Yankees Rally For Two Home Runs in Ninth; Steal Rubber Game From Red Sox

Chris Capuano gave up 4 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings and the offense didn't reach second in innings 4-9, but since Mark Teixeira and Chase Headley both took Koji Uehera deep in the ninth the Yankees found a way to beat the Red Sox tonight, 5-4, in the rubber game at The Stadium.

For just about every at-bat in this one, contrary to what that final score suggests, the Yanks couldn't do anything against Brandon Workman (6 IP, 3 ER), only putting up a trio in the bottom of the third when Derek Jeter doubled home a pair and Carlos Beltran got him in with a single. 

So, after a couple of home runs by David Ortiz as well as wall-scraper by Brock Holt New York trailed 4-3 for a good amount of time this evening, an annoying misfortune that almost made the bullpen's perfect 4 2/3 frames irrelevant.

I guess you could say that didn't happen.

Yep, after the bats didn't do anything for five straight turns the aforementioned Teixeira/Headley duo randomly hit balls into the right field seats in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yanks a much-needed W. 

No, it wasn't perfect, but like I just said, it was pretty needed, something that is arguably the case with every Yankees contest from now on.

Nick's Picks 2.0: Red Sox VS Yankees 9/4/14

What a huge and an important victory last night. We need to keep this going right into this series finale against Boston tonight. With a series against the Royals looming right after tonight's game, a series loss at home against the Red Sox will not sit well in that clubhouse. Tonight we have Chris Capuano against Brandon Workman and Capuano needs to pitch like a champ. We need this and hopefully my picks might come to fruition by predicting a huge night for the Yankees.

Breakout Hitter: Ellsbury is going to have a huge night against the struggling Workman. A righty with a 1-8 record and close to 5.00 ERA means good things for the Yankees lefties. Look for Ellsbury to hit a double and a homerun tonight and drive in four runs. Ellsbury is going to be 3-5 and ready to mash tonight.

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Best Pitching Performance: The bullpen is going to bring out a few bright spots at the end of the game to make sure no Red Sox comeback ruins the night. I would say that Betances is going to be the pitcher tonight, as he comes in for one inning, and blows away three straight hitters. He is going to be as dominant as he was last night.

Simply Clutch: Running with the theme of the lefties, tonight I think that McCann is going to be the clutch hitter. The lefty catcher has been seeing the ball really well of late and honestly I think he is ready to do some damage. Look for McCann to have a big hit somewhere in the game, extra bases, and driving in at least two. McCann is going to hit when the team needs it.

I know that this is going to sneak in there as the game is starting right now, but this series is heading in the right direction as last nights game was dominant. The Yankees know how much this game means with bigger series looming and I predict a 6-2 win tonight. Let's go Yankees! Remember YCPB!

Nuno Finally Pitches Well in 6-0 Win Over Red Sox

Going into tonight's opener against the arch-rival Red Sox, many people questioned Joe Girardi's decision to start Vidal Nuno.

The 26-year-old lefty, 1-4 with a 5.88 ERA before the contest began, had given up 14 earned runs in his last two outings, causing some to prefer just letting Masahiro Tanaka go after the team's day off. 

Fortunetaly, Girardi didn't listen to those critics, sticking with a plan that eventually let Nuno toss a scoreless 5.2 frames, helping the Yankees win easily 6-0.

To start off the contest, Nuno did walk Red Sox Right Fielder Brock Holt, his only real moment of weakness on the night, as the youngster ended up surrendering just 2 hits to lower his ERA to 5.42.

On the offensive side of things, #57 also got a pretty good amount of run support, with the Yanks taking an early lead in the bottom of the first when the red-hot Mark Teixeira drove home Derek Jeter with a Sac Fly to left. 

Later on in the third, the inconsistent Bombers' bats would really break the game open, thanks to Kelly Johnson making everything a lot less stressful with a two-run home run to deep right-center and Brett Gardner immediately following that with a solo shot of his own, putting Boston's Brandon Workman (7 IP, 4 ER) in an nearly-inescapable hole.

Still, that message apparently never reached Bombers Catcher Brian McCann, who tacked on another pair in the eighth with a blast to the right-field porch.

The upper-decker from McCann, his first since last Wednesday, was his ninth of the season, and his third already against the Red Sox. 

Overall in 2014, the Pinstripes Backstop has quietly dominated Boston's pitching staff, hitting an impressive .392 (11-for-28) in the clubs' eight meetings, five of which have taken place in the veteran's home of the Bronx.