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Reeling Red Sox return home to face rival Yankees

Apr 8, 2011 - 3:00 PM (Sports Network) - After drawing comparisons to some of the best teams of all- time this offseason, the Boston Red Sox are off to their worst start in 66 years. Today the winless Red Sox return to Fenway Park and kick off the home portion of their schedule against their hated rival, the New York Yankees.

After getting manhandled in a three-game set by the defending American League champion Texas Rangers to open the year, the Red Sox were equally atrocious in losing all three games to the underwhelming Cleveland Indians, culminating with a 1-0 loss Thursday at Progressive Field.

At 0-6, Boston is off to its worst start since beginning the 1945 season with eight consecutive defeats. There have only been two teams who have lost their first six games and went on to reach the playoffs - the 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates and the '95 Cincinnati Reds.

"I'm frustrated," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "We all went to bed at 3 o'clock [in the morning]. We don't just put our head on the pillow at 11:30 [at night] and go to sleep and say everything's great. We've got 15 All-Stars or whatever we've got on this team. That's not how it is, man. This is our lives. We all bring this [stuff] home with us man. We care. We'll figure it out. We have to. We don't want to let anyone down."

The clear winners of this offseason, the Red Sox are having trouble at the plate, where they are hitting just .181 as a team and have scored just 11 times all season. Prized free agent acquisition Carl Crawford is just 4- for-25, while Kevin Youkilis is hitting a mere .105.

Offense, though, hasn't been the Red Sox' only problem, as the team is pitching to a major league worst 7.13 ERA. And that includes seven scoreless innings from Jon Lester on Thursday in Cleveland.

Run production, though, wouldn't have mattered for today's starter John Lackey in his season debut against the Rangers last Saturday, as he was pounded for nine runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

"You just wipe this one away and go to work," Lackey said afterward.

The poor outing comes on the heels of a disappointing 2010 that saw Lackey go 14-11 with a 4.40 ERA.

Lackey, who is 6-8 lifetime against the Yankees, will be opposed by righty Phil Hughes, who is also coming off an ineffective first outing. An 18-game winner a year ago, Hughes was roughed up by the Detroit Tigers for five runs in four innings of work on Sunday.

"It's going to be difficult [facing that lineup]," Hughes said, "but I feel like I made long strides in my sides this week. I'm going to go out there with a lot of confidence and attack hitters like I normally do and see how it plays out."

Hughes has faced the Red Sox 13 times (six starts) and is 2-3 with a 4.97 ERA against them.

New York comes into today's tilt having won four of its first six games of the season after just taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins. The Yanks pulled out the series win on Thursday, as Brett Gardner singled home the eventual game-winner as part of a three-run fourth inning to help his team claim a 4-3 win.

A.J. Burnett (2-0) tossed six innings for New York and was charged with two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts to earn the win.

"I felt good out there and felt like I got stronger as things went on," said Burnett, who pitched with a cold in his first outing last week. "Being able to breathe in [his nose] is nice, and it was a big difference from the other day."

The Yankees have split their 18-game season series with the Red Sox in each of the last three years.