YGY Series Preview Show: Yankees-Red Sox (9/13-9/15)

The month of September has been a roller coaster for the New York Yankees (79-68). The injuries have continued to pile up as the Yankees this week have lost Derek Jeter, reliever and lefty specialist Boone Logan for the rest of the season. Last night, the team also saw leadoff hitter and spark plug Brett Gardner suffer an oblique strain that could end his regular season. Somehow, with all these injuries, New York was able to take three of four from the Orioles with three impressive comebacks. Everytime the Yankees were down in this series over those three games, they always found their way back with clutch home runs (Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano, Curtis Granderson), and three straight saves by Mariano Rivera. The Bronx Bombers finished the season 10-9 against the Baltimore Orioles and due to the Tampa Bay Rays’ struggles, the Yankees somehow have found their way to within a game of the second Wild Card spot and three games behind the Texas Rangers for the first Wild Card spot. With 15 games left, the Yankees’ next opponent is a team that they could have done much more against last week, but is the best team in the American League right now.

hit three home runs at Yankee Stadium last weekend. Will he be hitting more home runs vs. the Yankees at Fenway this weekend? (Photo Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

The Boston Red Sox (89-59) were able to take three of four from the Yankees in Yankee Stadium last week as the series featured offensive onslaughts, comebacks, blown leads, walk off wild-pitches, and much more. For the Red Sox, they have been this consistent all season with an offense that leads all of baseball in runs scored and second in on-base percentage. Last weekend, the Red Sox made Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda throw numerous pitches with two strikes to extend at-bat and shorten those pitchers’ outings. Nova and Kuroda pitch in Fenway this weekend). All the talk usually surrounds David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, but it is players like Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli, who burned the Yankees last weekend with crucial home runs. The team has been resilient all season long, leading the league in walk-off wins. Plus, their closer, Koji Uehara has retired 34 straight base runners. Things are looking good in Fenway with the magic number for the Red Sox down to eight games to clinch the AL East.

On this episode of the Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show presented by BaldVinny.com (recorded Wednesday), I discuss the Derek Jeter injury, the impact of Alfonso Soriano as a possible team MVP, and Randy Levine’s comments about Robinson Cano not being a “sign at all costs’ player. Then, Paul Prims from BoSox Injection joins the show to discuss the pitching matchups in this series, the return of Clay Buchholz to the starting rotation and the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury. Plus, we discuss players to watch in this series and Paul tells us what would be his retirement gift to Mariano Rivera as he plays his last regular season series in Fenway.

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