Sunday Night Baseball: Yankees at Red Sox
By Scott Cooley
The 2010 season of America’s pastime commences with one of sports’ most storied rivalries. The defending world champion New York Yankees visit fabled Fenway to face the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball.
Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon may have summed up the marquee matchup best:
"Have you ever gone to watch a movie and thought, 'Man, this movie is so good, I wish it would never end.' That's like a Red Sox-Yankees game. Why would you want it to end?"
So we meet again
This game marks the 30th time these two teams have faced each other on the first day of the MLB season. The Yankees hold an 18-10-1 advantage in those games and have won the last two in the series, played in 2005 and 1992 in New York.
Weather or not
Both teams were stationed in Florida for spring training where a steady dose of warm, sunny days greeted them. Adjusting to the weather of the Northeast could take the hitters and pitchers a few games.
Temperatures in Boston Sunday night are expected to be in the upper 50s with a minor chance of precipitation. A light wind from 7-9 mph will blow out to left-center field.
The Red Sox hosted Tampa Bay last year on Opening Day and the game saw a first pitch temperature of 45 degrees which could have contributed to it going under the posted total.
Start me up
The clubs’ two aces, Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia, will take the mound Sunday.
Sabathia didn’t have an ideal spring, recording as many earned runs as he did strikeouts (15). In his final start, Sabathia allowed five runs in 4.2 innings of work against the Braves, but he isn’t concerned as most pitchers use spring training games to work on location and mechanics.
"I'm just trying to get out and feel good," Sabathia said after Tuesday’s game. "The changeup was up, and I was just kind of all over the place with the two-seamer. It was one of those days, but I got my work in. I'll go work in the bullpen and try to get it corrected before Sunday."
Sabathia got tagged for six earned runs in the Yankees opener last season – a 10-5 loss at Baltimore. The big southpaw started the 2008 campaign for Cleveland and was lit up for five runs in 5.1 innings of work.
Beckett ended his spring session on a high note after allowing two earned runs with eight strikeouts in six innings against Tampa Bay Monday.
"I think he feels good about himself," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He should. He's strong. He looks ready to go."
Beckett earned the opening start for Boston last season and defeated the Rays 5-3 after giving up two hits and one earned run in seven innings on the mound (10 Ks).
Last year, Sabathia went 3-1 in four starts against the BoSox, boasting a 2.22 ERA and a .172 opponent batting average. Beckett didn’t fare so well versus the Yanks, going 2-1 in five starts with a 5.34 ERA.
Three of Sabathia’s four starts against Boston last year went under the posted total. The game that went over was the head-to-head matchup against Beckett when the Bronx Bombers roughed up Boston’s righty for eight earned runs and five home runs in eight innings.
Acquired taste
The Red Sox bolstered their defense and pitching this offseason.
John Lackey was added to the rotation but three new starters will take the field Sunday with Adrian Beltre managing the hot corner, Marco Scutaro at shortstop and Mike Cameron roaming center field.
"A lot of talk has been centered on our offense last year and how to fix our offense," Boston general manager Theo Epstein said. "But lost in that mix is that our run prevention needs some improvement as well. We were one of the worst defensive clubs in baseball last year."
The Sox might have lost a little punch in the batting order after Jason Bay left for the Mets as a free agent, but a lineup that features a .282 and 60 RBI guy in Scutaro in the nine hole is still daunting to any opposing pitcher.
New York’s prized offseason acquisition was outfielder Curtis Granderson. The former Tiger will be hitting seventh in the Yankees lineup after normally batting leadoff or in the No. 2 spot in Detroit.
It will be interesting to see if journeyman Nick Johnson can hold down the two hole in the order behind Derek Jeter. Johnson is the quintessential contact hitter, but has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.
Big Poopi
Amid the admission of testing positive for steroids in 2003, David Ortiz had a forgetful 2009 season.
Big Papi posted a paltry .187 batting average with one homerun and 18 RBIs during the first two months of the year. He rebounded to save some face in June with a .320 average, but the season-ending totals of 28 HRs, 99 RBIs and a .238 average were not what Red Sox Nation had grown accustomed to.
Through Friday’s spring games, Ortiz was hitting .233 with three homers and eight RBIs in 60 at-bats.
"I've seen good signs from David all spring; I know the numbers don't show that,” Boston hitting coach Dave Magadan said.
Trendy solutions
Boston and New York split their 18 meetings in 2009. However, the Red Sox have gone just 1-9 in the last 10 games. .
The Red Sox were 7-2 versus New York at Fenway last season.
The over/under was 8-8-2 in this series last year.
Yankees at Red Sox
By Kevin Rogers
The 2010 baseball season gets underway Sunday night with one of sports' best rivalries when the Red Sox host the Yankees. New York will have to wait until later in the week to raise the World Series banner from last season, as the Bombers open against Boston for the first time since 2005. The Sox, meanwhile, will try to bounce back after getting swept by the Angels in last season's ALDS.
CC Sabathia takes the mound for the Yankees, looking to capitalize on his strong 2009 debut in the Bronx. The southpaw finished 19-8 with an ERA of 3.37, as Sabathia has yet to win 20 games in a season in his nine-year career. Sabathia was strong no matter where he pitched, but his offense provided more help on the highway, averaging 6.5 runs in his 21 road starts. The Bombers went 14-7 in the lefty's road outings last season, while the 'over' was a strong play at 15-6. Sabathia saw plenty of success against Boston, winning three of four starts, while the 'under' hit three times.
Josh Beckett will attempt to silence the Yankees' bats, looking to rebound from an awful outing the last time he saw the Champs in August. Beckett allowed five homers and eight earned runs in an 8-4 setback to Sabathia and the Yankees on August 24, 2009. How rare was Beckett's gopher-ball barrage when facing New York? The fireballer yielded just four homers combined in nine previous starts against the Yanks.
Beckett's finish to 2009 was something the former World Series MVP would like to forget. The righty compiled only three quality starts in his final ten outings including a loss in the ALDS to the Angels. Home is where the heart is for Beckett as evidenced by his 10-1 mark last season at Fenway. The Sox won 13 of Beckett's 16 home starts as Boston outscored opponents by three runs a game.
Last season's series was split right down the middle at nine apiece. However, it was a tale of two seasons as the Red Sox captured the first eight meetings. The Yankees stormed back with victories in eight of the next nine matchups, even though seven of those wins came in the Bronx. The two big highlights from New York's series victory at Fenway in August were the home run derby against Beckett and the 20-run outburst against the Sox in the series opener.
The practice of Opening Night in baseball beginning on a Sunday night has been going on for a handful of years with the defending Champs customarily being showcased. There have been mixed results with backing the World Series Champion, as they have gone 2-2 over the last four seasons. The Phillies were tripped up at home against the Braves last season, 4-1, easily finishing 'under' the total of 8 ½.
Despite last season's slip-up at Baltimore on Opening Day, the Yankees are 3-1 the last four series openers. The O's trampled the Yanks in Sabathia's debut, 10-5, as Baltimore cashed as $1.60 home underdogs. The Yanks won at home to start the '07 and '08 seasons, while trouncing the A's in Oakland, 15-2 in 2006.
The Sox will be opening the season at Fenway for the second straight season following a 5-3 victory over the Rays to start '09. Boston began 2008 in Japan with a two-game series against Oakland, splitting the set. The opener did go to the Sox in ten innings, as Boston came out on top, 6-5 as $1.60 favorites.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood:
It's great that baseball season is back, but like any sport, remember not to rush into things. The season is extremely long with plenty of betting opportunities for the next six months.
With that announcement out of the way, the Monday card has plenty of interesting matchups, including five road favorites. Three former Cy Young winners take the hill in those contests, including Tim Lincecum (at Houston), Chris Carpenter (at Cincinnati), and Roy Halladay (at Washington). The ex-Blue Jay ace makes his Phillies' debut on the road, while being the largest favorite on the board.
Favorites went 6-5 on last season's Opening Day, but three underdogs of $1.30 or higher pulled off victories (Mariners, Pirates, and Orioles). Totals were tough to gauge, finishing 5-5-1, as six games plated at least ten runs each.
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