Yanks, Red Sox each send out 18-game winner for key series

Sep 15, 2007, 14:49 GMT

- American League Cy Young Award candidates square off this afternoon when Josh Beckett and Chien-Ming Wang both try for their 19th win of the season in the middle contest of a three-game set between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

Beckett has won his last two starts and five of his last six decisions after defeating Baltimore on Sunday to run his record to 18-6, while lowering his earned run average to 3.27. He surrendered a pair of runs and seven hits in seven innings to earn the win in that one. His 18 wins are a career best.

The 27-year-old right-hander has faced the Yankees three times this season and is 1-1 against them with a 5.49 ERA. For his career he is 3-3 against them with a 7.49 ERA in seven starts.

Wang, meanwhile, has been equally impressive for the Yanks, going 18-6 with a slightly higher ERA at 3.69. Wang, who would match his career-high in wins he set last year with a victory today, won his fifth straight start on Sunday against Kansas City, as he gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings.

Wang held the Red Sox to one hit over seven scoreless innings to get the win the last time he faced them. He is 3-1 against them this season and owns a 5-4 lifetime mark against them with a 4.27 ERA in 11 games, 10 of which have been starts.

In a wild opener to this set on Friday, Alex Rodriguez's RBI single capped an incredible six-run rally in the eighth inning, lifting the Yankees to an improbable 8-7 win.

Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano started the big inning with back-to-back homers. Derek Jeter then added a run-scoring hit, and Bobby Abreu smacked a two-run double in the inning, as the Yankees pulled within 4 1/2 games of Boston in the AL East. The Yankees also maintained a 3 1/2 game lead on Detroit for the wild card spot.

The usually reliable tandem of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon (1-3) coughed it up for the Red Sox, who wasted a solid start from starter Daisuke Matsuzaka to halt a two-game winning streak. Matsuzaka gave up a pair of runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He also fanned seven, but walked five.

Brian Bruney (3-1) threw 1 1/3 innings for the victory, while Mariano Rivera recorded the final three outs for his 27th save of the season.

New York lost five of its first six meetings with Boston this season, but has won the last five and eight of the last nine. The Yanks, though, are just 3-4 at Fenway this season after winning seven of nine there a year ago.

© 2007 The Sports Network