Yankees vs. Red Sox

With only 22 games remaining, and the Yankees barely hanging on to a one game division lead, a three game series with the rival Boston Red Sox awaits. How ironic is it that the Yankees get to this part of the season when every single game could mean the difference, and the Red Sox come into town, looking to ruin the day. I'm sure that there is nothing more that the Red Sox could want then to go out and stop the Yankees' playoff hopes in their tracks.

The Sox have won only one game in their last twelve and have also dropped four straight. The Yankees haven't been all that much better having won only five of their last twelve, but there is just something about these two teams when they play head to head. The competition is always better, and the games are almost always exciting. Unfortunately, we haven't seen these two teams meet in the playoffs since 2004, and that will not change, at least this year. The Red Sox have been awful this year, and although the Yankees were for a time the best team in baseball, we have seen them slowly start to slide in the later months. Either way, now is the time to fix the mistakes of the past few weeks if you are the Yankees, and crush the morale of the Red Sox in the process. Win these three games, help yourself make the playoffs, and regain some of your confidence before October.

Now that the Red Sox have traded just about everyone to the Dodgers, the key to this series for the Yankees is to stop Pedro Ciriaco. Yes you heard me right. Ciriaco. He is the newest Yankee killer for sure. He has already burned the Yankees this year with 15 hits and 7 RBI's in the 10 games against the Yanks he appeared in.