NP...let's get it on!!!
Quick hits: Red Sox-Yankees
NEW YORK -- It's time for the best rivalry in sports to take center stage once again, as the Boston Red Sox visit the Bronx for a three-game series against the New York Yankees this weekend.
The two teams met six times in the first 10 days of the season, splitting it down the middle with three wins apiece. Friday night marks the seventh of 19 meetings between the rivals this season, as New York and Boston will face off in three more series before the end of the regular season.
Schedule
Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET; Saturday, 1:20 p.m. ET; Sunday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Tickets
A few tickets remain at Yankees.com.
Records
• Red Sox: 25-21, fourth in AL East
• Yankees: 26-21, tied for second in AL East
Entering the weekend
• Red Sox: Boston was swept in Toronto, held to one run in the final two games. The Sox have lost seven of their last 10 games.
• Yankees: New York has won 15 of its last 17 games, including the last four in a row after a three-game sweep of the Tigers.
Pitching matchups
• Friday: Tim Wakefield (4-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Randy Johnson (4-3, 3.94 ERA)
• Saturday: Matt Clement (5-0, 3.34 ERA) vs. Carl Pavano (4-2, 3.69 ERA)
• Sunday: David Wells (2-4, 6.81 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (5-2, 3.38 ERA)
Bullpens
• Red Sox: Closer Keith Foulke has been an enigma. He's yet to put together an extended streak of shutout outings this season. Setup man Mike Timlin, aside from a recent snafu in Toronto, has been immense.
• Yankees: Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera have been a stellar 1-2-3 combination in the late innings, but Rivera will be looking to redeem himself after a pair of blown saves against the Sox in the first week of the season.
Who's hot
• Red Sox: Third baseman Bill Mueller has 16 hits in his last 38 at-bats.
• Yankees: Alex Rodriguez has been lighting it up over the past 11 games, batting .432 (16-for-37) with six homers and 17 RBIs. He leads the Majors with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Who's not
• Red Sox: Slugger Manny Ramirez is off to a perplexingly subpar start, bringing a .230 average into the weekend.
• Yankees: Derek Jeter has just three hits in his last 19 at-bats, a .158 clip. He is still having a productive season, though, hitting .303 with four homers, 18 RBIs and 33 runs scored.
Who's out
• Red Sox: Ace Curt Schilling is still on the disabled list as he recovers from a bone bruise in his surgically repaired right ankle.
• Yankees: None of the Yankees' regulars is injured, as starting pitcher Jaret Wright and reliever Felix Rodriguez are the only Bronx Bombers on the disabled list.
Fast facts
• Red Sox: Masher David Ortiz, a notorious Yankee killer, has been unusually quiet against New York thus far this season, hitting .273 with one homer and three RBIs over six games. The Yankees have also done a good job with Johnny Damon so far, holding the pesky leadoff man to a .269 average over 26 at-bats.
• Yankees: New York has won six consecutive series, taking the opener in each of the past five. The Yankees have also won eight straight games at Yankee Stadium.
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