G107: Yankees 13, Red Sox 6

Red Sox - 001 210 002 -  6  8  1
Yankees - 001 821 10x - 13 18  0

It's time to take John Smoltz out of the starting rotation. He may still have value as a reliever, as long as he doesn't face too many lefties and never goes through a lineup more than once. But his days as an effective starter appear to be over.

Coming into tonight's game, lefties were hitting .403/.440/.662 against Smoltz. New York's lineup had seven LHB (CI and Slappy were the only RHB). Smoltz faced 16 LH batters -- and 12 of them reached base, including two doubles and two home runs. Smoltz's opponents' OPS goes up as he throws more pitches (not including tonight):

PITCHES  PA   AVG   OBP   SLG    OPS
 1- 25   39  .281  .410  .313   .723 
26- 50   47  .304  .304  .478   .783 
51- 75   43  .349  .349  .488   .837 
76-100   35  .353  .371  .882  1.254

After three unimpressive innings -- 59 pitches -- the Yankees teed off on Smoltz in the fourth: Posada double, Cano RBI single, Swisher walk, Cabrera three-run home run, Jeter F8, Damon single, Teixeira double, Rodriguez BBI.

Smoltz finished the night with a 3.1-9-8-4-3, 92 line. Sacrificial lamb/reliever Billy Traber actually recorded one more out than Smoltz did: 3.2-9-5-1-1, 70. But his seventh pitch was hit by Dumbo for a three-run dong to boost New York's lead from 6-3 to 9-3. That ended up being the final coffin nail on this game.

Joba has a Dice-esque evening (5-6-4-7-5, 108), but was credited with a "win". A quintet of Yankees pitchers issued 12 walks and allowed eight hits; the Red Sox were 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base (221 032 212).

Jed Lowrie left the game in the fourth inning with pain in his left forearm. In the post-game, Terry Francona said Lowrie felt pain shoot down his arm. He'll meet with team doctors tomorrow.

John Smoltz (7.12, 66 ERA+) / Joba Chamberlain (3.58, 124 ERA+)

Lineup:

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Victor Martinez, C
Kevin Youkilis, LF
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike Lowell, 3B
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Jed Lowrie, SS

UPDATE (4:22): Rocco Baldelli has been placed on the disabled list. ... David Ortiz will address the media before tomorrow's game regarding last week's news that he failed a drug test in 2003.

UPDATE (2:45): Josh Reddick will be in uniform for tonight's game, though the Red Sox have made no formal announcement.

Mazz:

According to major league rules designed to prevent roster manipulation, a player must spend a minimum of 10 days in the minor leagues upon being demoted. Nonetheless, an exception can be made in the event of an injury to a player at a corresponding position – outfielder for outfielder, pitcher for pitcher, etc. – though it is unclear whether a team must place the injured player on the disabled list in order to exercise that right.

Jason Bay has said his hamstring injury is minor, but a DL stint is a possibility.

The Red Sox are 2.5 GB the Yankees -- with 55 to play -- as the two rivals begin a four-game series in the Bronx.

Not much else to say -- these are the first critical games of the 2009 season.

Other starters:

Fri 7 PM - Beckett/Burnett
Sat 4 PM - Buchholz/Sabathia
Sun 8 PM - Lester/Pettitte

SoSHer luckysox delivers the pep talk:

Fuck the pessimism and the whining, and the kvetching and the sour pussing and the "We only have 2 decent pitchers, whoa is us!" So fucking what? So the Sox aren't perfect? When have they been perfect? ...

No team is perfect and the 09 version is far from it...but have some faith. We've learned this already...have some faith! THIS is why we follow and post and watch and curse and celebrate and lose sleep and wake up angry or wake up happy. It's why we care. THIS very part of the season when the bats quiet and pitching falters, this is when special things happen, folks. ... It's when hope is alive and the heart flutters a little bit more with every pitch. ...

Back on the god damned wagon, y'all. You don't want to accidentally miss something amazing.

Back on the wagon. Get in the van. Everybody on the bus. Hop on the F-Train.

Meanwhile, what are they saying in New York that the Yankees need to do?

Good luck with that.

It didn't work then ...

It won't work now.