Five keys to the Yankees-Red Sox series

Timing is everything.

The Red Sox will open the series on a rare two-day break at home, having maneuvered their schedule to avoid Tropical Storm Irene. The Yankees took their weather respite on Saturday and made up for it with a doubleheader Sunday and a series finale last night in Baltimore, meaning that they were scheduled to arrive in Boston early this morning. In theory, the rested Red Sox should possess an edge over the fatigued Yankees, but it doesn't necessarily play out that way all the time. Players get in such rhythms, following the season's day-to-day grind, that a two-day break can disrupt them, whereas the Yankees could feel like world-beaters after spending time with the last-place Orioles.

The Aging, Left-Side-of-the-Infield, Iconic Divas.

Yeah, let's see how Jed Lowrie and Kevin Youkilis perform. No, no, this obviously applies to Derek Jeter (right knee) and Alex Rodriguez (left thumb), both of whom are hurting and whose availability for the series is in question. The Jeter injury hurts worse, only because the captain had been on such a roll, but the Yankees possess decent depth in Eduardo Nuñez and Eric Chavez. The health of Jeter and A-Rod calls into issue a greater question regarding how hard both teams will push to win these games. Given that the two clubs are in excellent shape in the playoff race, doesn't it make more sense to condition Jeter and A-Rod for the postseason?

The Ace and the Closer.

CC Sabathia has lost all four of his starts against the Red Sox this season, putting up a ghastly 7.20 ERA in 25 innings. Mariano Rivera has a 3.00 ERA in three appearances (totaling three innings) against Boston, but his last outing -- a blown save on Aug. 7 -- got the yakosphere chatting about the Bosox's ability to beat up on the future Hall of Famer. Sabathia starts tonight's opener, while Rivera will get the ball in the ninth inning, as always, if there's a lead to protect. The Yankees and their fans will feel much better about themselves if their two studs can better handle the major leagues' second-best offense (behind only the Yankees).

The Middle.

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Red Sox skipper Terry Francona has Daniel Bard as his eighth-inning setup man and Jonathan Papelbon as his closer. And should the need arise to go to the bullpen before then -- a strong likelihood, given the Yankees' powerful offense -- Francona has a trio of interesting righties to whom he can go. Former Yankee Alfredo Aceves, Matt Albers and Dan Wheeler all have pretty good numbers against the Yankees' regulars, although Albers has pitched poorly of late. Francona's late-inning decisions could determine a ballgame or two in this set.

Head games.

Yeah, this is the same fifth item we included in our advance for the Aug. 5-7 series, and why not? The Red Sox have won 10 of 12 meetings this season. In the aforementioned series earlier this month, the Yankees won a tight opener, only to see Sabathia get rocked in the second game and Rivera give up the lead in the rubber contest. This time, with the Yankees possessing the pitching advantage in Game 1 (Sabathia vs. John Lackey) and Boston owning the edge in Games 2 (Josh Beckett vs. Phil Hughes) and 3 (Jon Lester vs. A.J. Burnett), the Bosox could gain a significant emotional advantage by defeating Sabathia Tuesday night. And we'll continue to wonder how much, if at all, these regular-season results will factor into a potential postseason rematch.

Prediction

Sabathia will finally get his victory over the Sawx, as the Yankees will cruise to an 8-1 victory Tuesday night. But Hughes will drop a 4-2 decision to Beckett Wednesday, and Burnett will set up more furniture in his doghouse residence by getting pounded Thursday, leading the Yankees into a 12-5 defeat.