Series preview: Sox @ Stanks

Red Sox (9-6) @ NY Stankees (8-7)
2 Game series, Yankee Stadium

Game 1 Wed 7PM ESPN
Buchholz (0-1, 3.27) vs. Wang (3-0, 1.23)
Game 2 Thu 7PM
Beckett (1-1, 6.35) vs. Mussina (1-2, 4.15)

What to watch for: see if the Sox (4 straight wins) can keep on rolling
Boston has not lost a game since last Friday, when tonight's starter, Chien Ming Wang, beat them with a complete game 2-hitter. The Sox would love nothing more than to defeat Wang tonight and extend their winning streak to 5 games

Who to watch for: Wang
All eyes will be on the Stankee ace to see if he can duplicate the success he had last week and keep his spectacular start to the 2008 season going.

PREVIEW:
Weren't we just here?

Not here as in new York, but talking about a Sox/Stanks series?

Indeed we were, and thanks to MLB's scheduling buffoons we get a rematch of last weekend's series, in which Boston took 2 of 3 at Fenway, just three days later in the form of a mid-week, 2-game mini series in the Bronx.

My question is, why?

For one thing these 2-gamers suck. They're useless, go by too quick, and don't give an adequate reading of how one team compares to another.

Except for the ones against the Indians. If the Sox played a 100-game series against those chokers, the outcome would be the same 99 times - come from behind victory for Boston.

Thanks to a pair of those in Regressive Field coupled with the last two Boston won against New York, the Sox are riding a 4-game winning streak into the House that Ruth Built (and the city is ready to tear down), and that run has put the them squarely back where they belong: in 1st place in the AL East.

But with all of the teams in the division closely bunched together (last place Tampa Bay is only 2 1/2 games out), the Sox need to keep winning to place some distance between them and the rest of the pack.

And what better way to start than by knocking off their arch enemies and the man who made them look like pony leaguers last weekend, Cheien Ming Wang?

Wang was masterful last Friday at Fenway, allowing just a solo homer by JD Drew and a bunt single by Coco Crisp in defeating Boston 4-1. In three starts this year the righty has allowed just 12 hits and 3 runs in 22 innings, while striking out 11 and walking just 4 batters.

And to think some people question whether or not he should be called an ace?

But there is no reason to think that his fortunes can't change on any given night, and the way Boston has been swinging the bats since that game and the confidence they got from staging two emotional comeback wins in Cleveland says to me that the Sox are ready to end Wang's run and continue their own streak.

Who's with me on this?

Good.

So enjoy the series while it lasts. Tomorrow night we get a classic matchup of a motivated Josh Beckett (a +6.00 ERA just won't cut it for him) and a deteriorating Mike Mussina, so that should be fun. After that the rivals don't play again until the 4th of July weekend in Boston.

By that time Boston should be in full control of the division, while the Stanks are calculating which pitcher they are going to acquire at the trade deadline to make up for letting Johan Santana get away.