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May 18, 2010 - 5:06 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Boston (19-19) at New York (24-13), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Boston Red Sox have slipped back under .500 thanks to another particularly painful loss to the New York Yankees.

Josh Beckett hopes he can provide some help for Boston's beleaguered staff.

The slumping right-hander will try to snap Boston's eight-game skid in the Bronx as he pitches for the first time in 11 days Tuesday night, forming an opening-night rematch with New York's CC Sabathia.

The Red Sox (19-20) are 2-5 against the arch-rival Yankees this season, and Monday's loss - their third straight overall - may have been the most disheartening.

Boston used five home runs to overcome a 6-1 deficit and take a 9-7 lead into the ninth inning, but closer Jonathan Papelbon allowed a tying two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez before Marcus Thames' two-run shot gave New York an 11-9 win.

"It's not what you're looking for, but it happens," designated hitter David Ortiz said. "We'll come back and play tomorrow; there's nothing else you can do."

While they're second in the AL to the Yankees in runs, the Red Sox had entered the season with hopes that their rotation would be among the best in the majors.

Instead, Boston starters have a 5.16 ERA that ranks near the bottom of the league, and the team is already 8 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay.

Beckett (1-1, 7.46 ERA) has been dealing with back spasms since his most recent start May 7, when he allowed nine runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 10-3 loss to the Yankees.

He struck out six and allowed one hit through the first three innings, but lost his command while allowing three runs in the fourth and six in the sixth.

"I had an idea where (the ball) was going. It just wasn't going where I wanted it to go," Beckett said. "When you try to overthrow like that, your delivery gets all messed up."

Even before his injury, the Red Sox had pushed back Beckett's next start due to his ineffectiveness. He has a 10.48 ERA in his last four starts and a 12.60 ERA in two outings against New York.

Boston managed to beat the Yankees 9-7 on opening night April 4, when Sabathia also struggled, giving up five runs in 5 1-3 innings at Fenway Park.

Sabathia (4-2, 3.71) had more problems in his last outing, allowing a season-high six runs in six innings of a 6-0 loss at Detroit on Thursday. Six of his eight starts have come on the road, but he'll hope to bounce back at Yankee Stadium, where he's 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA.

In two home starts - both wins - against the Red Sox since joining New York, the big left-hander has allowed three hits in 14 2-3 shutout innings.

The Yankees (25-13) have won 14 of 17 against Boston since the start of August, including eight in a row at home. They're 13-3 this year at Yankee Stadium, where they had 15 game-ending hits among their 57 wins last season.

Thames' was their first such hit of 2010.

"I think that's the feeling we had all last year," said Rodriguez, whose home run was just his fifth. "We're at home. Until the last out is collected we think we're going to win."

The Yankees were without Jorge Posada (sore foot) and Nick Swisher (strained biceps) on Monday, while Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson remained on the disabled list. Among their replacements were Thames, who had four RBIs, and catcher Francisco Cervelli, who scored three runs and increased his average to .400.