| 07 May 2010
Starters
Josh Beckett (1-0, 6.31)
Phil Hughes (3-0, 1.44)
Like his career in Boston, Beckett's performances against the Yankees have been all over the place. On Opening Night, he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits (2 HR) and 3 walks and lasted just 4 2/3 innings. He was worse in his first game against the Yankees last year, allowing 8 runs on 10 hits (2 HR) and 4 walks in late April. But he aslo mixed in two shut outs and allowed just one hit through 6 innings in a start on June 9th. Overall, Beckett is 9-5 with a 5.51 ERA in 18 starts against the Yankees, but the Sox will need him to be sharp tonight as they attempt to climb back into the playoff race. A sweep of New York would significantly shrink the gap between the 2nd place Yankees and the 4th place Sox, but that is easier said than done. Beckett has been labeled a big game pitcher, and it's only May 7th, but this is a big game for the Red Sox and they need a solid start from their ace.
The Yankees will be countering with Phil Hughes. Hughes pitched well out of the bullpen in 2009, but earned another shot as a starter this season. He has not disappointed. Hughes enters tonight's game with team best 1.44 ERA, but it's important to note that he has faced the Angels, A's, Orioles and White Sox so far this season. The A's have the most runs scored of any of those teams with 126, good for 16th in the league. The Red Sox feature a top ranked offense in all major categories and won't be as easy to mow down as Hughes' other opponents... especially at Fenway Park. Hughes is 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA in 8 games (2 starts) against the Sox. He's a different pitcher than the one that posted those numbers, but he still allows too many walks, and the Sox can take advantage of that.
My guess is this comes down to a battle of the bullpens, after two strong starts from Beckett and Hughes.
Key Matchups
J.D. Drew (.444) and Adrian Beltre (.400) have been red hot over the past week, and though Beltre is 0-4 against Hughes in his career, Drew is 2 for 3 with a triple and 4 walks. Lefties have hit Hughes better than righties and they walk more often as well, so I'm looking for a big game from Drew. That said, someone has to drive him in if he walks 4 times... my guess is Youk provides the RBIs (2 for 7, .286 with a HR, 4 RBI).
Beckett will have his hands full. Derek Jeter (.315) and Robinson Cano (.362) hit him very well and Mark Teixeira is hitting .318 over the past week. Cano has cooled off after an amazing start to the season (.208 in last 7 days), but he always plays well against he Sox.
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