Yankee Express Hits Eight, Red Sox Collapse Continues

YANKEES 10

RED SOX 3

Times are good to be a Yankee fan. The Bombers bombed Tim Wakefield and the rival Red Sox 10-3 on the FOX Game of the Week today, extending the Yankees winning streak to eight games. The Red Sox meanwhile continue to tumble, having lost five of their last eight ball games, and are just a game ahead of the Yankees in the wild card and sill a game back of Tampa Bay for first place.

It looked good early for Boston, as the built a 2-0 lead, thanks to a David Ortiz RBI single, and a Manny Ramierez ground out, but it was not enough to keep the Yankees at bay.

Typical of the Yankees, they put on their hitting shoes in the middle of the contest, and kept pounding until the final out was recorded.
In the fourth, Robinson Cano, who went 3 for 4 today, blasted a solo homerun to right to tie the game at two. Later Johnny Damon drove home Melky Cabrera with a single to center to make it 3-2 Yankees.

In the sixth the Yankees exploded all over Wakefield and the Sox. With the bases loaded, Damon grounded into a force play to bring home newcomer Xavier Nady to make it 4-2. Later Derek Jeter singled to bring in Cabrera; Bobby Abreu doubled to bring in Damon and Jeter. It has been an amazing year for Abreu and he has not recieved any recognition. He has 66 RBI this year, and has been in the middle of every Yankee rally since they began to turn things around in late June.

Finally in the eighth, Cano added to his day, as he doubled to left field off of the monster, to drive in Abreu and A-Rod, and move Richie Sexson to third base to make it 10-3.

With the log jam at the top of the AL East between Boston, Tampa and New York, and considering the free falling Twins, A's and Rangers, it is clear that two teams will make it to the postseason from the Eastern Division. If I had to venture a guess, the Yankees and Rays will make and the Red Sox will be out. The Sox have been playing inconsitent and erratic baseball for over a month. When they had a chance to overtake the Rays in first, they fell apart, and now can't hold off a Yankee team, that they should be better then.

Also, consider that the Red Sox have been having internal turmoil. Manny Ramirez punched a team security guard, and is starting to stew over his contract status, as he faked a knee injury the last two days. David Ortiz has been on the DL almost all season, and it will take time for him to get back, plus the Red Sox don't have enough pitching. After Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, there is no reason to trust Diaskee Matsusaka or Tim Wakefield. Oh yeah, Yankees fans will like this, Jonathon Papelbon is having a terrible season.

The Yankees will make it, becuse they are tougher. They have shown it all year, falling as far as 10 games out of first place just a month ago, and even though they have had injuries, the Yankees have managed to get by.

The Rays will also make it, because they are just too good of a story not to.