Two hard-throwing right-handers step onto the national stage in the battle of AL East rivals.
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Boston suffered a 5-2 loss to the Yankees in the second game of this four-game showdown at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox have still won eight of their last 12 games and 10 of their last 16 overall. The team has had its trouble against tonight’s opponent recently, dropping 10 of the last 14 meetings since August 23, 2009 and are 5-15 versus the Yankees since August 6, 2009. Since 2003, the Red Sox trail 80-74 in the series, but have outscored the Bronx Bombers by a 859-828 margin. Boston is 52-32 in night games this season (+870) and the total is 45-35 O/U in those contests. Third baseman Adrian Beltre will likely lead the offensive charge, coming into tonight’s contest with a 13-game hitting streak. The team is hoping outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury can get things going in front of a national audience, as he’s hitless in 12 at-bats since returning from the disabled list.
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Boston picked up a 6-2 victory in the final game of a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians and now will head off for a 10-day, 10-game road trip to New York, Toronto and Texas. We’re probably going on as it looks right now the most important road trip of the season, most important 10 games of the season,” said second baseman Bill Hall. The Red Sox are in third place in the AL East division and sit 5.5 games back of tonight’s opponent. In losing first baseman Kevin Youkilis for the year, the club will be leaning on All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre more than ever. He is hitting .336 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs. The Red Sox are 20-21 against the division this year (-570) and 106-86 versus the AL East over the last three years (+230). Boston brings a 3-1 record into this contest as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (+320).
Toronto has captured the first two games of this series and the offense has managed to generate eight runs in each contest. “We’re doing a good job offensively,” Jose Bautista said. “We’re coming up with big hits when we need them and solo shots here and there.” He hit his MLB-best 33rd home run last night in the ninth inning, as the Blue Jays have hit 23 of their 167 home runs during their current 8-3 stretch. The pitching staff has held its own recently, ranking second in the American League with a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break. The team is now 5-3 against the Yankees this season and have won eight of their last 13 meetings dating back to last year. Toronto stands at 22-16 versus division opponents (+1,010) and the total is 17-20 O/U in those contests.
New York pushed its divisional lead to two games with Saturday’s 5-4 road victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Both games in the series have been decided by a single run, with Tampa winning 3-2 on Friday night. “It feels like a playoff,” said second baseman Robinson Cano. “The fans get excited when they get an out and they’re in every pitch.” Newly acquired Lance Berkman went 0-for-4 in his debut with the Bronx Bombers, as he got his first taste of a pennant race this year. “It was definitely sore of a playoff-type atmosphere,” said Berkman. The Yankees own the best record in baseball at 66-37 (+760) and the total is 52-47 O/U in all games. The lines maker has placed them as a road favorite of -125 to -150 this afternoon, with the team tallying a 10-6 record in that situation in 2010 (+210) and compiling a 31-28 mark the last three years (-720).
New York has acquired Astros first baseman Lance Berkman for the playoff push, but it’s unclear if he will be available for tonight’s contest. “That’s great,” said first baseman Mark Teixeira. “It’s going to be good for the clubhouse.” The Yankees may have started feeling the pressure of the race, as tonight’s opponent is just a game behind them. The club still owns the best record in baseball, but dropped to 31-21 on the road this season with least night’s loss (+210). New York has been a road underdog of +100 to +125 just seven times this season (+180), with the total being 4-3 O/U in those games. The Bronx Bombers are an even 8-8 when playing on Saturdays (-520), while sporting a healthy 22-13 mark against the division (+440). The Yankees are 4-5 versus the Rays this season, but have won 26 of the last 43 meetings.
Los Angeles started its brief road trip to New York and Texas with an impressive 10-2 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx. It’s part of a stretch that has the club playing three teams with a combined record of 166-112 when adding a series with Boston when they return home. The team banged out 14 hits on Tuesday night and is batting a combined .300 against the Yankees over the past five seasons, their highest average against any AL club. In fact, the team is 54-44 against New York during the Mike Scioscia era, dating back to 2000. The Angels have a 4-3 season series lead over the Yankees, but the team has managed to win just three of their last 13 games in New York. The bullpen has been much improved this month, posting a 2.67 ERA in July, after struggling to post a 4.97 ERA the month prior. Los Angeles continues to dominate teams during the day, posting a 18-13 mark this season (+510) and 86-39 record the last three years (+4,750).
