FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Rivalry Series 2 began in New York on Friday as the Yankees played host to the first place Boston Red Sox. It was the debut of Dice-K at Yankees Stadium and the last of the anticipated matchups against former countrymen in Hideki Matsui. But for the fans of New York, the matchup was the furthest thing from their minds as the struggling Yankees came home carrying a 6 game losing streak. The team looked to their best starter, Andy Pettitte to right the ship and bring New York back to their winning ways. But on another cold night in April, the Red Sox literally walked to victory over struggling pitching staff, closing the game out of reach in the ninth in an 11-4 win that featured two bases loaded walks.

With seven straight losses, this is not the 7 in ‘07 Yankees fans had mind coming into the season. The early season struggles can be pointed to the Yankees pitching, where an injury plagued rotation has led to an ineffective, overused bullpen. Aside from the obvious physical fatigue, the mental aspect of knowing on every given day you are going to be used for 4+ innings could ultimately break down the bullpen more than anything. And how concerned should the team be with their sure thing, Mariano Rivera, unable to shake the early season woes and settle in to do what he does best. Two blown saves in two chances coupled with his failure to complete an unmeaningful ninth inning against the Red Sox tonight has the Yankee faithful gripping the panic button. With the recent return of staff ace Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina eyeing a return next week, things appear to be promising, but until the rotation starts taking leads deep into the game, don’t expect a complete turnaround.

Boston now have a six game win streak against New York dating back to last season, this following the infamous five game sweep at Fenway dubbed the Boston Massacre which all but ended the Red Sox playoff hopes a year ago. With Daisuke Matsuzaka getting his second start against the Yankees in a week, the Red Sox lineup patiently endured another shaky performance from the highly tauted prospect. Through his six innings of work, Matsuzaka surrendered 4 runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven. Although he has hardly been as impressive as the hype has led on, Dice-K has still managed to win as have the Red Sox. And until his performances start affecting the loss column, don’t look for anyone in Boston to start complaining.