Red Sox And Yankees Renew Rivalry As Al East Hangs In Balance

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Red Sox And Yankees Renew Rivalry As Al East Hangs In Balance

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have one of the most heated rivalries not only in baseball, but all sports. As is so often the case when these two teams face each other there’s usually something important on the line and this year it’s the AL East crown. Boston is realistically out of the postseason race, but they’d enjoy nothing more than denying the Yankees the title. Unfortunately for them, New York all but has a lock on a playoff berth of some sort since they’ll get the wildcard bid if Tampa Bay manages to pass them for the divisional title.

Regardless of the implications, the Red Sox and Yankees just enjoy beating each other for the sheer pleasure of it. They’ve been playing regularly since 1901, and with Boston essentially out of the postseason mix this year much in this series depends on how they approach it. Will they just ‘go through the motions’ since their fate is already settled, or will this become an opportunity to make a statement? The Yankees have the edge in 2010, but the Red Sox have been competitive—New York has won 7 of 12 meetings this season for a small profit (+1.45 units).

Scheduled to pitch Friday night are Josh Beckett for Boston facing the Yankees’ lefthander Andy Pettitte. Beckett hasn’t been particularly impressive this season as he’s dealt with several nagging injuries. He checks in with a record of 5-5 and a bloated 5.71 ERA. Andy Pettitte, meanwhile, has been money in the bank for the Yankees this year. He’s got an 11-2 record and a 2.81 ERA, but has struggled with a groin issue down the stretch that limited him to only 90 pitches in his last start.

The pitching breakdown is crucial for this game since the Red Sox have struggled against left handers in 2010. Boston is 26-27 for -7.3 units against southpaws. The Yankees haven’t amassed a lot of profit against right handed pitchers in 2010, primarily because of the high prices they’re assigned every night. Still, New York has a 60-36 record against RHP overall and a 33-15 mark at home. With current form very similar through the month of September, this could be the decisive factor in this game.

If Boston was facing one of the Yankees’ right handers here, we might be interested in taking a shot with the road team at underdog prices. Against Pettitte, however, we’re mindful of the Red Sox’s struggles against left handers and the overall dominance of the Yankees’ ace southpaw in 2010. Look for the Yankees to move closer to the AL East title with a victory over their longtime rival on Friday night.