Lucky 7s: Red Sox beat Yanks for 7th straight time

[June 11, 2009]  BOSTON (AP) -- Mike Lowell homered off struggling Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang, and Kevin Youkilis also connected to help the Red Sox win 6-5 on Wednesday night and improve to 7-0 against New York .

The Red Sox have beaten the Yankees eight straight times dating to the last game of last season -- their longest winning streak against their longtime rivals since 1912.

Tim Wakefield (8-3) beat the Yankees for the second straight time after losing to them in nine of his previous 10 decisions. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 15th save.

Mark Teixeira went 4 for 5 for New York, including his AL-leading 19th homer. Wang (0-4) lasted just 2 2-3 innings -- the second straight Yankees starter to get just eight outs.

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; his ERA dropped from 14.46 to 14.34.

The Red Sox are 7-0 against the Yankees to start the season for the first time since 1912, when the New York franchise was known as the Highlanders. Boston won the first 14 matchups that year for a 17-game winning streak, when combined with the last three of the 1911 season.

Wakefield 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.

Papelbon retired Teixeira before walking Alex Rodriguez in the ninth. Pinch-runner Ramiro Pena stole second, but Robinson Cano struck out and Jorge Posada hit a fly ball to left to end it.

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.

[Associated Press; By JIMMY GOLEN]

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