"A series doesn't mean anything unless you sweep." —Earl Weaver
So sayeth the legendary curmudgeon of the Orioles dugout; in this case, the meaning is a three-game swing at the top of the AL East: the Yanks came into town one game up, and left two games out. Ahhhh.
The good:
- Sox starting pitching. Josh Beckett continued his streak of dominance, Brad Penny pitched his best game of the year (outduelling C.C. Sabathia yet), and Tim Wakefield was predictably workmanlike. The knuckleballer continues to be the most engaging Sox story of the last 15 years.
- Sox relievers, for the most part. Shut-down performances by Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima and Takashi Saito highlighted this MLB-best bullpen. Jonathan Papelbon saved two games in dramatic fashion, thanks in no small part to some terrific defense behind him.
- Timely offense. While it was the Sox's pitching that won this series, they hit when they had to. Stalwarts Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, Mike Lowell delivered; J.D. Drew continued his assault on the OBP title from the two-hole; and David Ortiz flirted with the Medoza Line, showing power to center and the opposite field.
- Timely defense. 1B Youk, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Nick Green and part-time CF Rocco Baldelli all made big plays when they had to, saving runs, killing rallies and winning games and the gratitude of their pitchers.
- Mark Teixiera. Truly a great player with the bat and the glove. All he does is anchor the Yankee lineup and defense; the calm eye of the chaotic Yankee hurricane. To a lesser degree, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada; special kudos to the latter for hitting without gloves, old-school style. (The same shout goes out to Wake's former C, Doug Mirabelli.)
- Sabathia. He was dominant for seven innings, even with long half-innings on the bench; it's not his fault Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled a Grady Little.
- Sox relivers Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, both of whom imploded and needed to be bailed out. They've been stellar to this point, so we'll give them a mulligan. Hell, everyone's entitled to a bad day. Tellingly, despite their foibles, both their ERAs remain under 2.
- Yankees managing. Who else gets the sense that Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland are in over their heads? They make the wrong moves, both on the field and off. How much better would this team be with Phil Hughes in the rotation and Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen? Do it already.
- Yankees pitching. With the exception of Sabathia and Hughes' early relief of Chien-Ming Wang, the Bombers' arms were horrendous. Good thing John Smoltz is almost back. Oh wait, that's the Red Sox…
