Frankie The Sports Guy

Heading into this past Friday, the Red Sox really had to win the series to have a legitimate of making a run at the division. They were 6.5 games back, and 2 wins meant 5.5 back or 3 wins 3.5 back and right on the Yankees tail. However, the surging red hot Yankees would not let that happen, taking 2 of the 3 games in the series, expanding the lead to 7.5 games, just about sealing Boston's fate as potential AL East champions.

On Friday night the story was the offense. No pitcher was on, and Brad Penny for Boston was as off as you can be. 31 runs were scored including 20 by the Yankees lead by Hideki Matsui and his 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. He is the first Yankee since Lou Gehrig to have a 7 RBI game at Fenway Park. Andy Pettite, although not sharp at all, did end up getting the win in this marathon of runs, hits, and brutally long innings.

On Saturday afternoon, there were a lot of runs scored as well. The only problem was it was only the Red Soxdoing the scoring. They scored 14 of the 15 total runs in the game behind 4 home runs and disappointing AJ Burnett beatdown. For some reason he has looked pitiful in all 3 starts this year in Boston. Nick Swisher's meaningless home run in the 7th was the only reason the Yankees were not blanked as Boston's recently called up long reliever Junichi Tazawa made the start and shockingly shut us down for 6 innings.

Last night, it was ESPN Sunday Night baseball. A muggy summer night in the dog days of summer, baseball had found itself yet again at Fenway Park for the rubber game of the 3 game set. CC Sabathia and Josh Beckett, the ace of each team, each with 14 wins were squaring off in what was suppose to be a pitchers duel. Instead, it turned into what at times looked like batting practice for the Yankees. Beckett got ransacked for 8 earned runs and 5 laser home runs including a leadoff home run by Jeter on the very first pitch of the game! Matsui also had another multi home run game with rockets from Arod and Cano mixed in there as well. Behind 6 2/3 strong innings from Sabathia, the Yankees were in control of this game and won it 9-4, taking the series and possibly the season, depending how the Rangers and Rays hold up in the AL Wild Card race, away from the depleted and fading Boston Red Sox.