As if things couldn’t get any worse for the slumping New York Yankees, Julio Lugo’s first inning line drive off the leg of Jeff Karstens sent another blow to the struggling rotation. Karstens who was making his second start of the season, will make his second trip to the disabled with a fractured right fibula. But what looked like another misfortune to the Yankees recent struggles became an opportunity for Kei Igawa to regain his lost spot in the rotation. As Igawa emerged from the bullpen for his first relief appearance of the season, he promptly drew hope getting David Ortiz to ground into a double play. Over the next six innings, Igawa pitched a gem, holding the Red Sox lineup to two hits and no runs as the Yankees snapped their seven game losing streak with a much needed performance by a New York starter.

Jorge Posada provided the power, hitting a two run homerun in the fourth inning off of Tim Wakefield to give the Yankees the lead. Derek Jeter extended his hit streak to 16 games by going 3-5, increasing his season average to .348. With the exception of the continued struggles of Kyle Farnsworth, the Yankees bullpen looked dominant with Mariano Rivera closing out the ninth for his first save of the season. The win marked the Yankees first in the season series against the rival Red Sox and with 1 more to play, look for New York to make the most of their opportunity to get out of the AL East cellar.

(5 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)

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