This weekend is going to be an important one for the New York Yankees. They are going to have to come through in the clutch and really take it to the Red Sox. I really hope that the Yankees don’t let the Red Sox come into their stadium and push them around. There is really nothing worse than losing to your rival at home. It is absolutely disgusting.

I think it will be very heated, and who knows, there may even be a brawl. Nothing like tempers flaring at the end of the season in a Yankee/Red Sox game. Let’s just hope that nobody gets injured too bad for the post-season. Knowing the Red Sox, that is probably what they wil be trying to do.

The series this weekend will be interesting, but is not a must win for the Yankees. They are in the playoffs and know that they will most likely play the Red Sox in the ALCS seven game series. The most that can come out of this weekend is a psychological advantage. If the Yankees can sweep the Red Sox, they will tie the season series at 9-9, which would be devastating for the Sox, considering that they Yankees lost the first eight times the two teams met.

Regardless of the outcome, the biggest question tonight will be to see how well Joba Chamberlain throws. He has been down right awful for the last month and a half. Tonight will not be an easy task for him. He has to go against the  Red sox Jon Lester, who hasn’t lost to the New York Yankees yet.

Yankees beat the Angels 3-2

After not winning a series in Anaheim for some time, the Yankees proved to everyone that they still got it, and most importantly, they can win when needed. The Yankees beat the Angels 3-2 behind a strong performance from one of their “sleeper” players.

I was just pleased that AJ Burnett decided to show up for work and actually do what he is expected to do. Burnett was an animal on the mound with 11 strikeouts. He was pretty much the reason that the Yankees walked out with  a victory and their heads held high.

Here are a few quick thoughts about the game:

-The struggling Robinson Cano, came through tonight with runners in scoring position, which he has struggled with all season. Int the fourth inning, he delivered a two run single, and was later hit in by a double to the gap by Melky Cabrera.

-Burnett gave up only two runs on seven hits before departing with one out in the sixth inning. Damaso Marte, Jonathan Albaladejo, Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy strung together 2 1/3 innings of scary but scoreless relief. Mariano Rivera obviously came in with another save.

-With the victory, the Yankees have achance to clinch the AL East with a sweep of the Red Sox in the Bronx this weekend.

Posada and Matsui

ANAHEIM – Yankee Stadium went out with a whimper last fall, closing its doors before the postseason began. Its successor won’t have that same fate in its inaugural season.

The Yankees celebrated clinching a spot in the postseason after a thrilling 6-5 win over the Angels, a berth they earned when Texas lost earlier Tuesday night.

They still have some work to do in order to wrap up the AL East title, but no matter what happens over the final 12 days of the regular season, playoff baseball will be returning to the Bronx next month after a one-year hiatus. “I think there was a bad taste last September in our mouth, not going to the postseason,” Joe Girardi said. “This group came together very quickly as a team. They spent a lot of time investing in each other in the offseason and in spring training, and they got very close.”

The Yankees actually clinched long before their game went final, as they were batting in the eighth inning when the out-of-town scoreboard at Angel Stadium flashed the final from Oakland, officially putting the Bombers in the postseason for the 14thtime in the past 15 years.

The lead over the Red Sox grew to six games, thanks to Boston’s loss in Kansas City, reducing the Yankees’ magic number for the division crown to six. The Red Sox lead the Rangers by seven games in the wild-card race.

Alex Rodriguez – who hit a two-run homer earlier in the game to help build a five-run lead – hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth to snap a tie game. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth, notching his 41st save.

The New York Yankees picked up a game in the race for home-field advantage in the AL, moving 5-1/2games in front of the Angels. The win was the Bombers’ first in five tries at Angel Stadium, a place they may have to visit again next month in the playoffs.

“This has been a tough place for us, so winning out here is important,” Girardi said before the game. “And getting back to winning series, because we haven’t done that since Tampa. It’s been a while since we’ve been in a stretch like that.”

A.J. Burnett has a chance to lift the Yankees to their first series win in Anaheim since 2004, taking on Scott Kazmir this afternoon in the finale of the three-game set.

A-Rod and Jorge Posada each drilled two-run homers in the third inning – Rodriguez hitting his on a 3-0 pitch from Ervin Santana – giving the Bombers a 4-0lead. Hideki Matsui added a solo shot in the fifth.

Chad Gaudin eased his way through the Angels lineup over the first four frames, holding it to three hits and a walk, allowing only one runner to advance beyond first base. After getting two quick outs in the fifth, Gaudin needed only one more to qualify for the victory, but he never got it.

The New York Yankees may have the best record in baseball, but winning against Anaheim is still very difficult for them.

After failing in their second attempt at clinching a playoff berth, the Yankees will try again Tuesday night when they continue a three-game series with the Angels.

New York (95-56) could have clinched at least the AL wild card with a win against Seattle on Sunday, but lost 7-1. A second chance on Monday proved just as futile, as the Yankees lost 5-2 to Los Angeles (90-60) for their ninth defeat in 10 games at Angel Stadium.

New York could also have clinched its 14th playoff berth in 15 years with a Texas loss, but the Rangers beat Oakland on Monday.

Despite the setback, the Yankees maintained a five-game lead over Boston in the AL East. The rivals will face off in the Bronx for three games this weekend.

New York will try to end any suspense about making the playoffs Tuesday, but it will have to find a way to win at a park where it traditionally struggles. The Yankees have lost all four games they’ve played at Anaheim this year, and have dropped five straight there going back to last season. New York starters are 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA during that stretch. Andy Pettitte, pitching on 10 days’ rest Monday, gave up two runs in the first and finished having allowed three runs in six innings.

The Yankees have stumbled recently overall, losing six of 10. However, they maintain a 4 1/2 game lead on the Angels for the best record in the AL and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

“We’d like to get it locked up, but we haven’t been winning,” Pettitte said. “We’ve been playing so well the second half, but we’re kind of in a little lull right now. So more than anything, we just want to get it going again and get back on the winning ways.”

Los Angeles has won four of five following a three-game losing streak to reach 90 victories for the third straight season and sixth time in eight years. They are 7 1/2 games ahead of second-place Texas in the West.

Vladimir Guerrero, who is hitting .356 in his last 12 games, had two hits Monday. Guerrero is batting .421 during a 13-game home hitting streak against the Yankees, and has driven in eight runs in his last seven games against them.

The Angels will try to clinch their eighth straight home series win against the New York Yankees when they hand the ball to Ervin Santana (7-8, 4.76 ERA), who is seeking his first win in six starts.

The right-hander pitched seven innings against Boston on Thursday, allowing three runs but not getting the decision in a 4-3 victory. Los Angeles had lost Santana’s previous four starts.

Santana is 5-2 with a 5.09 lifetime ERA against the Yankees.

New York will give Chad Gaudin (1-0, 3.68) the ball for his fifth start with the team.

Gaudin, acquired Aug. 6 from San Diego, gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-4 win over Toronto on Wednesday. Although he did not record a decision, New York has won all four of Gaudin’s starts.

The right-hander is 2-3 with a 5.89 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels. He gave up eight runs and 10 hits in three innings of an 11-6 Padres loss at Anaheim on June 12.