Projo Sox Blog

By DANIEL BARBARISI
Journal Staff Writer
NEW YORK -- The Red Sox got to Joba Chamberlain early, and it's a good thing they did. After a four-run first inning off the Yankee starter, Chamberlain shut down the Red Sox through the sixth inning, using his curveball to strike out 12 Sox hitters.

But the damage was done, and the Red Sox cruised to a 7-3 victory. The win gave them their fifth straight win over their New York rival, a sweep of the two-game series, and a 17-10 record, tied for the fourth best in baseball.

With staff ace Josh Beckett coming off two rough outings, the Red Sox staked him to an early lead in a persistent drizzle at the new Yankee Stadium. In the first, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz hit three straight singles, with Pedroia's sending Ellsbury home.

That brought up Jason Bay, who is fast becoming a one-man offensive show against the Yankees. Bay poked his seventh home run of the season just over the left field wall, bringing home Pedroia and Ortiz. Bay is now hitting .500 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and two steals in five games against New York.

Chamberlain settled down after his miserable four-run first inning, and started using his off-speed pitches to great effect. He mowed down 12 Red Sox hitters over the next 4.2 innings, including seven of nine batters at one point. He left the game to cheers after dropping Jeff Bailey on strikes with his 108th pitch in the sixth inning.

With Chamberlain holding off the Red Sox, the Yankees struck back in the third. Jose Molina popped a ball just in front of a diving Jacoby Ellsbury for a single, and Derek Jeter joined him on base via a single to right. Johnny Damon golfed a Beckett first-pitch fastball into the second deck in right field, closing the lead to 4-3 Red Sox, where it remains in the bottom of the sixth.

Save for that one Damon fastball, Beckett was efficient. He went six innings, frustrating the Yankees by allowing singles and doubles, but then getting key outs when he needed them. He gave up 10 hits and walked one, preserving the Boston lead long enough for Hideki Okajima to finish off the side in the seventh.

The Red Sox added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, Jason Bay reached on an error by third baseman Ramiro Pena, and reliever Jonathan Albaladejo walked JD Drew before hitting Jeff Bailey to load the bases. Jason Varitek brought Bay home with a sacrifice fly, and Nick Green singled to plate Drew, increasing the lead to 6-3.

In the ninth, the Sox loaded the bases on three walks by Yankee reliever Mark Melancon, and then his relief, David Robertson, walked Jeff Bailey to bring home Boston's seventh run.
Takashi Saito finished off the game for Boston.

The win meant that the Sox return to friendly Fenway concluding their three-city road trip with five wins and four losses -- a pretty good result when the cities are Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and New York.

 Tags  Dan Barbarisi Jason Bay Joba Chamberlain Johnny Damon Josh Beckett

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