Yanks head to Boston for series to determine East lead. Can they bounce back from losing eight of first nine?
1. Can the Yankees stop Jacoby Ellsbury?
The Yankees have dropped eight of nine for a number of reasons. Most starkly, they haven’t contained Ellsbury.
Ellsbury’s bounce-back year includes a .371 average (13-for-35) and a .992 OPS against the Yankees. The last time he faced the Yankees, his average went from .299 to .310.
Prior to last night’s game he had a .318 average (second among AL outfielders), a .373 OPS (fifth), 18 home runs (fourth) and 31 stolen bases (third).
He’s not only showing speed, but a surprising amount of power too.
2. How will Colon and Garcia fare?
Based on the fact A.J. Burnett never beats the Red Sox in pinstripes and could not even win Wednesday, it is a good thing he is not pitching this series.
CC Sabathia starts Saturday and his turn is sandwiched around starts by Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, who have continued pitching well.
Neither pitcher has won against the Red Sox, though Colon is 0-2 with a respectable 2.61 ERA. Garcia is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA.
