while Andrew McCutchen has perhaps the best swing going this year of the group.

Then there's Mark Trumbo, who owns the longest average home run distance among the group by a good seven feet over his next closest rival. Trumbo is kind of an unknown to many — playing third fiddle in Los Angeles (of Anaheim) behind Albert Pujols and Mike Trout — but he has perhaps the best bat speed and pure power of the entire group.

The derby is set to get going at 8 p.m., so sit back, relax and follow our live blog for all of your expert home run analysis — we promise to lay off the Chris Berman jokes. About an hour before, we'll run through the entire lineup.

4 p.m.:

The Red Sox will now turn their attention to Minnesota, where the first of a three-game series begins Monday.

8 a.m. ET: An unusual amount of talk about rain was present after the Yankees came back to crush the Red Sox 15-9 on Saturday, and that's not just because a few drops are expected over Boston. Plenty of Red Sox fans are hoping a monsoon will sweep away the memories — and the final matchup with the red-hot Yankees.

Saturday's defeat was the worst way to lose, with the Red Sox (4-10) looking like they had it won until the Yankees (9-6) decimated their bullpen over the last three innings.

But Boston did some good things Saturday, too, none more important than the offense coming to life. David Ortiz (now batting .436 for the season) went 4-for-4, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 4-for-5, meaning he had more hits Saturday than he has all season combined. The offense had 17 hits altogether, including five doubles and a home run.

The Red Sox will look to keep up the firepower behind Daniel Bard (0-2), who has done well so far in his shift from the closing job into the starting rotation. Although Bard has taken losses in both of his starts, he's pitched comparatively well, especially in Monday's 1-0 loss to the Rays, when he walked in the lone run — for which manager Bobby Valentine later took the blame.

The Yankees will have their best on the mound Sunday night, though, with CC Sabathia (1-0). Sabathia has been excellent for New York, but the Red Sox can take solace in the fact that the big lefty usually starts slow. He's given up 12 earned runs in his three appearances so far this year.

Rainstorms aside, the Red Sox may just be worked up enough about their poor start to the season that they could come out firing again.

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. Check back here for news and analysis from the game.

Final, Yankees 15-9: It's not hard to see how this one went bad. Felix Doubront solidified his spot in the starting rotation, allowing just one run and four hits over six innings in which he sometimes looked unstoppable. He struck out seven and was the steadying force as the Red Sox hammered their way to a 9-0 lead.

But the next six Red Sox pitchers to take the mound allowed 14 runs, and although the Boston bats didn't go completely cold during that stretch, the hits didn't add up to runs.

Both teams had poor pitching and sparse hitting today, but the Red Sox had it worse and at the worst time.

It will be hard to reflect on the good points from today, from Doubront's great outing to David Ortiz going 4-for-4 and Jarrod Saltalamacchia finally getting on track with a 4-for-5 afternoon. The Red Sox had 17 hits altogether — probably their best offensive night of the year.

But, as has been the story all season, not all pieces of the Boston puzzle are coming together at the same time.

The Sox have until tomorrow at 8 p.m. to lick their wounds and find a way to take the Yankees down for the first time this season. They showed today that it can be done.

7:53 p.m.: David Ortiz adds a single to put a nice finishing touch on his 4-for-4 day, and the Yankees counter by bringing in Cody Eppley to finish up the game.

Mid 9th, Yankees 15-9: Junichi Tazawa does the bullpen proud, pitching the only scoreless frame for the Red Sox since Felix Doubront left the game.

Tazawa retired Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez on two straight ground balls, then sent down the suddenly dangerous Mark Teixeira on a shallow fly to left.

The Red Sox will send David Ortiz, Nate Spears and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the plate in their final hurrah.

Even a solid effort right now would do a lot to make this day sting less.

End 8th, Yankees 15-9: Here's some silver linings as we spit out the ashes of what this game once was.

Alex Rodriguez is 0-for-4 today despite his teammates gathering 16 hits.

Before this game, the Yankees bullpen allowed nine earned runs in 47 1/3 innings and struck out 60. Today, they allowed four earned runs within four innings, with just two strikeouts in that span.

So, it's not inconceivable to think the Red Sox can pull something together. The bats have been hot all day.

(That would be next inning, though. Ryan Sweeney, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez just went down in order.)

Mid 8th, Yankees 15-9: More bad luck for the Sox, who just couldn't get out of this one.

Mike Aviles got to a Derek Jeter grounder but slipped, and Jeter beat his throw to first to score a run.

That's the second straight inning the Yankees have batted around. After piecing together just three hits over the first two times through the lineup, they've thumped 13 since.

Justin Thomas came in to pitch first, and Junichi Tazawa was there to get the final out.

Thomas did get two-thirds of an inning to his credit after Raul Ibanez hit into a line-drive double play. But Thomas gave up the two-run double to Russell Martin that scored Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez and put the score at 14-9.

Tazawa got Nick Swisher to fly out and end the damage.

The Red Sox still have two innings to get back into this one.

7:21 p.m.: The play-by-play reads heartbreak, bad karma, a kick in the shorts. What have the Red Sox done to deserve this?

Aw, forget it. This inning just stinks. The game, too. It is alarming how the score has gone to tatters since Doubront left.

It was a big gamble by Bobby Valentine, bringing former Yankee Alfredo Aceves in to try to close this game out over two innings. But the rest of the Red Sox bullpen has been miserable, so Aceves — who only recently has settled into being strong in the closer role — may have been the best hope.

Derek Jeter took eight pitches from Aceves and drew a walk, putting men on first and second.

Then, Nick Swisher played the hero again and blasted one off the center field wall to give the Yankees their first lead of the game.

There was a possibility that the Sox could have gotten Jeter out at home — Eduardo Nunez wasn't exactly running the basepaths with a lot of intelligence there — but the throw home was off, too, and both runs scored easily on the double.

Next up on the Valentine skewering menu comes his decision to intentionally walk Robinson Cano and pitch to Alex Rodriguez instead. That theory worked well until Aceves walked Rodriguez, too.

Teixeira — who was having a rough start at the plate coming into today's game (just one home run, five RBI) — continued his dream game. He drilled a double into the right field stands that gave the Yankees a three-run lead. That's six RBIs for Teixeira, and six for Swisher. So, take those two guys out of the game and you still have that 9-0 lead.

The final verdict on Aceves? No outs over 30 pitches.

7 p.m.: And you thought this one would be over in less than three hours, didn't you? Not a chance.

Alfredo Aceves is headed into the game to try to hold it together for the Red Sox.

Eduardo Nunez is on first for the Yankees, and the top of the order — Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano — is due up.

End 7th, Red Sox 9-8: Rafael Soriano has come in to pitch for the Yankees in what has suddenly become quite the contest.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia tried to get the Red Sox right back into it, hitting a ball down the right-field line that bounced into the stands for a ground rule double. But Cody Ross, Mike Aviles and Darnell McDonald went down in order to keep the lead at just one run.

In further bad news for the Red Sox, apparently the latest man to pitch a perfect game will be due up again Thursday, when the Red Sox visit the White Sox in Chicago.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that the Red Sox have traded for more outfield help. The Cubs' Myron Byrd is coming to Boston in exchange for Michael Bowden, a minor league right-hander, as well as a player to be named later and cash.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 9-8: That's why you play all nine.

Mark Teixeira just sent his second homer over the Monster, and he's cut the Red Sox' lead to just one run.

Matt Albers has been replaced by Franklin Morales, and Bobby Valentine is shaking his head. It's never easy, but the Red Sox thought for sure that this one was in the bag.

Teixeira's home run scored Cano and Alex Rodriguez, who reached on a Mike Aviles error. Teixeira has hit home runs from both sides of the plate today.

Morales stopped the damage, striking out Andruw Jones. That's right — Jones accounted for the first two outs of the very same inning. Russell Martin grounded out to close the frame.

6:30 p.m.: All eyes have turned to Seattle, where 29-year-old Philip Humber of the White Sox has thrown the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

Meanwhile, in Boston, Felix Doubront did indeed leave the game after throwing 99 pitches, and the Yankees broke the game open.

Vicente Padilla came in to pitch for the Sox and struck out Andruw Jones. But Russell Martin and Eduardo Nunez followed with singles, and Padilla walked Derek Jeter.

Nick Swisher then cut Boston's lead in half with a first-pitch grand slam over the Green Monster.

Robinson Cano followed that with a double, and Padilla's day is over. Matt Albers is coming in to try to stop the damage.

End 6th, Red Sox 9-1: David Ortiz is having a great day at the plate. He drilled a single for his fourth hit.

The Sox were quiet otherwise. Dustin Pedroia had a single, but Adrian Gonzalez hit into a double play, and Nate Spears recorded the final out.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 9-1: Mark Teixeira gets the Yankees on the board in what has been a rough day for the pinstripes.

Felix Doubront dominated both Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez, striking out both, but Teixeira got a hold of one and sent it over the Green Monster.

That may be the last of Doubront, though, as he's thrown 98 pitches in a great effort for the Red Sox today.

Top 6th, Red Sox 9-0: The Yankees appear to have everything to cure the Red Sox' ills today.

David Phelps gave up a double to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who hasn't hit much of anything this year, and then Cody Ross reminded everybody how much he likes Fenway Park by homering to center.

Darnell McDonald almost hit a home run himself but settled for a warning-track flyout. The fly ball outs by Mike Aviles and Ryan Sweeney were also pretty deep, meaning there could be even more scoring by the Red Sox in this one.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 7-0: The question now is how long Felix Doubront can keep going.

He recorded his fifth strikeout of the day against Russell Martin. He now has 18 Ks over the 15 innings he's pitched.

Doubront also logged his third walk of the day, though, giving the free pass to Eduardo Nunez. That's getting his pitch count up there — 85 through five innings.

The news now on Youkilis is that he left the game with a quad contusion, most likely from when he was hit by that stray Phelps pitch earlier.

End 4th, Red Sox 7-0: A good afternoon in Boston keeps getting better.

Across town, the Bruins have evened up their game against the Capitals — and on the power play, no less.

Bad news may be on the horizon, though, as Kevin Youkilis is now out of the game. There's no word on why he left, but he did take a pitch to the leg last inning. Nate Spears is batting in his place.

The Red Sox took it easy in this one and let the Yankees off without scoring a run. They're nice guys, you know?

Dustin Pedroia flew out in his at-bat, but he had a single last time up, marking the 13th straight game he's hit safely against the Yankees.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 7-0: What would you trade to have this result on Friday instead?

The Red Sox are a completely different team this afternoon, pitching included. The Yankees haven't gotten anything close to a clean look on Felix Doubront, who has just a couple of singles to his account.

Doubront is completely in control, and he's only getting better. He struck out Mark Teixeira looking on a pitch right down the heart of the plate, and he just put a nasty one inside on Curtis Granderson for another K.

There have been rumblings that Doubront could be a savior for the shaky Sox, and he's filling that role more than capably today.

End 3rd, Red Sox 7-0: The rout is on.

David Phelps, considered by many to be an eventual Yankees starter, looked like he may have had the Red Sox cornered, but Boston will not be denied today.

Mike Aviles came through again, lashing a single that scored two runs. Darnell McDonald also sent in a run — David Ortiz hoofing it home from third on a sacrifice fly.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia also got a hit in the frame, leaving Kevin Youkilis the only Red Sox batter who doesn't have a hit today. Youkilis did score a run, though, after getting on base when Phelps hit him with a pitch.

Youkilis must have some kind of magnet on him that attracts beanballs. The guy is full of muscles, but he can't like getting drilled every other day or so. He'll take this one, though, as will the rest of the Sox. This is looking more like Boston baseball.

5:10 p.m.: Another pitching change for the Yankees. Clay Rapada is out, and David Phelps will take the mound. Phelps has been the long man for New York this season.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: That's a quick inning for Doubront, who takes out Eduardo Nunez and Derek Jeter on ground outs.

Nick Swisher made it on base, but Doubront got Robinson Cano to fly out to center. Doubront is looking sharp.

End 2nd, Red Sox 5-0: You couldn't have written up a better two innings for the Red Sox. With Doubront clicking in the top half of the frames, the bats have taken control in the bottom of the innings. Clay Rapada is now in to pitch for the Yankees.

Every member of Boston's lineup now has a hit except Kevin Youkilis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

4:54 p.m.: The hits keep coming for the Red Sox, and that means the end of the day for Freddy Garcia.

Garcia has been pulled after throwing 48 pitches, with seven of those going for Red Sox hits.

Dustin Pedroia drilled one through second to score the third Red Sox' run of the inning, ending Garcia's day.

Cody Ross started the rally, dropping one over short for a single, and Darnell McDonald followed that with a smash off the Monster. Ross was held up at third, with the Sox only having one out, and it turned out to be a good decision.

Mike Aviles continued his success against Garcia, getting a hit to center that sent in Ross. Ryan Sweeney sent McDonald home on a sacrifice fly to add another run for Boston. Aviles stole second with Pedroia at the plate, then Pedroia scored him on his single.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Doubront is looking good. He's really zipping those pitches in there, and it pays off with his first two strikeouts of the afternoon, getting Curtis Granderson on three pitches and Russell Martin swinging.

After Friday's home run derby at Fenway, it's nice to see Doubront getting to the sluggers. Granderson shelled three home runs in four innings against the Twins on Thursday night, and Martin had one of the bombs over the Green Monster in Friday's game.

Doubront did walk his second batter of the game, but it was on a full-count low pitch to Andruw Jones that just missed. Doubront has thrown 38 pitches so far.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Boston has gotten its much-needed offense.

Doubles by Ryan Sweeney, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz put the Red Sox ahead in the first.

Sweeney got his money's worth out of his first at-bat. He sent a double into left field on the eighth pitch he saw from Freddy Garcia, getting on base on a full count after fouling off three pitches.

Gonzalez then put the Red Sox on the board. He crushed a ball out to right, and it dropped on the warning track and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. That was enough to score Sweeney from second.

Ortiz followed with a two-strike double that he ripped right inside the third-base line. Gonzalez came around to score. All three batters looked very comfortable and patient against Garcia, a great sign for the Sox.

Mike Aviles flew out to left to start the inning, and Dustin Pedroia popped up behind home. A Kevin Youkilis grounder to short ended the inning, but the Sox have the coveted early lead in this one.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Derek Jeter continues his hot streak with a solid flare to right. He's batting .359 this season — probably the last thing the Red Sox want to deal with after it looked like Numbah Two was finally on his way out last season.

Doubront threw a nice pitch to get Nick Swisher in a double play, though, and then got Alex Rodriguez out on a weak grounder to short.

But it wasn't without drama. Doubront looked a little wild pitching to Robinson Cano, laying a few of those heaters in near his elbows and face en route to the walk. Cano also got a free trip to second when Jarrod Saltalamacchia tried to squeeze a pitch too fast. All in all, though, the Red Sox come out unscathed, and we can chalk up the first inning shakiness to jitters.

Mike Aviles, Ryan Sweeney and Dustin Pedroia are due up, and the Red Sox could really use a game where they get ahead early. Boston has led only 26 total innings this year. A run or two will take some pressure off of Doubront and get the offense into the game.

4:05 p.m.: First pitch time. Felix Doubront hasn't been lights-out this season, but he's been decent compared to the rest of the rotation. A surprise in the starting rotation coming out of spring training, he could silence the doubters and put the Red Sox in position for a win with a good performance today.

3:50 p.m.: Just about game time here, but in Boston, attention is of course divided today. The Bruins are looking to get an edge on the pesky Washington Capitals at home. It's been a nerve-wracking series, and it's had more drama than Sox-Yankees so far this year. That could all change this afternoon, though, if the bats come alive again.

3:30 p.m.: That's a lot of familiar faces in the lineup, although the order is a bit different. Bobby Valentine has Mike Aviles leading off again, and the shortstop has earned that spot so far this season. He is 8-for-24 in the No. 1 spot, and he's also 8-for-14 (that’s .571) against Freddy Garcia. For the rest of the Red Sox, the best mark against Garcia going into today's game would be Dustin Pedroia, who is 4-for-14 (.286).

Some more tidbits in the Yankees-Red Sox matchup: Boston and New York have played 186 regular-season games since 2002, and each have won 93, with the Sox having the edge in runs scored (plus 36).

The Red Sox have faced Garcia 22 times; he's 9-4 with a 4.45 ERA against them. The Yankees have only faced Doubront in relief. He's 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 4.2 innings against New York. Only six Yankees have faced Doubront (Russell Martin, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Derek Jeter), none of them in more than three at-bats.

3:15 p.m.: We've got some lineups for you.

Red Sox
Mike Aviles, SS
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Cody Ross, CF
Darnell McDonald, LF

Doubront, P

Yankees
Derek Jeter, DH
Nick Swisher, RF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Andruw Jones, LF
Russell Martin, C
Eduardo Nunez, SS

Garcia, P

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox take the field Saturday afternoon for a more normal game against the division rival Highlanders — er, Yankees.

With Fenway’s 100th officially over, the Red Sox will once again be aiming to put the past behind and get wins in the present. After an emotional day at Fenway Park on Friday ended on a sour note with the Yankees winning 6-2, the Red Sox (4-9) will start the stabilizing Felix Doubront (0-0).

The young lefty hasn't been incredible in his first two outings, but he's been solid enough that Boston should be able to get something going around him. Doubront pitched five innings each against the Blue Jays and the Rays, striking out 13 and giving up six earned runs over the two games.

Even better for the Red Sox is the man who will take the mound for the Yankees (8-6). Journeyman Freddy Garcia (0-1) has pitched 10 1/3 innings over his two starts, racking up a 6.97 ERA against the Orioles and the Twins. His start against Baltimore was especially intriguing, as the usually in-control Garcia threw five wild pitches. A weak link in the Yankees' rotation, Garcia could be the best spot for the Red Sox to capitalize against a New York team that is still finding its footing early in the season.

Manager Bobby Valentine has been switching up the lineup pretty consistently, but expect Ryan Sweeney to get another look high in the batting order. Sweeney has hit safely in 10 of this season's 11 games, and he's batting .405 going into Saturday. David Ortiz has also continued to perform well. His homer Friday was part of a 2-for-4 day that lifted his average to .392.

Boston leads New York 463-462-4 all-time at Fenway Park, and after the pressure that's accompanied the new manager, the slow start and the historic celebration, the Red Sox will look to shake off any remaining malaise and grab a win or two before Monday's road trip to Minnesota.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Check back here for news and analysis from the game.

Final, Yankees win 6-2:

6:28 p.m.: Yanks bring in Mariano Rivera.

Mid 9th, Yankees 6-2: Sox fans can be happy with the bullpen’s outing today — especially Tazawa’s. The young righty worked a one pitch, one out with leadoff hitter and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, who nubbed one back to the mound. After getting Granderson to line out to second, Tazawa ended the 1-2-3 frame by getting A-Rod to fly out to center.

End 8th, Yankees 6-2: Sox can’t crack the scoreboard for the third straight frame. Gonzo sliced a base hit through the left side but was left stranded after Youk struck out on a check swing.

Mid 8th, Yankees 6-2: Tazawa escapes the frame without issue. Sox had an old-fashioned pickle, too. So that’s fun. David Robertson now in for the Yankees.

For those keeping track at home, the Sox sold out again — 36,770 paid attendance.

5:57 p.m.: Righty reliever Junichi Tazawa making his 2012 debut, replacing Justin Thomas.

Tazawa made his major league debut in 2009 against the Yankees. In it, he allowed a walkoff homer to A-Rod in the 15th inning at Yankee Stadium.

5:50 p.m.: In comes Justin Thomas after Atchiston gives up a double to Swisher to lead off the Eighth.

End 7th, Yankees 6-2: The Sox get a base hit from Aviles, who now has two hits on the day. He and Papi are the lone Sox with multiple hits today while the Yanks have two of their own in A-Rod and Chavez.

Mid 7th, Yankees 6-2: Atchison gets out of the jam by retiring three straight Yankees.

5:26 p.m.: After a walk to Granderson, Bobby V makes the call to the pen as Atchison replaces Buchholz.

Buchholz went six-plus innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits — five of which were solo homers. He struck out two and walked two more. He threw 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.

End 6th, Yankees 6-2: Nova escapes a little jam as he gets a double-play ball with two on and one out to end the frame.

Youk was drilled by a pitch (elbow pad area) and Papi sliced a single but were both stranded.

Mid 6th, Yankees 6-2: Russell Martin tries — and barely fails — to put a hole in the Sports Authority sign atop the Monster to give the Yankees a 6-2 lead. That’s five solo shots given up by Buchholz in six innings of work.

Buchholz strikes Jeter out looking to end the frame in what was likely his last pitch of the week.

End 5th, Yankees 5-2: Cody Ross lifts one far to deep center but finds a piece at the top of the wall for a stand-up double.

Repko, who did his best Milan Lucic impression with the Green Monster last inning after making a fantastic running catch in left-center, lined out to Cano at second base. Cano timed the ball perfectly to rob the young outfielder of an RBI-single.

With Ross at second, Aviles lofted a soft liner to right which Swisher lost in the sun. Ross rounded third and scored for the Sox’ second run while Aviles replaced him at second base. That sun’s been an issue all day — we saw Pedroia drop a routine pop out in shallow right to kick things off in the first.

Speaking of the sun, the ever-popular shadow has made its way between the rubber and plate, which means that ball comes out of the pitcher’s hand in sunlight and crosses into the shadows as it reaches the dish.

Mid 5th, Yankees 5-1: Ouch. A-Rod ropes a long, far blast over everything in left field for his second homer of the season and 631st homer of his career. That shot by A-Rod passes Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth place on all-time list.

Chalk up four homers on the day for the Bronx Bombers and two RBIs for A-Rod so far.

End 4th, Yankees 4-1: Nova makes quick work of the Sox in the 4th frame, getting groundouts from Papi and Youk before striking out Salty to end it.

Mid 4th, Yankees 4-1: Eric Chavez continues to give Buchholz a hard time as he unloads his second homer of the young afternoon. Chaves came into this game with two doubles in two at-bats against Buchholz. My take? He owns the young hurler.

End 3rd, Yankees 3-1: Gonzo was caught admiring Nova’s work and leaves Sweeney stranded at second base to end the third inning.

Sweeney got on via double to left — he now has a .429 batting average.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 3-1: Buchholz allows one hit and one walk in the third frame but escapes without any damage done.

Sox ended the inning on a nice 3-6-1 double-play ball.

End 2nd, Yankees 3-1: Big Papi wastes no time getting the Sox on the board as the DH launches a solo shot over the far end of the Monster in deep left-center. Because it short-hopped the top of the fence and bounced back onto the field, the umps reviewed it while Papi stood waiting at second base. Sure enough, the umps confirm the dinger and Papi finishes off his well-deserved trot.

One batter later, Youk keeps things going with a sharp double down the right field line. After Salty gets him to third on a groundout to first base, Cody Ross strikes and Jason Repko grounds out to leave Youk stranded.

4:01 p.m.: Good news, Sox fans, Pedro Martinez will be joining Don and Jerry LIVE in the booth momentarily.

Mid 1st, Yankees 3-0: Buchholz allows two more in the second as Swisher and Chavez both smash solo shots.

Shortly after the taters, Derek Jeter gets on with an infield single, his 3,111th career hit. With that, the Yankee legend passes Dave Winfield for 18th place on baseball’s all-time hits list. A single by Granderson leads to a visit to the mound for Clay, who isn’t looking his sharpest.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig will be joining Don and Jerry in the booth in the top of the 4th inning.

End 1st, Yankees 1-0: Dusty starts to make up for that first-inning blunder by lacing a two-out single up the middle.

Aviles led off with a pop out down the right field line which was caught on a nice running play by Cano. Another nice defensive play by Granderson who snagged a flyout to deep left-center off the bat of Adrian Gonzalez.

3:30 p.m.: Fenway faithful giving Barack Obama some boos as our Nation’s leader delivered a message on the big board in centerfield.

Mid 1st, Yankees 1-0: Dustin Pedroia allows Derek Jeter to reach by dropping a can of corn pop up a dozen steps into the outfield grass. That’s Dustin’s first error of the season — he had seven last year (in 159 games) and three the year before (in 75 games).

With Jeter at first and one out, Buchholz unloads a wild pitch high above Salty’s reach to allow the Yankee captain to advance to second. A-Rod would make the wild pitch hurt after smacking a rope to left-center for the RBI-single.

Jason Repko showing off the leather once again with a nice leaping grab with one out at the centerfield wall.

3:07 p.m.: And we’re just about ready to go here now that the Fens faithful was treated to a tremendous ceremony.

Follow pregame ceremony with NESN.com’s 100th Anniversary live blog by clicking here.

2:20 p.m.: Jim Rice, Dwight Evans and Bill Buckner are first three to take the field in that order. Buckner with a tremendous ovation.

2:16 p.m.: Let the festivities begin!

It looks as though former players will come out through canvas alley and the gate in left field.

1:03 p.m.: A few pregame notes from Sox PR worth mentioning:

Today also marks the 73rd
anniversary of Ted Williams Major League debut. (bid on some of Teddy Ballgame’s stuff here)

Ryan Sweeney has hit safely in 9 of
10 games with the Sox with a team-high .424 clip (14-for-
33)…Sweeney ranks 2nd in the AL in AVG (min. 30 PA) and
leads Major Leaguers with a .500 AVG vs. right-handers
(min. 30 PA vs. RHP).

Red Sox hitters lead the Majors with 31 doubles
and are 4th in the AL with a .262 AVG (107-for-409)…
Boston has scored 35 runs in the club’s 4 wins compared to
24 runs in its 8 losses.

Dustin Pedroia hit at a .406
clip (28-for-69) in 17 games against New York last year with
5 doubles, 2 homers, 13 RBI, 9 runs and 9 walks…It was
the 5th-best mark in the Majors last year vs. the Yankees…
Pedroia hit safely in all but 1 of his games vs. the Yanks last
year and hit in all 9 against New York at Fenway Park, going
17-for-38 (.447).

12:49 p.m.: Here is the Sox lineup:

Mike Aviles, SS
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Cody Ross, LF
Jason Repko, CF

12:26 p.m.: Greetings from the old ballyard. Here are today’s lineups:

Yankees
6…Jeter
8…Granderson
DH…Rodriguez
4…Cano
3…Teixeira
9…Swisher
7…Ibanez
5…Chavez
2…Martin

1…Nova

Granderson’s coming off a pretty hot night, to say the least. The centerfielder slugged three taters on Thursday night against the Twins and added a couple of singles to go 5-for-5.

8 a.m. ET: Clay Buchholz and Ivan Nova square off in Game 1 of the first Red Sox-Yankees series of the season on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET on NESN, shortly after a highly anticipated 100-year anniversary pregame celebration.

The Sox received an off day after getting swept by the Rangers in a quick two-game series at Fenway. Buchholz won his last outing, going seven innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits against the Rays. Nova is 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts. In his last outing, he struck out eight Angels in six innings and allowed just four earned runs on eight hits.

Below is a release from the team regarding pregame ceremonies.

Oscar-winning composer John Williams will conduct members of the Boston Pops in the debut of his new composition, “Fanfare for Fenway,” in ceremonies that are expected to begin shortly after 2 p.m.  Gates will open at 12:30 p.m., a special opening time in light of the occasion.

Keith Lockhart will conduct members of the Boston Pops for the National Anthem as well as “Hymn to New England,” also composed by Maestro Williams.

The details of the First Pitch Ceremony will not be announced in advance.

At the conclusion of the anthem, the Air Force’s Heritage Flight team will fly in a four-ship formation fly-over that will include two F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base and two World War II era P-51 Mustangs.  Military personnel from Hanscom Air Force Base will be on hand to present the colors, which will be draped over the Green Monster.

Friday’s ceremonies will also include a toast to Fenway Park.  When fans arrive at their seats, they will find a grape juice drink and cups beneath their seats or in cup holders.  The crowd will be invited to participate in the toast at the end of the pre-game ceremonies, in an attempt to set a world record for the largest toast in a single venue. Fans are asked to be in their seats by 2 p.m. to enjoy the pregame ceremony and to participate in the toast.

Final, 4-4: So the Red Sox have come back from the early 4-0 hole. Mike Aviles ignited the rally, hitting a double off the Green Monster.

Jason Repko drove Ryan Sweeney in with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze, but that’ll be the game. Sox have an early one Friday.

Mid 9th, Yankees 4-3: Scott Atchison also bounced back from his rough outing last time around, tossing a scoreless inning. He surrendered one hit and fanned a batter.

Melancon didn’t allow a single hit in his one-inning stint. Progress for those guys.

Bottom 8th, Yankees 4-3: The spring training feel-good story of Pedro Ciriaco continues.

After driving in Jason Repko with a double, the shortstop pulled off a nifty slide at second base that was ruled safe. During the next at-bat, Nate Spears hit a single and it looked like Ciriaco would be tagged out at home by a mile.

Instead, he dodged the catcher and slid safely at home to cut the deficit.

Lars Anderson continued it by slugging an RBI double. Josh Kroeger had a chance to tie it up, but struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-0: Mark Melancon really rebounded from a disaster outing last time around, retiring three out of the four hitters that he faced.

He plunked Yankees third baseman Jorge Vazquez pretty good, so much so, the youngster had to exit.

Also, let’s make note that when Bobby Valentine said Melancon “backed up the bases pretty well”, it wasn’t a slight. Valentine wanted to clear that up and said it was an inside joke between him and Melancon. So there’s that.

Bottom 7th, Yankees 4-0: Betances had a strong inning there, striking out Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney in straight at-bats.

He also had Ryan Lavarnway fly out to center field. By the way, we caught up with Aaron Cook about his outing and here are his thoughts.

“Felt really good,” Cook said. “I was able to establish early strikes, get them swinging and I felt like I had pretty good command of the strike zone all night.”

Mark Melancon is in for Ohlendforf.

Mid 7th, Yankees 4-0: I have to say that Cody Ross has patrolled left field pretty well. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the few appearances of the spring that he’s made over there.

Doug Bernier and Colin Curtis both flied out to Ross in the seventh, which is why it was worth mentioning. Also, Ohlendorf looks like he might get four innings of work like Cook.

Bottom 6th, Yankees 4-0: Remember this name Red Sox followers, Dellin Betances. He’s supposed to be the next stud pitcher on the Yankees that could end up in the starting rotation if any emergencies pop up. 

He handled the Red Sox lineup well in the sixth, forcing Ellsbury to ground out and striking out Nate Spears and retiring Ortiz on a ground out.

Betances has issued three walks, however, but nonethless he could be facing Red Sox hitters more often in the future.

Mid 6th, Yankees 4-0: Ohlendorf rebounded well after a tough 5th inning. The oft-injured righty turned in a pair of strikeouts to end the inning, showing that his recurring arm injuries may be a thing of the past.

Right fielder Ryan Sweeney also impressed in the field, showing off some of his oft-credited defensive work. Sweeney tracked a fly ball down the right field and pulled it in with the backhand just in front of the wall. His defensive prowess will surely be a pleasant addition for the Sox this season.

End 5th, Yankees 4-0: The Red Sox still seem to be finding no answers on the offensive side of things.

Kelly Shoppach worked a two-out walk, giving the Sox their first base runner since the 2nd inning. But Mike Aviles wasn’t able to take advantage of Betances’ control problems, bringing an end to another fruitless inning for the Sox.

Mid 5th, Yankees 4-0: The bottom of the Yankees’ lineup jumped all over Ross Ohlendorf.

It started with Brandon Laird’s double and Jose Gil’s single and shortstop Doug Bernier ended up hitting a two-run single to balloon the lead.

It’s Ohlendorf’s first hiccup of the spring. He’s a long shot to make the team, but we’ll see how he rebounds.

Bottom 4th, Yankees 2-0: The Yankees pulled a shift on David Ortiz and the designated hitter nearly legged it out.

There was nothing else promising that inning for Boston’s hitters. Heading into the fifth, however, Aaron Cook has been replaced by Ross Ohlendorf.

Mid 4th, Yankees 2-0: Curtis Granderson is back to punishing the Red Sox — even though these games don’t count.

With Brett Gardner on base, Granderson unloaded a triple off the centerfield wall for the RBI. In the next at-bat, Andruw Jones drove in Granderson to add onto the lead.

Also, it was announced that Dustin Pedroia has exited the game with a right forearm contusion.

Bottom 3rd, 0-0: This Adam Warren guy isn’t that bad. The funny part is he was a late replacement for David Phelps.

Warren struck out Pedroia and Mike Aviles in the third inning, so that’s impressive. In the process, Pedroia got hit in the forearm by the pitch and was immediately yanked out by Valentine.

Pedroia wanted to stay in, but Pedro Ciriaco is coming in for him.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: That sinkerball and curveball combo is allowing Aaron Cook to work through the Yankees’ lineup quickly.

Cook also got his second strikeout of the night. That reunion with Bob McClure sure looks like it has positive ramifications ahead.

Bottom 2nd, 0-0: The Red Sox were threatening. After David Ortiz and Ryan Sweeney belted singles, Kelly Shoppach had a chance to capitalize.

But he didn’t. Shoppach flew out to right field, ending the inning.

On another note, Sweeney finally got another hit. Entering this game, the outfielder was 1-for-15 in official spring training at-bats. Valentine hasn’t been a fan of Sweeney’s mechanics , but hopes he’ll figure it out.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: So far, so good for Aaron Cook. He’s really a sleeper to sneak into the fifth spot in the rotation. At the very least, his sinkerball and curveball could induce a lot of groundballs in Fenway Park.

For you sabermetrics geeks out there, Bobby Valentine was asked if a groundball pitcher could thrive in the AL East the skipper said “it depends on their BABIP.” 

Bottom 1st, 0-0: Adam Warren has Ellsbury and Pedroia ground out to second and shortstop, respectively. 

Hearing the ESPN broadcast here, Terry Francona called Pedroia the “most special player” he’s ever been around. Obviously, those two were and will continue to be close.

After Pedroia’s at-bat, Kevin Youkilis flew out.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Aaron Cook looked sharp to start off the night, sitting down the Yankees in order, 1-2-3.

Dustin Pedroia helped provide some solid defense in the field. And Cook struck out Andruw Jones to close out the impressive inning of work.

7:05 p.m.: Bobby Valentine is putting out his big hitters, tonight.

The New York Yankees are visitg JetBlue Park for the first and only time this Spring, and the Sox are prepared for their rivals arrival with an assortment of their Opening Day roster filling out the lineup card.

Here’s a look at the starting lineups.

Yankees
Bret Gardner, LF
Curtis Granderson, CF
Andrew Jones, RF
Eric Chavez, 3B
Raul Ibanez, DH
Gerald Laird, 1B
Jose Gil, C
Ramiro Pena, 2B
Doug Bernier, SS

Adam Warren, P

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, LF
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Mike Aviles, SS

Aaron Cook, P

5:30 p.m.: The Red Sox welcome the divisional rival New York Yankees to JetBlue Park for the first and only time this Spring.

Boston did make a trip to the Yankees’ spring training facility early last week to the tune of a 1-0 win. This time around the Sox are breaking out their big bats, as the team’ starting lineup looks eerily similar to what is projected come Opening Day.

Jacoby Ellsbury is leading things off for the Sox, and the core middle of the lineup is being filled with the usual suspects in Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz.

The Yankees, on the other hand, don’t appear to be taking this one quite as seriously. With the likes of Robinson Cano, Mark Teixiera and Derek Jeter noticably missing from the team’s batting order, this go around doesn’t quite hold the same intensity that the teams first series in April might bring.

Fringe roster candidate Aaron Cook is set to take the hill for the Sox, while the Yankees will have young right-hander Adam Warren tossing from the hill to start things off.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and you can catch all the action on NESN. But keep right here for up to the minute informaton with NESN.com’s live blog.

Final, 8-7:

On an evening when the Red Sox jumped out to a lead and the Rays fell behind the Yankees 7-0, Tampa Bay put the finishing touches on one of the most dramatic comebacks you'll ever see.

Evan Longoria launched his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Rays the American League wild card. It was a line drive that just cleared the fence down the left-field line, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

This came after Longoria's three-run shot in the eighth inning made the score 7-6 and gave the Rays new life. The Rays were then down to their final strike in the ninth, but Dan Johnson extended the game with a home run down the right-field line.

Three innings later, just minutes after the Orioles put the finishing touches on a come-from-behind win, the Rays seized the American League wild card. In many ways, it's a microcosm of the final month of the season.

12:06 a.m.: Rays win. Enough said.

12:03 a.m.: Red Sox lose. Enough said.

Mid 12th, 7-7: The inning started off promising for the Yankees, with Greg Golson and Eric Chavez stringing together back-to-back singles. Chavez' came on a lazy blooper to left-center, which allowed Golson to get all the way to third.

But Golson made a costly mistake three pitches later that wiped him off the basepaths. Jorge Posada chopped a 97-mph fastball to Longoria at third base. Golson initially took off, as if he was off on contact, but he then stopped. When he tried to dive back to third, Longoria tagged him out for the first out of the inning.

Chris Dickerson then struck out swinging, and Brett Gardner grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Rays will send B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and Jose Lobaton to the plate in the bottom of the 12th.

11:50 p.m.: Greg Golson hit a ball between short and third that went off Longoria's glove and trickled away for a base hit. The Rays will now turn to a new pitcher in Jake McGee.

Meanwhile, "Big Game" James Shields has started loosening in the Tampa Bay bullpen. That's how big this game is.

Shields pitched 8 2/3 innings, throwing 117 pitches, on Monday night.

End 11th, 7-7: Scott Proctor walked Ben Zobrist to begin the bottom of the 11th. After a Casey Kotchman fly out, Brandon Guyer hit a line drive just past the outstretched glove of Eduardo Nunez to put runners at first and second.

Sean Rodriguez then grounded into a force out at third, and Desmond Jennings popped out to second. Jennings is now 0-for-6 on the evening.

We'll head to the 12th, when the Yankees will send up Greg Golson, Eric Chavez and Jorge Posada. Brandon Gomes will toe the rubber again.

Mid 11th, 7-7: Brandon Gomes is the latest pitcher to enter the game, keeping up what looks like the most intense spring training game. Of course, we know that isn't the case, but the amount of lineup/pitching changes certainly reflects one.

Eduardo Nunez flew out to center to start the inning. The next batter, Brandon Laird, lifted a looping fly ball to left field, but Desmond Jennings made a sliding grab for the inning's second out.

Ramiro Pena put on an eight-pitch battle, but Gomes eventually ensured the Rays offense would have another chance to come up in a tie game by striking him out swinging.

The Rays will send Ben Zobrist, Casey Kotchman and Brandon Guyer to the plate in the home half of the 11th.

11:25 p.m.: On the NL side of the fence, the Cardinals were victorious this evening. They defeated the Astros 8-0.

Meanwhile, the Braves and Phillies are deadlocked 3-3 in the 13th inning, although Philly is threatening in the away half. The Braves now need to win to force a one-game playoff.

End 10th, 7-7: B.J. Upton worked a walk to begin the inning, bringing up Evan Longoria with the winning run on first. After a heavy dose of pickoff attempts, Longoria lifted a 2-2 pitch to right-center. Brett Gardner and Chris Dickerson nearly collided, but Gardner called for it and hauled it in for the first out.

Jose Lobaton then suffered one of the longest three-pitch strikeouts you'll ever see. Proctor continuously checked on Upton at first before finally striking out Lobaton looking on a 95-mph fastball.

Johnny Damon, who always seems to have a flair for the dramatic (although he popped out to end the ninth inning with a runner on second), came up with a chance to win it. He wasn't able to do anything, though, as he fell victim to another Proctor K.

Mid 10th, 7-7: Kyle Farnsworth took over in the top of the 10th to face his former team. He played with the Yankees in 2006, 2007 and parts of 2008. But he's been much better this season than he had been in any of those seasons, as he's typically been a guy who can throw a ball threw a brick wall — just as long as finds musters up enough accuracy to hit it.

Farnsworth made quick work of Eric Chavez to begin the inning, striking him out on three pitches. He then followed up by striking out pinch-hitter Jorge Posada on four pitches, the last of which was a 97-mph heater.

Then, things got a bit dicey for a second. Chris Dickerson walked on four pitches and stole second. Farnsworth then intentionally walked Brett Gardner. That move paid off for the Rays, though, as Austin Romine struck out on three pitches.

The Yankees had the go-ahead run in scoring position, but it went for naught. The Rays will now have a chance to send the fans home happy — and also make those who left early belt out their best Homer Simpson "Doh!"

End 9th, 7-7: With Scott Proctor on after the Yankees watched their lead evaporate, Sean Rodriguez hit a slow roller than Eduardo Nunez couldn't do anything with.

Then, Rodriguez took off on the fourth pitch of Desmond Jennings' at-bat. But Jennings simultaneously took a whack at it and hit a ball that ricocheted off Proctor's glove. Pena was there to gobble it up and fire to first to end the inning.

10:49 p.m.: After all the noise the Rays made in the eighth inning, they brought the house down in the ninth.

Down to their final strike, Dan Johnson, pinch hitting for Sam Fuld, ripped a line drive down the right-field line that just cleared the fence.

This came after a lackluster start to the inning by the Rays. Ben Zobrist flew out to center field to begin the inning, and Casey Kotchman grounded out to Eric Chavez at third for the second out. It was actually a pretty nice play by Chavez, who's made a living off his defensive prowess. He fielded a short-hop cleanly with a backhand.

Wade quickly got ahead of Johnson 1-2, but Johnson came up with the biggest hit of the Rays' season. He jumped all over an 83-mph changeup and blasted it out to right.

The Yankees are now turning to their 11th pitcher in Scott Proctor.

Mid 9th, Yankees 7-6: Peralta made sure the Rays will enter the home half of the ninth needing only one run to keep this game going.

Peralta got Brandon Laird to pop out to short on a handsome splitter to begin the inning. He then struck out Ramiro Pena with another good-looking offspeed pitch for the second out, and got Greg Golson to fly out to left for the third out.

Coming up for the Rays in the ninth inning will be Ben Zobrist, Casey Kotchman and Sam Fuld — not exactly the 1927 Yankees, but it'll have to do.

The Yankees won't turn to Mariano Rivera, with this game pretty much meaningless for them. Instead they'll turn to not-so-Hall of Famer Cory Wade for the game's final three outs.

End 8th, Yankees 7-6: It's official. The Rays do, in fact, have a pulse.

After loading the bases against Boone Logan, Luis Ayala came in and walked Sam Fuld, who was pinch hitting for Kelly Shoppach. That plated the first run of the game for the Rays, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Sean Rodgriguez was hit by a pitch, marking the second Tampa Bay run, before Desmond Jennings struck out on a 3-2 offering. B.J. Upton then hit a sac fly to cut the Yankees lead to 7-3.

Elite players come up with big hits in big situations (very philosophical, huh?). Evan Longoria proved why he's a franchise player, lifting an absolute bomb into the bleachers in left. The three-run shot cut the Yankees lead to one.

The next batter, John Jaso, ripped a base hit through the right side and was lifted for a pinch runner in Elliot Johnson. Johnson quickly swiped second to move up into scoring position for Johnny Damon, but Damon popped out to second to end the inning.

Meanwhile, I have now have carpal tunnel from these fast and furious updates. I'm going to get a coffee — this game isn't over. Stay tuned, as Joel Peralta is coming in to try to keep this a 7-6 game.

10:13 p.m.: Few things to update you all on, and as the Yankees make their 641st pitching change of the evening (barely an exaggeration), now seems as good a time as any.

The Rays are staging their first rally of the game, as they've loaded the bases with no outs. But perhaps the bigger news is that Yankees catcher Jesus Montero has come out of the game after getting shaken up following a hit batsman (Casey Kotchman). Austin Romine is in for him.

Oh yeah, and the Yankees have changed pitchers. Luis Ayala is in the game.

Mid 8th, Yankees 7-0: De La Rosa headed back out to work the eighth for the Rays and did a nice job of keeping the Yankees offense at bay.

He got Andruw Jones to ground out to third on a 96-mph cut-fastball for the first out and then retired Jesus Montero on a nasty slider for the second out. Eduardo Nunez dug in, but he flew out before he could even make himself at home.

Prior to the start of the inning, Justin Ruggiano replaced Russ Canzler in the lineup for the Yanks and went in to play right field.

On to the bottom of the eighth we go, where the over/under on how many pitchers the Yankees use is set at three.

End 7th, Yankees 7-0: After Burnett's short-lived cameo resulted in one out — and shockingly no runs — the 6-foot-10 Brackman came in the game and got Desmond Jennings to ground out to the shortstop Nunez.

Nunez had a chance to pick up another assist for the third out, but he bobbled it in the hole, which allowed B.J. Upton to reach. Brackman then walked Longoria on four pitches, which spelled the end of his night.

Boone Logan entered the game with two on and two out. The Yankees must be trying to tear up the turf leading from the bullpen to the mound because he's the eighth pitcher that Joe Girardi has turned to in this game. It's like Russian dolls out in the Yankees pen; each time a pitcher comes in the game, there appears to be another one that takes his seat.

Anyways, Logan struck out Russ Canzler, who pinch hit for Matt Joyce, to end the inning.

9:47 p.m.: I don't know what to make of that situation, but Burnett came on, faced one batter, threw five pitches and then headed for the dugout. He retired Sean Rodriguez on a groundout to third.

It's as if Joe Girardi finally came to his senses after brain fart. Either way, Andrew Brackman's coming in. He's tall.

9:45 p.m.: Hold the phone. This game isn't over yet. A.J. Burnett has come on in relief for the Yankees. Stay tuned.

Mid 7th, Yankees 7-0: Mark Teixeira, already with two home runs on the evening, led off the away half of the seventh. He grounded out softly to the mound, though.

Robinson Cano followed that up with a popout on what proved to be the last batter Ramos would face. With Dane De La Rosa in the game, Nick Swisher grounded out to Zobrist at second.

It's seventh-inning stretch time at the Trop, but it certainly isn't a joyous one. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the Red Sox and Rays are in the midst of a rain delay, with the Sox leading 3-2.

9:36 p.m.: If I were the Tropicana Field public address announcer, I don't think I'd encourage Rays fans to stand up and stretch because at the conclusion of this half inning. It would likely only result in them running right out of the building.

End 6th, Yankees 7-0: Raul Valdes replaced Phil Hughes in the sixth.

He struck out Matt Joyce on a nice breaking ball to begin the inning, marking the second time tonight that Joyce has gone down by way of the K. He's now 0-for-3 after delivering a monsterous home run on Tuesday night.

Valdes then started Damon off with fastballs before turning to his curveball, but Damon consistently laid off and worked a walk.

Zobrist wasn't as patient, however, as he swung at the first offering he saw and popped out to Teixeira for the first out. Tex' first-base counterpart, Casey Kotchman, followed up with a single, but it marked the only offense the Rays would muster up, as Kelly Shoppach popped out to end the inning.

It's official: there's a whole lot of Rays fans filing to the exits as we speak. This is an entirely different team than we've seen lately.

As far as Yankees replacements go: Ramiro Pena took over for Derek Jeter in the sixth. He played second base, while Eduardo Nunez switched over to shortstop. Greg Goglson, who pinch hit for Granderson, remained in the game to play center field.

Mid 6th, Yankees 7-0: Juan Cruz, who gave up the blast to Andruw Jones in the fifth, came back out the start the sixth.

He featured a good mix of pitches to Brandon Laird, who eventually popped out to short. Derek Jeter grounded out to second on a 2-2 fastball for the second out, which also marked the end of Cruz's night.

Cesar Ramos took over and was greeted by Greg Golson, who pinch hit for Granderson. Ramos got him to pop out to Kotchman at first to end the inning.

It was a bit surprising to see so many starters in the Yankees lineup for this game, but Golson's pinch-hit at-bat is an indication that manager Joe Girardi could be turning to the bench in the later innings. That makes it a bit surprising that Jeter remained in the game for his at-bat.

On to the home half of the sixth we go, with the Rays looking to get something — anything — going.

End 5th, Yankees 7-0: Sean Rodriguez, hitting for Reid Brignac, saw 11 pitches, including one that he laced just foul down the left field line. He eventually walked, which woke a few Rays fans up, but the next few hitters ensured they went right back to sleep.

The Rays squandered the leadoff walk, as Jennings, Upton and Longoria went down in order on a flyout, force out at second and a strikeout, respectively.

Mid 5th, Yankees 7-0: Is this 2005? Andruw Jones just went yard to give the Yankees a 7-0 lead on the suddenly lifeless Rays.

Juan Cruz, relieving David Price, surrendered the blast. He threw Jones a 93-mph fastball that the 34-year-old turned on in a hurry.

Eduardo Nunez went down looking to end the inning, but the Yankees light up the scoreboard for the fourth time in five innings.

End 4th, Yankees 6-0: Aaron Laffey came on for his second inning of work and hit Johnny Damon to begin the frame. He then retired the next three batters in order.

Laffey threw Zobrist a good mix of sliders and sinkers, seemingly looking to induce a double play. He ended up getting Zobrist swinging on a sinker to record a strikeout, though.

Then, along came Casey Kotchman, who Laffey did get to hit one on the ground. But Teixeira was only able to step on the bag for one out. Shoppach ended the inning by flying out to center.

Phil Hughes has been warming up in the bullpen for the Yanks, so we may see him next inning.

It's a very disgruntled crowd right now, made obvious by the fact that even the Rays out in the Rays Touch Tank are leaping out of the water in disgust. Or maybe that's just something real Rays do. Either way.

Mid 4th, Yankees 6-0: David Price is getting served a heavy dose of Tex Mix right now.

After getting Jeter to pop out and Granderson to strike out, Mark Teixeira launched his second home run of the game — his 39th of the season — off the Rays left-hander.

David Price just hasn't had it tonight, folks. Where's Matt Garza when you need him?

Over in Baltimore, Dustin Pedroia went yard literally seconds later to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead.

In NL action, the Braves lead the Phillies 3-1 and the Cardinals lead the Astros 5-0.

End 3rd, Yankees 5-0: Kontos issued a four-pitch free pass to Desmond Jennings to begin the inning, at which point Joe Maddon decided to put the wheels in motion. The young outfielder swiped second base easily.

Upton unleashed an uppercut swing on one, but it resulted in a routine fly to left for the first out of the inning.

A quick 10-second delay — for some unknown reason — brought Joe Maddon and his hair out of the dugout, but the conversation was short-lived. Evan Longoria then stepped in and grounded out to Laird at third for out No. 2.

After turning to their third pitcher of the evening (at this rate you or I could get the nod), Aaron Laffey Taffy got Matt Joyce to pop out to short on the first pitch of the at-bat.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 5-0: David Price is working his fingers to the bone early at the Trop. He's thrown 82 pitches through three innings.

Nick Swisher said "what's up" to the third inning by doubling into the gap. After Andruw Jones struck out looking, Jesus Montero grounded out to short, which allowed Swisher to advance to third. Eduardo Nunez was then intentionally walked before stealing second. Brandon Laird ended the inning by lazily flying out to left.

The Yankees are turning to George Kontos in place of Betances in the third inning, begging the question, "what rotation are we looking at?"

End 2nd, Yankees 5-0: Ben Zobrist saw eight pitches but eventually grounded out to Nunez at second for the inning's first out.

Casey Kotchman, who returns to the lineup after being taken to the hospital on Tuesday because of chest pains, then lined one right back at Betances that struck him on the back of the leg. After 600 trainers filed out of the Yankees dugout in an orderly fashion, he appears to be alright.

Former Red Sox farmhand Kelly Shoppach then hit a sky-high popup down the left-field line that Laird fielded cleanly. It was one of those popups where you just waited for the mini golf course that is Tropicana Field to play a role, but it never happened. Reid Brignac lined out to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, Yankees 5-0: Break out the bread and mustard.

Stud rookie Jesus Montero lined out to Upton in center to begin the inning, but the rest of the Yankees order really made life difficult for Price, who's now thrown 59 pitches through two frames.

Eduardo Nunez doubled into the gap in left-center and Brandon Laird, a late addition to the lineup, singled into left. With runners at the corners, Jeter worked a seven-pitch walk, which loaded the bases for the aggressive Curtis Granderson.

Swinging for the downs on the first pitch, Granderson popped one up in the infield, resulting in your textbook infield fly rule. Granderson entered the game hitting .179 off Price in 28 career ABs and is now 1-for-2.

But all of this was just the appetizer for Mark Teixeira's grand salami, as Teixeira roped a 3-2 pitch into the bleachers in left. Price dialed it up to 97 mph at challenge time, but, well, he lost.

Somewhere, Red Sox fans are beginning their Teixeira-for-MVP campaign.

End 1st, Yankees 1-0: The bottom of the first was kind of a strange inning. Betances struggled with his command, prompting the Yankees to get action up in the bullpen already. This seems a bit strange, especially considering this game is essentially meaningless for the Yankees.

But, in the end, the big righty didn't allow a run.

After Desmond Jennings flew out to begin the Rays' night offensively, B.J. Upton worked a walk and subsequently stole second base. But then, after walking Evan Longoria, Betances struck out Matt Joyce and Johnny Damon on four and five pitches, respectively. As I mentioned, though, he was a bit wild in doing so.

7:30 p.m.: If you don't know Yankees starter Dellin Betances, you're not alone. But here's some fun facts for you:

Making his major league debut, Betances was drafted in the eighth round of the 2006 draft. The 23-year-old has been ranked highly throughout the Yankees' farm system since forgoing his commitment to Vanderbilt after being drafted.

But here's the funnest of all: As Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com points out, Betances was in the bleachers for David Wells' perfect game in 1998. Boomer!

Mid 1st, Yankees 1-0: The Yankees score, the-e-e-e-e Yankees score! Doesn't have the same effect when used via text in the first inning of a game, but it's still the facts nonetheless.

David Price got ahead of Derek Jeter early with a heavy dose of fastballs, topping out around 94. After fouling off a few, Jeter went down looking for out No. 1.

The next batter, Granderson, blooped a single into center field and moved up to second as a ball traveled to the backstop. Mark Teixeira then gave one a ride to left, but it was tracked down fairly easily.

Robinson Cano then battled for eight pitches, seeing a heavy dose of fastballs from Price before the lefty switched things up with a 78-mph breaking ball. Cano rolled it over to second, but second baseman Ben Zobrist threw up all over himself and the lazy ground ball ate him up. Granderson, running hard from the initial crack of the bat, came around to score from second easily as Zobrist tracked the ball down in shallow right field.

Price proceeded to walk the next batter, Nick Swisher, on five pitches. Andruw Jones (Yes, that Andruw Jones) went on to ground out to ensure no more damage was done, but it's a 28-pitch first inning for Price — not exactly what the doctor (any doctor) ordered.

Also, I hate cowbells — as well various other noise-making contraptions.

7:10 p.m.: About ready for first pitch and I just housed coffee No. 2. I'm pretty sure if you put me out on the field right now, I could pull the old-scool "RBI Baseball" for Sega routine and steal two bases on one throwdown. But that's going to happen. So instead I'll just talk about it.

I'll also talk a great deal about tonight's game, which, as I'm sure you've heard, is kind of a big one.

A lot scoreboard watching is going on across Major League Baseball right now, as the Braves and Cardinals are also tied for the NL wild card lead. I'll throw you all a few updates on that end as well, so feel free to catch 'em.

P.S. Joe Maddon has to be the hippest manager to come along in awhile. He's like the older dude at a party that you have no idea who he is, but he's more than willing to party with everyone and offers to show his CD collection 700 times. Like I said, hip.

7:05 p.m.: Alex Rodriguez was initially penciled into the Yankees lineup, but Brandon Laird will now play in his place. He'll bat ninth, with Swisher, Jones and Montero all moving up a spot.

6:40 p.m. ET: It all comes down to the last day of the 2011 regular season.

If the Red Sox win and the Rays lose, the Sox are in. If the Rays win and the Sox lose, the Rays are in. If both teams win or lose, we'll have a one-game playoff on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. to determine who will represent the American League as this year's wild card winner.

As Jon Lester takes the Camden Yards mound in the hopes of leading the Red Sox to victory, another lefty will be trying to do the same for the Tampa Bay Rays. David Price will be toeing the rubber for the Rays down at the Trop against Dellin Betances and the Yankees.

With a 12-13 record and a 3.35 ERA this season, Price has taken a step backward following a season in which he finished second in AL Cy Young voting. Those numbers are below his usual standards mostly because of his inability to win games lately. Price is winless in his last five starts, going 0-2 in that span. His last win came in Toronto on Aug. 28.

But Price's September ERA is still at a very respectable 3.03 entering Wednesday's showdown in St. Pete. He's allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his last nine starts, while allowing three in the other one. The Rays offense, which has been anemic for most of this season, has plagued him, however.

In his career against the Bronx Bombers, Price is 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 12 games (11 starts). But Red Sox fans know from the 2008 ALCS, during which he tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings, that he has the potential to come up big in big situations.

Opposite Price for the Yankees will be Betances, a physically imposing figure — 6-foot-8, 260 pounds — who is making his first career major league start. He's only appeared in one game this season, allowing two runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Despite the game being a meaningless one for the Yankees, they'll be sending out a fairly normal lineup, with the exceptions being Russell Martin and Brett Gardner, who are both out of the lineup. Robinson Cano will DH.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Check out the complete lineups below.

Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Matt Joyce, RF
Johnny Damon, DH
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Kelly Shoppach, C
Reid Brignac, SS

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, DH
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Nick Swisher, RF
Andruw Jones, LF
Jesus Montero, C
Eduardo Nunez, 2B

Matt Joyce's big three-run home run, plus some impressive work out of Joe Maddon's bullpen, and the Rays have put the pressure back on the Red Sox.

One thing to keep in mind about this game: The Yankees did not use their bench much at tall. You have to think that Joe Girardi will use Wednesday as a day of rest for his regulars, giving them two days off before the playoffs start. If that's the case, you have to like the Rays' chances as they send David Price to the mound looking to extend the season.

End 8th, Rays 5-3:The Rays are now three outs from ensuring that they head into the final day of the season at least tied for the wild card.

We also have a better idea of what we may see on Wednesday from the Yankeees, as Joe Girardi brought in Mariano Rivera to face one batter, presumably just to get some work in.

As it turned out, he also kept the deficit as two as he got B.J. Upton looking with a runner on second after an 11-pitch inning.

Kyle Farnsworth will be on in the ninth for the save attempt.

Mid 8th, Rays 5-3: Brandon Gomes does his job in the Tampa Bay bullpen, as he retires the Yankees in order in the top of the eighth. 

He was able to get strikeouts of both Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher in the inning to help preserve the lead.

For what it's worth, the Yankees have yet to go to their bench, which means we could very well be looking at a spring training-like lineup on Wednesday.

End 7th, Rays 5-3: Rafael Soriano came in hoping to secure the lead and help pave the way to the always dominant Mariano Rivera — Yeah, about that.

Soriano promptly issued back-to-back walks to B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria to begin the frame, before giving up a three-run bomb to Matt Joyce.

Upton walked on five pitches and Longoria then worked a nine-pitch free pass. Then, on the second pitch he saw, Joyce jacked one to right.

Mid 7th, Yankees 3-2: Jake McGee comes in to work the seventh and does a good job for the Rays.

It's incredible that he actually ever gives up any runs. He's a big left-hander who throws just filthy, filthy stuff. We're talking upper 90s from the left side. Good luck with that.

Yet, he's rocking a 4.67 ERA this season. Baseball.

Time to stretch — and eat.

End 6th, Yankees 3-2: Wade allowed a single to Reid Brignac after getting Kelly Shoppach to fly out for the second out.

From there, though, the Rays couldn't push one across as Desmond Jennings flew out to right. He's now 0-for-4 on the evening.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox push their lead to 7-3 after a Marco Scutaro home run. I don't need to tell you, although I will, that this game just got a lot more important for the Rays.

Bottom 6th, Yankees 3-2: Ben Zobrist leads off the home half of the sixth with a single and that is followed by a flyout from Sean Rodriguez. That marks the end of the night for Bartolo Colon.

He gives way to Cory Wade who will likely try and bridge the gap to the late-inning trio of Soriano, Robertson and Rivera.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-2: Wow. With one run already in, the bases loaded and only one out, Russell Martin just bounced into a 5-4-3 triple play.

It was obviously a huge play for the Rays, as Hellickson had gotten into a huge mess and showing no signs of getting any better.

Nick Swisher drove in the go-ahead run on a double, and it was a weird play itself. Mark Teixeira wasn't sure if the ball would be caught in the outfield, and he ended up not being able to score from second.

Weird, weird inning. All things considered, the Rays have felt probably felt a lot worse about trailing a game before.

End 5th, 2-2: Evan Longoria singled in the fith inning, and that, as it is many times for the Rays, was it.

Bartolo Colon has definitely bounced back after a rough start his last time out against the Rays, and that is obviously good news for Red Sox fans.

Those fans, of course, are watching intently right now as the Sox threaten to blow things open in Baltimore with a fifth-inning rally.

Mid 5th, 2-2: Things could have been much worse for Tampa Bay in the fifth inning, although they have allowed the Yankees to tie things up.

Hellickson allowed to singles to open the inning, before Curtis Granderson would ground into a double play with a man on third. It was a huge pair of outs for Hellickson, but it also tied the game at 2.

So while the Sox look to add on to their lead in Baltimore, it's now 2-2 through 4 1/2 at Tropicana Field.

End 4th, Rays 2-1: Bartolo Colon turns in a quick inning in the fourth, working around a two-out single from Reid Brignac.

Again, keep in mind that it's likely Girardi will use the entire back end of his bullpen in this game, so Colon may go five, maybe six. That inning was an important one for Colon — well, as about as important as anything can be for the Yankees right now considering they're playing for nothing.

Mid 4th, Rays 2-1: Big inning for Hellickson in the fourth. He needed just eight pitches to cut down Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada and Russell Martin.

He's not at 65 pitches, and that inning could be a big one when we look back at the end of this game.

The Rays will send the bottom of their order to the plate in the bottom half of the fourth.

End 3rd, Rays 2-1: The Rays are not very good offensively. Like, at all. They did, however, get the first two batters of the third inning on, but couldn't do anything with them.

After Evan Longoria, they're lineup is nothing to be scared of. When you take things like that into consideration, you realize that Tampa being back in this race is more a result of the Red Sox falling apart than the Rays make a charge.

Speaking of those Sox, Ryan Lavarnway picked a pretty good time for his first career home run, and Boston leads 5-1 in Baltimore.

Mid 3rd, Rays 2-1: If Russell Martin really hates the Red Sox and doesn't want them to make the playoffs, he's going about proving both of those all wrong.

He just hit his 18th home run of the year on a fat 3-1 pitch from Hellickson.

Sometimes, the shut-down innings following your team giving you some support can be the toughest.

For Hellickson, the third was not easy at all. After giving up the home run he would eventually walk the bases loaded (one intentional) before Mark Teixeira hit a deep fly ball to the warning track. Matt Joyce put it away just in front of the right-field wall.

That was a 29-pitch inning for Hellickson who is now at 57 through three.

End 2nd, Rays 2-0: Tropicana Field had something of a buzz after a Johnny Damon single to lead off the second. That buzz turned into a roar when Ben Zobrist drilled one into the right-field seats for a two-run home run.

It could have been even more, too, but Mark Teixeira's defense bailed out the Yankees. With Sean Rodriguez at third, Alex Rodriguez almost threw away a ground ball off the bat of Desmond Jennings. Instead, Teixeira makes the stop and that's it for the Rays.

Alas, Tampa Bay leads 2-0 after two, with the Red Sox taking a 2-1 lead behind Jacoby Ellsbury in Baltimore.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Jeremy Hellickson gives up a rarity — an excuse me swing infield single to Mark Teixeira — but it's not enough to spook the 22-year-old.

He was able to work around the one-out base knock, however, retiring Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada to end the inning.

There's been mention that Joe Girardi plans on using Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera at some point in this one, which would almost certainly guarantee they'd be out of action on Wednesday.

So do with that information what you will.

End 1st, 0-0: B.J. Upton has had some baserunning issues this year and as of late, and he added to those in the bottom of the first.

After working a walk in what was a strong at-bat, Upton was immediately picked off of first base by Bartolo Colon, who at roughly 400 pounds, doesn't have the quickest feet in the world. So that should tell you how boneheaded the move was on Upton's part.

Evan Longoria then reached on an error by Nunez, but Colon got Matt Joyce to pop out to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the Orioles take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first against the Red Sox.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Jeremy Hellickson gets the Rays off to a good start, as he tossed a perfect inning to start the game.

Curtis Granderson gave the Rays a bit of a scare, but his deep fly to center turned into a flyout to B.J. Upton.

The Rays are coming up to get their first look at the man they call Bartolo … Colon.

7:10 p.m. ET: Jeremy Hellickson's first pitch to Eduardo Nunez is a strike, and things are under way in Florida.

7:05 p.m. ET: A couple of things to notice about the lineups for this one.

First, and most importantly, is the addition of Sean Rodriguez at first base for Tampa. That's because Casey Kotchman was taken to the hospital after he experienced some tightness in his chest prior to the game. He's expected to be OK, but even in the midst of a playoff push, well-being is the most important thing.

Turning to the Yankees lineup, it's one that should make Red Sox fans pretty happy. Derek Jeter is the only regular missing from the lineup. Now, that doesn't mean that the "A lineup" will play the entire night, but they'll certainly start the game opposite Hellickson.

First pitch is just minutes away.

6:50 p.m. ET: Well, here we are. It's Sept. 27, 160 games have been played and the Rays and Red Sox are deadlocked atop the wild card standings.

Of course, not even a month ago, it didn't look like it was going to get to this, but thanks to a historic collapse in Boston as well as some inspired play in St. Petersburg, the Red Sox and Rays are in a two-game race to the finish.

With one eye on the scoreboard for the Sox-Orioles game in Baltimore, the Rays will send rookie starter Jeremy Hellickson to the mound for the biggest start of his career. He'll go opposite New York's Bartolo Colon, the same Bartolo Colon who gave up seven runs (five earned) in just three innings of work his last time out — against Tampa.

Here are the lineups for Tuesday night's affair, courtesy of the LoHud Yankees Blog.

New York
Eduardo Nunez SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

Tampa Bay
Desmond Jennings LF
B.J. Upton CF
Evan Longoria 3B
Matt Joyce RF
Johnny Damon DH
Ben Zobrist 2B
Sean Rodriguez 1B
Kelly Shoppach C
Reid Brignac SS

Of course, follow along with all of the Red Sox-Orioles action by either tuning into NESN's coverage or follow along with NESN.com Red Sox reporter Tony Lee's live blog of all of the action by clicking here.