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Wang dominates as Yankees top Red Sox

Apr 12, 2008 - 4:14 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Chien-Ming Wang turned in the performance of a true ace Friday night at Fenway Park.

In the first meeting of the season between the two classic rivals, the righthander allowed just two hits and Jason Giambi broke out of his early-season slump with a go-ahead homer to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox, 4-1.

Wang (3-0) struck out three, walked none and needed just 93 pitches to finish off New York's first complete game of the season.

"He was electric tonight," said Giambi, who watched from his first base position. "You could tell he was keeping everything down in the zone."

Wang retired the first 10 batters before Dustin Pedroia reached on an error charged to third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who threw high to Giambi at first base.

"That's as good as I've seen him," Rodriguez said of Wang. "It's a big boost to have Andy (Pettitte) and Wang do that on back-to-back nights."

Pettitte pitched the Yankees to a 6-1 win on Thursday in Kansas City.

"It's not stress-free but his sinker was outstanding tonight," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He was down in the zone a little bit. He only had one inning in the fifth that he had a little trouble. They got up and hit some fly balls off him and J.D. Drew hit the home run. But he was at the top of his game."

Boston's David Ortiz, now batting just .077, continued his early-season slump by grounding into an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play to end the fifth.

"There were times in the game when (Wang) threw his two-seamer middle (of the plate) and then it went away and we just get it not quite off the barrel," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He was very efficient. The game plan is to get it up and stay in the middle of the field and we did at times. We had nothing to show for it."

The Yankees broke through in the fifth when Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada worked back-to-back walks to open the inning against Red Sox rookie Clay Buchholz. After Giambi struck out on a breaking ball, Boston's starter tried to get another curveball past backup catcher Jose Molina, who doubled home Matsui for a 1-0 lead.

"I felt better in Toronto as far as my stuff," said Buchholz, referring to his first start of the season last Saturday against the Blue Jays. "I thought I was throwing my fastball a bit harder (in my last start). I just felt like I minimized damage a lot better today. There was a couple of situations where they could have scored three or four runs in one inning and I felt like I made the right pitches whenever I needed to make them."

Buchholz, in his first Fenway appearance since no-hitting Baltimore last September 1, allowed just four hits and one run while walking three and striking out three.

"Somebody brought it up today, but not while I was there," Buchholz said of his no-hitter against the Orioles. "My last comment about it was last year and I know I have to forget about it."

The lead was short-lived, as Drew lifted Wang's fastball just over the outstretched glove of Bobby Abreu in right field. The ball landed in the Red Sox bullpen for the first hit of the night off the Yankees starter, giving Drew his third homer of the season and tying the game, 1-1.

"He's worked very hard," Girardi said of Wang. "He's worked very hard in making his slider better and making his changeup better and tonight it started with his sinker."

But Mike Timlin (0-1), starting the seventh in relief of Buchholz, allowed a leadoff homer to Giambi, who was hitting just .056 entering the game. Molina connected for his second double of the night and then scored on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly to put New York up, 3-1.

For Timlin, it was his first outing with Boston after missing the start of season with a cut on his right ring finger.

Coco Crisp bunted his way on base with two outs in the ninth for Boston's second hit of the night.

But Pedroia lined out to left to end the game, giving Girardi his first win at Fenway as Yankee manager.

"Any win is a good feeling," Girardi said. "Obviously, the trip didn't start off the way we wanted. We bounced back the last couple of days and tomorrow is another game."