Yankees Can't Find Pulse in Boston

You've gotta have heart
All you really need is heart

The two lines above are the opening lines to "You Gotta Have Heart", one of the best known songs from the musical/movie, "Damn Yankees". It's the story of the hapless Washington Senators who are always falling well short of beating the big, bad Yankees.

Only these days it's the Yankees fans saying "Damn Yankees" at a team that seems to be playing with a lack of heart. You could hear and read a variety of cursing last night when the newest Yankee-killer, Pedro Ciriaco, slid across home plate with the winning run in Boston's 4-3 victory in the first of a three game series at Fenway Park.

David Robertson (1-7) had struck out the side in the 8th before Ciriaco pulled a one-out pitch, that was well of the strike zone, into left field for a base hit in the 9th. Mike Aviles then reached on an infield single that Derek Jeter tracked down in the hole between short and third, but had no play.

Jacoby Ellsbury delivered the only well hit ball of the inning, a base hit to right field, that scored the speedy Ciriaco just ahead of a strong throw from Ichiro Suzuki. The loss combined with a Baltimore win over Tampa Bay, put the Yankees back into a first place tie with the team that calls Camden Yards home.

As has been the case for weeks now, the game never should have been close. The Yankees had countless opportunities against Boston starter Jon Lester, who walked seven batters, but wasn't sent to the showers until Jeter's bloop ground-rule double to right gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the 6th inning.

Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda put in a decent performance, but immediately gave up the lead when he surrendered Dustin Pedroia's 15th home run of the season in the bottom of the 6th.

The Yankees immediately threatened when Jeter started the game with a walk and Nick Swisher snapped out of his Oh-for-September with a double. But Alex Rodriguez's grounder to Ciriaco at third didn't advance the runners and when the Yankees did score it came as the result of another out- a Robinson Cano ground out.

Lester put himself in more trouble by walking Steve Pearce and Russell Martin to load the bases, but Curtis Granderson, who drove in five runs on Sunday, fouled out to end the threat.

Jayson Nix reached safely with a one out double in the 2nd inning, but was stranded. A-Rod and Cano started the 3rd with walks, but were stranded. Another lead off walk to Andruw Jones in the 4th inning produced nothing and Martin's two-out double an inning later added to the left-on-base total.

The Red Sox had taken a 2-1 lead in the 4th when Ciriaco led off with a double and scored two batters later on one of Ellsbury's four hits. After a stolen base, Pedroia delivered one of his three hits to put Boston ahead.

The Red Sox bullpen only allowed two base runners over the final three-plus innings, and one of those was erased when pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez was thrown out in the 9th on a stolen base attempt.

Notes

Joba Chamberlain had one of his best performances when he entered the 7th inning with the bases loaded and one out. He got pinch-hitter to bounce out into a force at home and retired Pedroia on a pop up to Jeter.

Boston closer Andrew Bailey, who missed most of the season, threw a scoreless 9th inning to record his first win of the year.

Ciriaco, who also made a couple of outstanding defensive plays, is now 17-35 (.486) against the Yankees with  an 1.157 OPS. The slim six-footer is hitting .265 (40-151) against the rest of baseball.