Usually when you talk about a late August/early September Red Sox-Yankees series, you are talking about the greatest rivalry in baseball and the AL East division lead. This year, however, the Yankees seem to have the division in the bag with a seven game lead in the loss column and a favorable schedule heading into September, while the Red Sox are hoping to grab the wild card over the Rays and Rangers.
Some may think that this series is exactly what the Red Sox need to get their swagger back and possibly challenge for the division. However, it seems like Terry Francona has officially thrown in the towel considering how he has lined up his starting rotation, with Brad Penny and Junichi Tazawa set to pitch against a daunting Yankees lineup. Francona put more emphasis on completing a convincing three-game sweep of Toronto, including a 6-1 win against Roy Halladay. Which is fine; you are more likely to shutout the Orioles than the Yankees. But it takes the bite out of this dependably awesome series.
I, however, think that this should be more about momentum and pride. I'm a Yankees fan and I'm excited that we have our top 3 starters lined up for this series. If I were a Boston fan I would be VERY disappointed in the way my team is approaching these three games. I don't care how far out of the picture you are, there is always a chance to come back and win that division, just ask the Rockies of 2007 and for that matter Willie Randolph. I would want Lester at least pitching against the Yanks.
I'm sure the crowd at Fenway will be in full swing and I might try to get some tickets myself, its Red Sox-Yankees after all, but I seriously doubt anything other than three Ortiz walk-offs is going to change anything as far as the AL East race is concerned. If you want to see Jeter smirk at all the boos, tune into NESN, otherwise these games won't be for much more than a little practice for the run-in.
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