G26: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

Red Sox - 111 100 200 - 6 11  0
Yankees - 000 030 010 - 4  9  2

The Red Sox constructed a picket fence against Hughes (4-7-4-4-2, 94) and Jason Bay added a two-run dong off the left field foul pole against Alfredo Aceves (4.1-4-2-2-7, 70) in the seventh. Jonathan Papelbon recorded five outs for the save. (The game was delayed more than two hours and did not start until 9:23.)

Hughes walked Dustin Pedroia in the first and David Ortiz hit the first of two doubles to right field; Pedroia scored on a passed ball. Mike Lowell led off the second with a first-pitch homer to left, his sixth of the year. In the third, Lowell's single brought home J.D. Drew. In the fourth, Ortiz's second double scored Jacoby Ellsbury, who had hit a ground rule double to left.

Lester (7-6-3-2-10, 111) cruised through four innings, having struck out the side for the first time in his career in the first. He fanned two in the second and one each in the third and fourth. His 10 Ks matched a career high. In the fifth, he allowed back-to-back home runs -- on consecutive pitches -- to Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira. That cut Boston's lead to 4-3. Teixeira homered against off Ramon Ramirez, ending Ram's scoreless streak at 14.1 innings.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Bot, but -- what do you know? -- Robbie Cano struck out to end the game.

The Blue Jays lost to Cleveland 9-7 in 12, so Boston is only 1 GB. The Yankees stayed 3.5 GB.

***

Jon Lester (5.40, 94 ERA+) / Philip Hughes (0.00)

Eight days ago, Boston finished a three-game sweep of New York, beating them at Fenway Park by scores of 5-4 (in 11 innings), 16-11 and 4-1.

The Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium III for the first time tonight and begin a two-game set. And the Yankees are praying:

(Rain is in the forecast, however.)

A few Sox talked about seeing the new stadium:

David Ortiz:

I can't wait to get there. ... [I]t seems like it's going to be another hitting park, from what I see. I'm not mad about that.

Dustin Pedroia:

I heard it's like a resort.

Julio Lugo:

I didn't like the old one very much. I didn't see the ball there very well.

That joke just writes itself, doesn't it?

Lester makes his sixth start of the year. For Hughes, it's his second start. Last Tuesday, he went 6-2-0-2-6 against the Tigers. It's also his second appearance against the Red Sox. In the first one (April 13, 2008), he was pounded for six hits and seven runs in two innings.

Reliever Damaso Marte, who had not pitched since the Boston series, was put on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis and weakness in his pitching arm. Anthony Claggett -- who made his major league debut by allowing eight runs in 1.2 innings -- is up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). ... The Yankees have signed Casey Fossum to a minor league contract.