Clearly, we were looking to work in some homonyms today. Too bad they aren't playing the Twins anymore. Anyway, last night, the Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 31 (box score). The Yankees now lead the best of seven series two games to none. While Pedro Martinez has proclaimed the Yankees are his daddies, his performance last night wasn't all that bad. He threw for six innings, giving up four hits and three runs. His counterpart on the Yankees pitched superbly.
Jon Lieber allowed only three hits and one run in seven innings of work. Unlike the last game, there were no late inning heroics by the Red Sox. Just two hits off Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera. The hit off Gordon scored a run that was charged to Lieber. The Yankees runs came in the first inning and again in the sixth. In the first, Gary Sheffield hit a single to center field to score Derek Jeter. later in the game, John Olerud hit a two-run homer to right. Why did the Mariners part with him again? Okay, $7.7 million might have been a reason, but it worked out well for the Yankees.
The losses by Curt Schilling on Tuesday and Martinez last night were the first time the two have lost consecutive games in consecutive games all season. The Daddies make the trip to Boston for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if necessary. The supposed pitching advantage the Red Sox had seems to have vanished as Kevin Brown faces Bronson Arroyo Friday and Tim Wakefield pitches for Boston on Saturday. The status of Orlando Hernandez is still in question for Saturday's game.
If the series goes to five games, the availability of Curt Schilling is also in question. His ailing ankle may require surgery to stabilize it.
Photo by Barton Silverman/NY Times
