Schadenfreude 97 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

The Yankees had a chance to bury the Red Sox a little deeper in the American League East Friday night. Instead, the Bombers are the ones feeling like they're in a hole.

Boston's 6-3 win didn't knock the Bombers out of first place, but it marked the fourth loss in five games to open August, casting a cloud over Yankee Stadium ...

Kevin Kernan, Post:

This is a series in which the Yankees can bury the Red Sox. Vazquez forgot his shovel ...

Essentially, in every big moment, whether it was as simple as getting to the pop-up or as difficult as working out of a jam, Vazquez didn't get the job done. ...

The Yankees had better hope that Andy Pettitte can bounce back from his strained left groin and that A.J. Burnett gets his head together. Right now three of the four pitching matchups in this series favor the Red Sox.

George A. King III, Post:

The Yankees were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and have six hits in the last 38 at-bats (.158) in the clutch.

John Harper, Daily News:

[T]his was more like the Vazquez the Yankees thought wasn't tough enough down the stretch in 2004, the pitcher they passed over for a broken-down Kevin Brown to start Game 7 against the Sox.

He has been better than that for months, but the timing of this one wasn't great. ...[S]uddenly they have reason to be a bit nervous about the state of their pitching. ...

[T]he Yankees need Sabathia to outpitch John Lackey Saturday so as not to give the Red Sox any ideas about doing something crazy this weekend and putting themselves right back into the race in the AL East.