Simple

The Yankees have to win the first game of the doubleheader tomorrow. For one thing, everybody in the league has hit Jason Johnson, including the Yanks. For another everybody in the league can and will hit Ponson, including the Sox. The Yankees will not be winning the nightcap tomorrow. but if they can win the opener, they only need one of the remaining 3 games to come through the series retaining their lead and in good shape (after this series, the Sox have less home games than road games and less home games than the Yankees). Johnson's pitching better than Beckett these days and he has usually been good against Boston; Mussina/Schilling is a pick em game, and Wells and Lidle are about equally vulnerable (though I'd give Lidle a slight advantage). I think the odds are with the Yanks to get 2 out of 5 if they win the opener and 3 out of 5 is certainly feasible. I don't like the momentum if they lose though, becasue a sweep of the doubleheader will put Boston in first and give them the confidence to win four of 5 and leave the series 1 up in the loss column. Losing 4 of 5 will also put the Yankees in bad shape in the wild card. Of course all of this is predicated on the Yankees returning to form after this lost series with the O's. If they play like they did these last 2 games, they'll be swept and the season will be all but over.