From ESPN.com via Inside Edge:
1. Key hitters ready for Red Sox-Yankees
The Red Sox head to New York for the first time Monday to play at new Yankee Stadium. Home field has meant more to the Yankees over the years -- they have a .591 home winning percentage against the Red Sox in their esteemed history. Over the past two seasons, with most of the same players still playing for their respective teams, the Yankees are 10-8 at home and 9-12 at Fenway.
Certain players tend to be more dialed in than others in the New York portion of this series. Each club has shown the same trend, with a small handful of hitters rising far above their usual performance level when playing in the Bronx and the rest of the lineup playing below their typical ability.
Yankees hitters Derek Jeter and Melky Cabrera excelled. That duo is batting a combined .430 (46-for-107) with eight extra-base hits against the Red Sox at home since 2007. Among other Yankees currently on the roster who have batted more than 12 times at home against the Red Sox, only Johnny Damon is hitting higher than .250.
The Red Sox have been carried by Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell when playing in New York. That threesome batted .322 (58-for-180) in the old Yankee Stadium over the past two years. The rest of the Boston lineup struggled.
The top performers on the Yankees have great track records against Monday's starting pitchers no matter the venue. Derek Jeter is 6-for-16 (.375) lifetime against Sox starter Jon Lester -- five of the hits were fastballs driven up the middle or the other way. Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon each have six hits against Lester as well. Phil Hughes was roughed up in his only start against the Red Sox last season, giving up seven runs in two-plus innings at Fenway Park.
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