Soriano-Reynolds Power Yanks Past Boston

You have to wonder if the Boston Red Sox are starting to look behind them. At the Rays. The Orioles. And now the Yankees.

The Yanks pound Boston in game 1 of their weekend series in Boston 10-3 behind the pitching of Andy Pettitte and the power of Alfonso Soriano and newly acquired Mark Reynolds.

The Yanks scored 7 runs before the 5th inning. Soriano tied a major league record with 4 RBI's. That gave him 18 in just the last 4 games. His 3 run home run in the 3rd inning gave the Yanks a 6-0 lead.

Mark Reynolds, just picked up on waivers after being cut by the Cleveland Indians, cracked a 2 run home run in his 1st Yankee at bat. he later added an RBI single for a highly productive debut. Reynolds is the 14th Yankee to hit a home run in his debut at bat with New York.

Just as big a story was the pitching of Andy Pettitte, who seems to be coming out of his 2nd half funk. The win raised his record to 8-9. Pettitte last 6 and 2/3rds innings and holding 1 of baseball's most productive offenses to just 3 runs before being pulled with Boston threatening to get back in the game in the 7th. The Yankee bullpen finished up the game. Mariano Rivera didn't pitch for the 5th straight game following his rough stretch against the Detroit Tigers.

The Yanks have now won 5 of 6 while the Sox have dropped 3 straight. The Tampa Bay Rays are within 1 game of Boston for the lead in the AL East. Baltimore lost their 4th straight and are stuck at 5.5 games back. The Yanks have sliced 4 games off the East leading Red Sox and are now within 7.5. games. Their wild card deficit is 6 games behind the Oakland A's.