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BOSTON(AP)
Mark Teixeira
couldn't keep the
New York Yankees
from losing their eighth straight game to Boston - even with four hits, including his AL-leading 19th homer of the year.
Now the Yankees' top pitching prize will have to try to stop the skid.
Mike Lowell
homered off struggling Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang, and
Kevin Youkilis
also connected to help give Boston a 6-5 victory on Wednesday night and a 7-0 record against New York this year. Wang was
the second straight Yankees starter to leave after getting just eight outs, a trend CC Sabathia will try to reverse when he
pitches against
Brad Penny
in the series finale on Thursday.
''Hopefully, we can sweep them again tomorrow,'' said
Tim Wakefield
, who beat the Yankees for the second straight time after losing to them in nine of his previous 10 decisions.
Teixeira spurned the
Red Sox
in the offseason to sign a $180 million, eight-year contract with their rivals - the biggest for a position player on the
free-agent market. Sabathia got the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history over the winter - a $161 million, seven-year
contract.
The big left-hander will try to stop the skid and save a bullpen that couldn't rescue either A.J. Burnett or Wang (0-4) when
they couldn't get out of the third inning. Yankees manager
Joe Girardi
would not commit to giving Wang, whose ERA dropped from 14.46 to 14.34, another turn in the rotation.
''I'm not ready to make that decision right now,'' Girardi said. ''We're seven minutes after the game, so it's something we'll
discuss. I'll sleep on it. In five days, somebody will be out there.''
Wakefield (8-3) allowed eight hits in six innings and improved to 5-0 at Fenway Park in five starts this year. The knuckleballer
handed a 6-3 lead to a bullpen that had given up just one earned run in the last 17 1-3 innings. But
Ramon Ramirez
gave up back-to-back homers to
Johnny Damon
and Teixeira in the seventh.
Hideki Okajima
got four outs, and
Jonathan Papelbon
pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
''It's a tough bullpen, one of the toughest I've ever seen,'' Teixeira said.
Boston, which also beat the Yankees in their last matchup of the 2008 season, has its longest winning streak against New York
since 1912, when Fenway Park opened and the Yankees were still the Highlanders.
''We're moving guys over, we're getting big two-out hits, and when you do those little things like that and you're playing
good baseball you're going to win ballgames - regardless of it's the Yankees or anybody else,'' Papelbon said. ''We just happen
to be playing good baseball against them right now and we've got to keep this momentum.''
Wang was restored to the rotation after two scoreless relief appearances, but his troubles soon returned. He gave up five
runs over 4 2-3 innings in a no-decision against Texas last Thursday, and gave up four runs and six hits versus Boston.
NOTES: Teixeira hit right-handed against Wakefield.
Nick Swisher
hit left-handed and bunted, then right-handed and walked. ... Among Boston's picks in the draft were RHP Luke Bard, the brother
of
Red Sox
pitcher
Daniel Bard
. The Yankees grabbed 1B Luke Murton, the brother of Rockies OF
Matt Murton
. ... Boston CF
Jacoby Ellsbury
was off for the second straight night while nursing a sore shoulder. ... Yankees OF
Xavier Nady
(15-day DL, right elbow) will be with the team on Friday and work out over the weekend. ... Swisher misplayed a fly ball for
a ground-rule double in the second inning, then went over the wall into the stands after a foul ball. ... Wang has left his
five starts trailing by a combined score of 27-3. ... New York's
Hideki Matsui
ended an 0-for-16 slump with a second-inning double. ... A.J. Burnett lasted just 2 2-3 in the Yankees' series-opening loss
on Tuesday.
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