Splitsville

So far the series is split - In Game 1, Wakefield came down to earth and Chien-Ming got his Wang back. In Game 2, Julian Tavarez inexplicably outduelled Mike Mussina.

What with the LOBs the Yankees piled up, it seems like Tavarez was just as adept at working his way out of jams as he was working his way into them. Tavarez has always pitched to contact, and his 4 BB/2 K line (making it 19 BB/23 K on the season) isn't exactly a great indicator of things to come. Of course, if I was a Yankees' fan, I'd be worried about Mike Mussina in the starting rotation. Matt Clement worried.

Tomorrow night will bring us the rubber game and the ensuing bragging rights to what mlb.com billed as Yankees-Red Sox III, as though it was a Hagler-Hearns fight.

Neither Schilling nor Pettite are shutdown aces - though only one of them ever was. Pettite has been the superior pitcher this season, but I expect their to be a lot of squirming in and out of jams on both sides. So I guess Tavarez was good preparation.

I imagine that the starters will leave withe game tied at something like 4-4, and from there it will be up to the respective bullpens. Even though Okajima's scoreless streak ended at 20 and 2/3 innings, and Papelbon walked two along with his two punchouts, I still have to give the Red Sox the advantage there. Of course, UMass alum Ron Villone pitched a scoreless inning for the Yankees, so I guess there's hope for the Bronx Bombers.

That said, it's the Red Sox-Yankees, so nothing can be taken for granted.

One thing that was striking to me about tonight's game was Abreu and Giambi batting 6th and 7th - which wasn't the usual case of the Yankees' lineup being so stacked that great hitters are dropped down in the lineup, but that Abreu and Giambi are underperforming so spectacularly.

(As a result of me just writing the above, Abreu and Giambi will now finish 1-2 in all 3 Triple Crown categories)

The hot rumor today is that the Yankees' disenchantment with Giambi might lead to him being traded to the Angels. Given Giambi's notorious image as a party boy, this is something like deciding that Hitler might do a little less damage in Hell.

I imagine the negotiations between New York and Anaheim are going something like this:

CASHMAN: OK, we'll give you Giambi in exchange for Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood, Ervin Santana, K-Rod, Vlad Guerrero, and the right of Prima Nocte with the female cast members of "Laguna Beach". And you guys pick up the tab for everyone's salary.

ARTE MORENO: Where do I sign! Where do I sign!

I'm still cautiously optomistic that the Sox will end the month of May strong, but I'm worried that the other shoe will drop in the form of a two-month, win-one/lose-one stretch while the Yankees steadily gain ground.