It was a largely empty Red Sox clubhouse after Friday night's affair, and those who were there were rather quiet.
We did hear that Jason Varitek left due to a left forearm contusion, suffered when he was crossed up on a pitch by Josh Beckett in that horrid sixth inning. Speaking of which, we will have a separate piece on Beckett's night in a bit.
For now, look ahead to Saturday. It will be a 3:10 p.m. start and Clay Buchholz is on the mound for the Sox.
Final, Yankees 10-3: It's amazing how inconsistent the Red Sox have been. After sweeping Toronto, they get swept in Baltimore, only to come home and sweep Los Angeles and then open the Yankees series in miserable fashion. One would hope they buck the trend over the weekend, or else the hill they need to climb will get that much steeper.
We'll head downstairs and get the pulse in the clubhouse. Back in a moment.
Mid 9th, Yankees 10-3: Boone Logan is all that stands between the Red Sox and a remarkable come-from-behind win.
End 8th, Yankees 10-3: Adrian Beltre ripped an RBI single to plate Jonathan Van Every in the eighth. It prompted a "Let's Go Bruins" chant.
Mid 8th, Yankees 10-2: Two wild pitches by Tim Wakefield leads to a run for the Yanks. On the bright side, Phil Hughes is out of there. New York has gone with David Robertson to start the eighth.
Hughes allowed two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. There are not many pitchers in all of baseball with better numbers than his.
End 7th, Yankees 9-2: When you hear the words "Boone Logan warming up in the Yankees bullpen" you are either up big or down big. Unfortunately for the Sox, it's the latter. They get a man on in the seventh but he's erased when Marco Scutaro hits into a double play.
Tim Wakefield is out for his second inning of work and Bill Hall has gone in at shortstop.
Mid 7th, Yankees 9-2: The Yanks go 1-2-3 in the seventh and nobody noticed. They were too occupied with the Bruins tying the game late down in Philly. At least there is something to cheer about here.
End 6th, Yankees 9-2: Just in case my favorite stat of the night got buried earlier, I'll update it to include David Ortiz's RBI single in the sixth.
Red Sox designated hitters (Ortiz and Mike Lowell, of course) have combined to go 10-for-24 (.417) with 10 RBIs in May. Who says there's a problem with the team's DH position?
A couple of changes to update you on. Tim Wakefield is pitching for the first time since Saturday, and Victor Martinez is in to catch him.
Mid 6th, Yankees 9-1: OK, we know some of you might be watching something else and following along with the Sox right here, so here is what happened in the sixth. Take a deep breath.
Alex Rodriguez led off with a double. Robinson Cano was then hit by a pitch on the left knee, forcing him out of the game. After a passed ball, Nick Swisher struck out and the Sox elected to intentionally walk Brett Gardner and load the bases with one out. Josh Beckett then walked backup catcher Francisco Cervelli to force in the first run of the inning.
A single by Randy Winn knocked in another run and with the bases still loaded Beckett hit Derek Jeter with a pitch to make it 6-1. Some of the Yankees were chirping a little bit in the dugout after that one, for what it's worth.
Two more RBI singles chased Beckett and A-Rod finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly off Hideki Okajima.
For whatever reason, when Beckett is bad he is really, really bad. After giving up nine runs in this one, he has now been reached for at least seven runs on eight different occasions since the start of last year.
9:06 p.m.: Since we last left you, Josh Beckett came completely unglued. We'll wrap it all up in a tidy little package for you in a bit, but just know this: Beckett has already been charged with five runs in the sixth, the bases remain loaded and there is just one out. Hideki Okajima is on for the Sox.
End 5th, Yankees 3-1: The Sox make a little noise in the fifth on consecutive singles by Darnell McDonald and Marco Scutaro, but that's it. Dustin Pedroia flies to center to strand the runners.
Mid 5th, Yankees 3-1: Josh Beckett threw a ton of pitches in the fourth. He barely even had to move in the fifth. The Yanks go very quietly, with the second of three straight outs coming on a fly out by Marcus Thames, who replaces Nick Johnson (surprise, surprise) at designated hitter. No word yet on Johnson's injury.
End 4th, Yankees 3-1: For all the talk about the David Ortiz-Mike Lowell situation being a ticking timebomb and all that, it could end up becoming a fantastic platoon, if both players accept the roles, stay healthy and continue to contribute like they have this month. Ortiz lofts a long sacrifice fly in the fourth to get the Sox on the board.
In the month of May, the pair are a combined 9-for-23 with three home runs and nine RBIs while in the DH role. That is the kind of production you want from that spot, regardless of how awkard it might be.
Mid 4th, Yankees 3-0: Josh Beckett has given up eight home runs in 16 2/3 innings in his last three starts against the Yankees after serving up a three-run shot to Nick Swisher with two outs in the fourth.
Beckett had just struck out Robinson Cano for the second time (that's notable as Cano entered hitting .362 with just four strikeouts in 47 at bats against Beckett) and had two strikes on Swisher. But the New York right fielder, who is on fire right now, crushed it into the camera stand in center.
Swisher is 10-for-21 with four home runs in his last five-plus games. Yanks strike first, and a big sports night in Boston is looking a little grim right now.
Beckett, so dominant early, has suddenly thrown 70 pitches.
End 3rd, 0-0: There is no rule on not mentioning no-hit bids in live blogs, and many of you would want me to break it up anyway, so Phil Hughes has not allowed a hit through three. You say it's way too early to mention that? Check out Hughes' track record. He has flirted with a no-no twice in his young career and when he's on, he's on.
So if I just broke it up, you can thank me. If I didn't and you think I mentioned it too early, just wait. He can go on like this.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: Derek Jeter becomes Josh Beckett's sixth strikeout victim after he goes down swinging for the second time to end the third. Beckett did allow the game's first base runner, but has it all working thus far. Even the hit was a 52-hopper into right, the only ball that has left the infield.
End 2nd, 0-0: We are still waiting for our first base runner, but Phil Hughes almost provided one on his own. Hughes dropped a toss from Mark Teixeira while covering first, but picked it up with his foot still on the bag to retire Adrian Beltre.
Before his perfect two innings in this one, Hughes had allowed nine hits and five walks in just seven innings while on the mound at Fenway.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: In case you are wondering, Josh Beckett's career high for strikeouts is 13. He is well ahead of that pace after striking out five of the first six he has faced.
In the second he gets Robinson Cano on a well-placed heater and Nick Swisher on something off-speed.
End 1st, 0-0: Phil Hughes has not allowed a run in 11 2/3 innings over his last three starts, but J.D. Drew gave it his best effort to end the streak.
Drew drove one into the corner in right that Nick Swisher was able to track down a step or two from the wall. A little more toward the line and it would've been gone.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Josh Beckett needed three pitches to strike out Derek Jeter. He used five before fanning Nick Johnson. It took five to get Mark Teixeira. A pretty impressive first frame for the righty.
7:08 p.m.: After a great pregame ceremony which featured three paratroopers plunging into Fenway Park, the Sox have taken the field. First pitch from Josh Beckett is moments away.
6:45 p.m.: Before we get into the nitty-gritty that is a Sox-Yanks series, here are a few numbers for you.
- The Sox are 9-4 against the Yankees at Fenway Park since Sept. 28, 2008.
- Boston ranks first in the AL in slugging percentage (.467) and total bases (475), and second in home runs (40), OPS (.818) and extra-base hits (113).
- Red Sox starters are 6-1 with a 3.32 ERA over the team's last nine games.
- Jonathan Papelbon has converted 21 straight opportunites, the longest streak of his career.
- With tonight's start, Derek Jeter moves into second place on the Yankees' all-time list for games played. With 2,165, Jeter moves ahead of Lou Gehrig. Mickey Mantle leads the club with 2,401.
- New York has won eight of its first nine series, matching the 2003, 1939 and 1928 Yankees as the only clubs in team history to accomplish the feat.
- With 585 career home runs, Alex Rodriguez needs one to tie Frank Robinson on baseball's all-time list.
6:17 p.m.: Prior to the opening pitch we will be treated to a special pregame ceremony. It is Home Base Day at Fenway Park, where the organization will celebrate the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital's Program for veterans with combat stress disorders and traumatic brain injuries. It will also kick off the Run to Home Base 9K fundraiser, which will take place May 23.
The event will feature runners, several of them veterans, participating in a first-of-its-kind fundraiser, with the finish line being home plate at Fenway. For more NESN coverage of the event, click here.
5:12 p.m.: We provided a portion of the Red Sox' starting lineup earlier. Here is the entire thing, as well as a little bit of a breakdown.
4:52 p.m.: The Sox have a rather interesting lineup for the opener against the Yankees, with J.D. Drew batting third for just the second time this year and a bottom three of Jeremy Hermida, Jason Varitek and Darnell McDonald. As expected, David Ortiz is back in at DH.
As for those on the sidelines, it appears as if Mike Cameron could begin playing some rehab games after the weekend, according to manager Terry Francona. He is meeting with team medical officials and will target a start date for his return.
Jacoby Ellsbury, however, has no such plans. He is actually taking Friday off completely to scale back for a day and then will work again Saturrday.
"He is not as far advanced as Mike Cameron is as far as a timetable," Francona said.
3:20 p.m.: What a day to be a Boston sports fan, and NESN will have you covered. The Red Sox game will be televised there and this blog will chip in the analysis. If you are watching the Sox and want to check out the Bruins and Celtics live blogs, we provide our take on those teams as well. It might require a pair of laptops and a remote control with fresh batteries, but everything is at the ready for what should go down as a memorable night in the city.
10:03 a.m.:The second installment in 2010 of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry will get under way Friday at Fenway Park when the two clubs begin a three-game set.
Both teams are chasing Tampa Bay in the extremely competitive American League East, and finally the Sox can call themselves a winning team after moving above .500 on Thursday night.
Behind four RBIs from Victor Martinez and three more from Jeremy Hermida, Boston finished off a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with an 11-6 victory.
The Yankees have also won four straight. They hope to have catcher Jorge Posada and closer Mariano Rivera available this weekend after both have missed some time with injuries.
Josh Beckett toes the slab for the Sox opposite young right-hander Phil Hughes.
First pitch is 7:10 p.m. The last one may not come until early Saturday morning. But in between, we will be treated to another edition of the best rivalry in sports.
