Damn it Beckett

Despite his past success in the playoffs in 2003 with the Marlins and 2007 with the Red Sox, Boston pitcher Josh Beckett has not been a big game performer for the last few seasons.

Facing one of the biggest games of the season last night at Yankee Stadium, Beckett couldn't get through the fifth inning as the Sox (63-49) lost 7-2 to New York (69-41) on a day when Tampa Bay lost its fifth straight game.

Beckett (3-2) went 4.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Scheduled starter A.J. Burnett was scratched before the game with back spasms but Dustin Moseley (2-1) stepped in and pitched very well: 6.1 innings, two earned runs, six hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

New York scored twice in the second inning on a throwing error by Bill Hall and an RBI single by Derek Jeter (2 hits, 3 RBIs).

Hall (3 hits) atoned for his usual fielding blunder with a solo homer in the fifth, cutting it to 2-1 Yankees.

The bottom of the fifth was when the wheels fell off for Beckett and the Red Sox. Mark Teixeira led off the inning with a solo bomb. Lance Berkman (3 hits, 2 runs) hit an RBI double, Kevin Cash made a throwing error which led to another run and Jeter sent Beckett to the clubhouse with a two-run double.

Boston got one more run, on an infield hit by pinch hitter Mike Lowell in the seventh. A ball that looked like a double play ball by Alex Rodriguez that he couldn't corral.

Needless to say, today is the biggest game of the season for Boston. They have Jon Lester on the mound, he's lost four straight starts and he needs to get right. Also, they can't lose more ground to New York and I'm sure the Rays will turn around soon despite all their injuries.

Phil Hughes takes the ball for the Yankees in the afternoon matinee.

The Sox are seven games behind the Yankees in the AL East and 4.5 behind Tampa Bay. This is the start of a ten-game road trip and it figures to remain very difficult with three in Toronto (who is playing great) and in Texas (who are legit and Arlington is always a tough place to play in the summer heat).

Yankees get a win to savor in October when they're sitting at home

After winning the first two games of the final regular season Yankees-Red Sox series at Yankee Stadium, Boston had a great chance to pick up the sweep yesterday afternoon. Jon Lester was dealing and his team had a 2-0 lead when he departed with two outs in the seventh.

Sadly, Hideki Okajima reverted back to his earlier season form: giving up a pinch-hit two-run homer to Jason Giambi. The Giambino added the game-winning hit in the ninth, a bases-loaded single off Jonathan Papelbon with one out.

It was still a very successful trip for the Sox (77-56). The road has been one of their biggest weaknesses this season but they won three series in a row. Boston now has 20 of its last 29 games at Fenway. They're 4.5 behind the Rays in the AL East but 2.5 games ahead of the Twins (who appear to be finally fading a bit).

At 10.5 games behind in the AL East and six games behind Boston in the Wild Card, to say the Yankees (71-62) are on life support is generous. Regardless, they came through with an exciting win for the home fans.

Jon Lester and Mike Mussina dueled for seven innings but neither factored in the decision. Lester stuck around for 6.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. He left since his pitch count was up to 119.

Mussina went seven innings. He gave up two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Boston got both of its runs in the fifth on a Jason Varitek RBI single and Jacoby Ellsbury's fielder's choice.

Giambi homered to deep center with two outs in the seventh and then delivered again in the ninth after Justin Masterson had loaded the bases. Papelbon was up 0-2 on Giambi but he left a fastball over the middle of the plate.

The Red Sox had more bad news after the game as Josh Beckett was scratched once again from his scheduled start tonight. He's also going to visit Dr. James Andrews to check out his elbow which is never a good sign.

In addition, the first-place Chicago White Sox come to Fenway for three games beginning tonight. The slugging White Sox will probably hit about 15 homers over the course of the series.