Yankees vs. Red Sox Weekend Preview

This afternoon is the first game of the 2012 MLB season pitting two of the bitterest rivals in all of American pro sports against each other: the New York Yankees visit the Boston Red Sox, and they will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Fenway Park. Some would call it a historic piece of real estate, others would call it an over-rated piece of crap, but that’s another debate for another time.

It’s a battle of good against evil, the United States against North Korea, blue against red, Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader. Simply put, it’s time for the Yankees to put the Red Sox where they belong: in a hot, flaming dumpster fire. Here’s a look at the pitching match-ups this weekend:

• Today = Ivan Nova (2-0, 4.15) vs. Clay Buchholz (1-0, 9.82)
• Tomorrow = Freddy Garcia (0-1, 6.97) vs. Felix Doubrount (0-0, 5.40)
• Sunday = CC Sabathia (1-0, 5.59) vs. Daniel Bard (0-2, 4.63)

The teams split eight games at Fenway last year, and the Yankees hold a 55-54 edge there since the start of the 2000 regular season. Boston has dropped three straight on its nine-game home-stand after winning the first three. Meanwhile, the Yankees went 4-3 in their recent home-stand, taking 2 out of 3 against the Angels and splitting a 4-game set against the Twins.

Neither of today’s starting pitchers has experienced much success against their respective opponents at Fenway Park. For the Red Sox, Buchholz is 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA in three home outings against the Yankees. On the other side, Nova has a 0-1 record and 6.75 ERA in two outings at Fenway. The first pitch will be around 3:05 this afternoon, so don’t forget to check out the broadcast right here on 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio. And oh yeah, let’s go Yankees!