Yankees Rolling Along
Nothing appears to be able to stop the New York Yankees right now, and it appears their team just got tougher.
After acquiring two players to help their stretch run, the Yankees
attempt to stay perfect since the All-Star break and tie the Boston Red
Sox in the loss column when the AL East rivals continue their weekend
series Saturday at Fenway Park.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global
have made Detroit -111 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has
been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that
73% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -111 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Since they were last at the .500
mark at 33-33 on June 11, the Yankees (57-45) have won 24 of 36 games,
gaining five games on the Red Sox (60-44) in the process. They improved
to 7-0 since the All-Star break with a 1-0 win in Friday night’s series
opener.
Joba Chamberlain limited the Red Sox to three hits while
striking out nine in a career-high seven innings for the Yankees,
outpitching Boston’s Josh Beckett. Jason Giambi drove in the game’s
only run.
Also Friday evening, New York appeared to make its
roster stronger both at the plate and on the mound. The Yankees
acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte from
Pittsburgh for four minor leaguers. Two people familiar with the deal
confirmed the trade on condition of anonymity because physicals were
still pending.
Nady was batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57
RBIs with the Pirates, while Marte – one of the top left-handed
specialists in the majors – was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts
in 46 2-3 innings this season.
"The Yankees ownership always
gives us an opportunity to win so it’s really not surprising," captain
Derek Jeter said. "It seems like every year if they feel as though we
need some different pieces to help us win they go out and get them."
Standout
pitching has fueled New York’s surge. The Yankees have surrendered just
12 total runs since the All-Star break, including one run or none in
four of them. Their starting rotation has a 1.55 ERA since the break.
Andy
Pettitte (11-7, 3.86 ERA) will try to continue that outstanding run
Saturday. The veteran left-hander earned New York’s 2-1 win over
Oakland on Sunday, allowing one run and four hits over eight innings
while striking out nine and not walking a batter.
Pettitte is
15-7 with a 3.61 ERA in 30 career starts versus Boston but struggled in
a 7-0 home loss to the Red Sox on July 3, when he surrendered six runs
– five earned – and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. He has given up at
least five runs in four of his six starts against Boston since the
start of last season.
Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez is a .432
(32-for-74) career hitter against Pettitte, but his status for this
contest is uncertain after he missed his second straight game due to a
sore right knee. Ramirez, who is batting .487 during an 11-game hitting
streak, underwent MRIs on both knees and they "came back fine,"
according to Boston manager Terry Francona.
Ramirez’s counterpart
David Ortiz went 1-for-4 Friday in his return after missing 45 games
with a left wrist injury. Ortiz is a .333 (13-for-39) career hitter
with one homer and 10 strikeouts versus Pettitte.
Boston starterTim Wakefield (6-7, 3.69) has been pitching excellent ball since the
start of June, compiling a 2.60 ERA and lasting beyond the sixth inning
in each of his last nine starts, although he has only a 3-3 record in
that span. The knuckleballer, who turns 42 next Saturday, yielded three
runs in 6 1-3 innings in a 10-inning, 5-4 loss at Yankee Stadium on
July 6.
Wakefield gave up four runs – his most since May – over
seven innings Sunday, getting charged with a 5-3 loss to the Angels at
Los Angeles.
Did
you like this article? Subscribe to our Baseball news feed for the fastest
updates delivered right to you – Click here to
Subscribe
