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Balanced attack leads Red Sox over Yankees

Aug 27, 2008 - 4:17 AM BY Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- For the Boston Red Sox, there was little doubt about the biggest pitch of the game. For Alex Rodriguez, there were more questions about his inability to hit in the clutch.

Rookie Justin Masterson retired Rodriguez on an inning-ending double play in the seventh as the Red Sox shut down the reigning American League MVP in a 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

Jeff Bailey's infield single to third base keyed a three-run fifth inning and proved to be the big blow for the Red Sox (76-55), who opened a six-game lead over the Yankees (70-61) in the American League wild-card race and moved to within 3 1/2 games of first-place Tampa Bay (79-51) in the AL East.

The opener of Boston's final series at Yankee Stadium featured five gritty innings from Tim Wakefield, who allowed three runs and eight hits in his return from the disabled list.

It also featured four scoreless innings from five relievers as the Red Sox shut down Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees' lineup in key spots.

The Yankees failed to win four in a row for the first time since opening the second half with an eight-game winning streak. They were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10, punctuated by an 0-for-5 showing from Alex Rodriguez, who struck out twice and hit into two double plays.

"It was an awful night," said Alex Rodriguez, who is 1-for-10 with the bases loaded this season. "For me personally it was a long night. I pretty much screwed it up any way I could screw it up."

The biggest one came in the seventh after the Red Sox had opened a 7-3 lead on Jason Bay's sixth-inning sacrifice fly. Manny Delcarmen struck out pinch hitter Ivan Rodriguez to open the frame but loaded the bases on two walks and a single.

Masterson came on and worked out of it by getting Alex Rodriguez to hit an 0-1 sinker into a double play.

"I threw him with what I was blessed with," said Masterson, who has tossed five scoreless innings over his last four outings. "I threw him my sinker. I gave him back-to-back sinkers. It got in on his hands enough for him to roll it over and for AC (Alex Cora) to turn it."

"It was the biggest pitch in the game," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "He was in a position where one pitch could turn the whole game around. If Alex gets a hit there, they have their lefty hitters coming up and they get the ball rolling. It was the best case scenario for us. One pitch was able to get us two outs."

Alex Rodriguez's at-bat in the seventh earned him loud booing from the crowd, similar to what he often heard two years ago. Despite that, Yankees manager Joe Girardi remained confident in him.

"If you keep putting him in those situations, you know he's going to come through," Girardi said. "We have 31 games and I'll take him in those situations all the time. That's one of the guys that you want in that situation because he can change the complexion of the game with one swing."

After Masterson recorded one of the biggest outs of his brief career, he put two on in the eighth and was lifted for Hideki Okajima. Okajima retired Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano and closer Jonathan Papelbon needed one pitch to finish the inning.

"The bullpen did an even better job of shutting the door after I went only five innings," Wakefield said.

Papelbon put a runner on in the ninth and fittingly retired Alex Rodriguez to end the night on a 95 mile per hour fastball for his 34th save in 38 opportunities.

The Yankees got a poor performance from Andy Pettitte (13-10), who allowed six runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

He was chased after the Red Sox opened a 6-2 lead on Bailey's single that deflected off the third-base bag and right into Alex Rodriguez's glove. Alex Rodriguez threw to first but could not retire Bailey, allowing Jed Lowrie to score from third and Coco Crisp to alertly race all the way around from second.

"When I first hit it, I thought this is going to go over the bag and I was going to get a double," Bailey said. "I saw it hit the bag as I was running out of the box. It kicked up to A-Rod and he played it like he was expecting it to kick up to him.

"All I can do is run as fast as I can to get down there. I turn around, I see (Jason) Giambi looking in, not throwing and Coke's (Crisp) going. It was great base running right there."

Wakefield (8-8) allowed Johnny Damon's 11th career multi-home run game and an RBI single by Jose Molina in the second but pitched effectively with runners on base all night en route to his first win over the Yankees since May 23, 2006.

"I thought it was good considering that he had not pitched in a while," Francona said. "He didn't have his best knuckleball tonight but it was plenty for his first time back."

The knuckleballer made his first start since August 6, returning from tightness in his right shoulder with an 80-pitch performance. He had runners at first and third with two outs in the second and runners at first and second with one down in the fifth but each time escaped the jam.

The Yankees opened a 2-1 lead on Molina's base hit but the Red Sox tied it on Kevin Youkilis' double and went up on Bay's base hit. They went up 4-2 on Crisp's single that proceeded Bailey's hit.