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Beckett, Sabathia square off in the Bronx

May 14, 2011 - 2:28 PM (Sports Network) - Considered by many to be baseball's best rivalry, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will battle it out this evening in the middle test of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Tonight's tilt features two of the best pitchers in baseball as Josh Beckett and CC Sabathia square off for the second time this season. Beckett got the better of the two aces back on April 10 when he tossed eight scoreless innings to secure the Red Sox' first series win of the season.

Beckett has enjoyed a bounce-back season thus far following an injury-plagued 2010 campaign. He certainly deserved a win in his last outing, but didn't figure in the decision against Minnesota on Monday, despite throwing seven scoreless innings. He is 2-1 on the year with a 1.99 ERA and has 40 strikeouts and 13 walks in 45 1/3 innings of action while scattering 27 hits.

He enters tonight's game with a streak of 12 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings, but has not recorded a decision in his last four outings.

Beckett is 11-7 lifetime versus the Bronx Bombers with a 5.90 ERA.

Sabathia, meanwhile, takes the ball tonight, hoping to improve his 3-2 record and 2.89 ERA. On Sunday, the big lefty permitted three earned runs in six innings of a win over Texas. However, he has permitted as many hits (53) as innings pitched but has allowed only two homers.

Sabathia, of course, was on the losing end of Beckett's gem earlier in the year and is 6-6 lifetime against the Red Sox with a 3.35 ERA.

"I think CC loves the competition -- I think he embraces it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I think he looks forward to being the ace of the staff and trying to get big wins for the club."

Boston began the season with six straight losses for its worst start since beginning the 1945 campaign with eight defeats in a row. However, the club is now just two games below .500 at 18-20 after winning Friday's opener. Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run seventh inning, helping Boston to a 5-4 win.

Adrian Gonzalez had a sacrifice fly during the seventh-inning rally, which snapped a 2-2 tie. The Yankees scored a run in each of the last two innings, but stranded the tying run at first base in the ninth.

Clay Buchholz (4-3) pitched seven innings for the win, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon both gave up a run, but Papelbon hung on for his sixth save of the season.

The Red Sox snapped a two-game losing streak after being swept in a brief series in Toronto and moved to 3-1 against the Yankees this season.

"We needed a win and we played good as a team," said Gonzalez, who also had a solo homer in the victory.

Bartolo Colon (2-2) took the loss after allowing three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and three walks in six-plus innings, striking out four in his 11th career loss to the Red Sox.

Russell Martin hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who were coming off their first home series loss to Kansas City since 1999. They have now dropped three games in a row.