Game Day - Yankees vs. Red Sox

It's a cool, clear day at Fenway Park as the Yankees (0-1) prepare for game two of the season against the rival Red Sox (1-0). Temperatures are in the high 50s and there's a chance of light rain tonight, but nothing threatening. A.J. Burnett is starting and it'll be interesting to see how he fares with Jorge Posada as his catcher. Those two didn't enjoy working together last season, but are eager to prove that they can be successful as battery mates. The game will air on YES at 7:10 p.m.

Yankees
Jeter - SS
Johnson - DH
Teixeira - 1B
Rodriguez - 3B
Cano - 2B
Posada - C
Swisher - RF
Thames - LF
Granderson - CF

RHP A.J. Burnett

Red Sox
Ellsbury - LF
Pedroia - 2B
Martinez - C
Youkilis - 1B
Ortiz - DH
Beltre - 3B
Drew - RF
Cameron - CF
Scutaro - SS

LHP Jon Lester

Things to Watch: Marcus Thames has replaced Brett Gardner as the starting left fielder against a tough lefty in Jon Lester. I'm a little surprised at this considering how good Gardner looked in the opener and I hope this doesn't become a straight platoon, but I doubt that will happen. In his career, Thames is 1-for-2 against Lester with a home run and two RBI. Further fallout, Granderson slides down to ninth in the lineup. He really struggled against lefties last season to the tune of a .183 average, but has performed better than that in the past and worked extensively on this part of his game during the offseason.

Game Notes: The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 6-4 to earn their first victory of the 2010 season. The bullpen really came through tonight, a very good sign after that group faltered yesterday. Alfredo Aceves earned the win with two innings of perfect baseball, when the team needed them most. He came on in relief of A.J. Burnett in the sixth. Burnett was getting hit, but he kept the team in the game. He served up a two-run home run to Victor Martinez, but really did a good job limiting the damage and only walked one. Burnett's final line: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Marte got the one lefty he faced, David Ortiz, to fly out to right. Joba showed improved velocity and really had his stuff working, reaching 97 on the gun with his fastball. He faced two batters and struck out both. Mo then shut it down with a one hit, one strikeout inning. Take note that Chan Ho Park didn't pitch. Swisher went 2-for-4 and continues to look good at the plate, he lost at least 10 pounds and his hands are definitely quicker. A-Rod had a big RBI double off the Green Monster. Cano is scorching and had another two hits in three at bats with a solo home run and a sac fly.

Side note: The appearance of Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning marked the 16th consecutive season in which Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mo have played together. That is now the major league record for seasons played by a trio of teammates. In fact, it's a record across all the major sports (MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL). The mark was previously held by Robin Yount, Jim Gantner and Paul Molitor who played 15 seasons together on the Brewers.