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Why The Red Sox Should Have No Trouble Beating The Yankees In Series Finale

The stats don't lie: The Red Sox shouldn't have any trouble beating the Yankees in Sunday night's finale.

By Erika Leigh
Aug 18, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Pedro Ciriaco (77) rounds third base to score during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE
Aug 18, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Pedro Ciriaco (77) rounds third base to score during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Notice that this is titled "Why The Red Sox Should Have No Trouble Beating The Yankees In Series Finale" and not why they "will" have no trouble.

Upside: Starter Josh Beckett (6-10), who is slated to pitch again Hiroki Kuroda (11-8) Sunday night, is 14-7 in twenty-eight career starts against the Yankees.

Downside: Beckett's ERA in those twenty eight starts is 5.52. He has already faced the Yankees once this season, back on July 6th at Fenway, during which he pitched five innings, and allowed six runs. In his last five starts, Beckett is 1-4, with a 7.96 ERA.

Upside: Pedro Ciriaco is a bonafide "Yankee Killer". He is 15-for-29 against the Yankees this season with seven RBIs in seven games and is the first Red Sox player with multiple four-hit games (two in his career) against the Yankees since Wade Boggs had three, four-hit games against the Yankees back in 1989.

Downside: Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, both batting in Sunday night's lineup, are 0-for-4 multiple games in this Yankees series.

Upside: The Red Sox are 17-15 at the new Yankee Stadium, making them the only American League team with a winning record in the park.

Downside: The Red Sox are 3-6 against the New York Yankees this season.

But don't you think the pros outweigh the cons?

Sunday night's first pitch: 8:00 p.m. EDT; TV: ESPN; Radio: WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM, WWZN 1510



Statistics via Elias Sports Bureau, MLB