G23: Yankees 3, Red Sox 1

No support for Wakefield -- again -- who had to fight his way out of a jam in every one of the six innings in which he pitched today. He allowed a two-run home run to Posada in the fourth and an RBI double by Cabrera in the sixth. His line: 5.2-5-3-6-3, 118.

Youkilis singled twice and walked. One of those hits opened the 8th and he later came around to score the Sox's only run. Yook, as the potential tying run, made the last out, popping to Cano at second.

Lowell had an RBI single and a double, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. He also made two more errors at third base. ... Manny did not hit a fair ball all day -- two walks and two strikeouts.

Rivera got his first save of the year -- in the Yankees' 22nd game.

***

1st Inning: Lugo lined the first pitch of the game off Karstens's right knee. He crumbled to the ground, but stayed in. Youkilis lined a single to left on a 3-1 pitch and Torre came out to get him. Igawa -- the guy the Yankees pulled from the rotation before this series -- is coming in.

Either Kartsens is really hurt or Torre is just bringing in the lefty to face Ortiz.

***

Tim Wakefield (2.08) / Jeff Karstens (14.54), 4 PM

Is it wise to gloat on April 28? Who cares! It's fun!

The Yankees have lost seven straight games for the first time since 2000. Looking at the standings this morning, only two teams have a worse record: Kansas City (7-16) and Washington (8-15).

Johnny Damon: "Every game is a must win for us now, even though it's April." ... Is it time for the P word?

They have not lost seven in a row in April since 1989 (the glory days of Don Slaught, Alvaro Espinoza, Andy Hawkins and Dale Mohorcic). One of my favorite Yankee Stadium memories from that time was a couple of loudmouths giving Mohorcic the business as he imploded on the mound, screaming out a perversion of his last name: "More Horseshit! More Horseshit!" It was hilarious, it drowned out everything else in the park and it went on for quite a while. (The 1989 Yankees lost seven in a row again that year, in mid-July.)

The Yankees lead MLB with 124 runs scored, but have allowed 117 runs, 6th worst in MLB. Their expected W-L record is 11-10, but they are 8-13. Why? Cliff Corcoran at Bronx Banter says it comes from "losing close and winning big". Only three of the Yankees' 13 losses have been by more than two runs. (Boston's expected W-L record based on 117 RS and 77 RA is 15-7, which is also its actual record.)

Here are some pitching stats and the rank among all 30 MLB teams:

              Red Sox         Yankees
Team ERA     3.25  3rd       5.15  28th
Starter ERA  3.63  8th       5.94  19th
Bullpen ERA  2.28  2nd       4.13  21st
  
Team BAA     .229  4th       .264  22nd
Starter BAA  .235  5th       .305  29th
Bullpen BAA  .215  7th       .199   3rd
  
Team OBP     .293  2nd       .349  25th
Starter OBP  .292  3rd       .372  29th
Bullpen OBP  .294  4th       .321  11th
  
Team SLG     .358  4th       .422  23rd
Starter SLG  .367  4th       .492  29th
Bullpen SLG  .335  6th       .328   5th
  
Team WHIP    1.18  2nd       1.51  26th
Team K/BB    2.64  3rd       1.23  30th
SV-OPP         8 of 8          0 of 7

Yes, the Yankee bullpen has blown all seven of its save opportunities this month, while the Red Sox have successfully converted all eight of their chances.

Wakefield is 6th in the ERA and opponents are hitting only .204 (20 hits in 26 innings) against him. Karstens gave up seven runs to the Red Sox last Saturday in his first start of the season.

Julio Lugo, on the Rivalry:

I didn't know it was going to be this intense. Every game seems like a World Series game. I heard about it, but being here I know what it is really about now.

Jeter:

This is when you find out how good a team is. People ask you in spring training, 'How good is this team?' You don't know. It's easy to say you're a good team when you win six or seven in a row, but this is when you find out. It's how you bounce back.