Red Sox @ Yankees: On your marks... get set...

The Sox took Game 1 of this series, perhaps the most crucial of the three games, and already the momentum seems to have shifted. Tonight's match-up is clearly in favor of the Red Sox, but Paul Byrd is a far cry from a sure thing...

He's 5-1 in his last 6 starts, but since coming to Boston he's been tagged for 16 hits, 4 homers and 8 runs in two starts... he pitches to contact, and despite last night's laughable offensive showing from the Yankees - that's not how you want to approach this Yankee lineup...

Byrd is 2-5 in 10 career starts versus the Yanks thanks to a scary .290 BAA... and the last two times Byrd saw the Yankees, things did not go well:

May 8 - 6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 HR, 0 K
April 25 - 5.25, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 HR, 0 K

In case you missed it, that's 6 homers in two games and ZERO strikeouts... Some might argue that that was the "old Paul Byrd," but the "new Paul Byrd" has given up 4 ding-dongs in his last two starts... apparently old habits die hard.

The Yankees will be playing like a starving coyote backed into a corner tonight, so Byrd will have to pull something out of his ass if he wants to keep all his fingers.

But Byrd does have the luxury of sharing the mound with Sydney Ponson tonight. Ponson lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his last outing, after the Blue Jays tagged him for 7 runs on 8 hits... but there's more good news... Back on 7/27 the Sox tattooed Sydney for 10 hits and 7 runs, pushing his career line against the Sox to a bloated 6.92 ERA and a staggering .333 BAA.

Bottom Line: The Olympics are over, but if you're still craving for some track meet excitement, I suggest you tune into NESN tonight around 7PM...

Who to Watch: David Ortiz loves to play with Ponson: 18 for 39 (.462), 3 HR, 10 RBI ... Jason Vartiek should be back behind the plate tonight, and should keep hitting while at the plate: 14 for 43 (.326), 5 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI ... and keep an eye on Coco - he's been hot lately (.440 since Aug 18) and with Kotsay coming to Boston, he'll be looking to prove he deserves more playing time ... Robinson Cano is batting .308 with 2 homers against Byrd ... Jason Giambi's mustache has 4 home runs and a .316 BA against Byrd ... and Derek Jeter likes Byrd food: 12 for 33 (.364).