BoSox Get Some Bronx Revenge

Rolando Arrojo and the Boston Red Sox made the most of their brief trip to the Bronx.

Arrojo pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning, Jose Offerman and Manny Alexander homered and the Red Sox salvaged the final game of an unusual four-game series, beating the New York Yankees 4-0 Monday night.

The Yankees swept a three-game set during the weekend in Boston. Not since July 8-9, 1959, had these longtime rivals played at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium on consecutive days a rainout on June 12 caused this makeup.

The Red Sox trail the Yankees by eight games in the AL East, but closed within three games of Cleveland in the wild card race.

Boston barely had time to unpack for this visit. Players hardly touched their luggage in the locker room, leaving bags intact as they prepared to go to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Tuesday night.

Arrojo (5-2) outpitched his best friend in baseball, Orlando Hernandez, as Boston stopped New York's four-game winning streak.

"I saw him before the game and said `good luck,"' Arrojo said through his interpreter, Red Sox reliever Rich Garces. "I said, 'let's have a good game."

Hernandez (11-11) and Arrojo marked the second matchup of Cuban defectors in thmajors this season. Florida's Vladimir Nunez and San Francisco's Livan Hernandez opposed each other April 26.

"It was the first time I'd seen two Cuban pitchers like that," Arrojo said.

Two years ago, when he played for Tampa Bay, Arrojo joined in the late-night celebration after Hernandez won his major league debut by beating the Devil Rays.

"He's a lot like El Duque. He throws from different positions," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Arrojo gave up five hits in 7 1-3 innings, struck out seven and did not allow a runner past second base. He was in complete control, even after being hit in the right leg Jorge Posada's single in the second inning only four days after Red Sox reliever Bryce Florie sustained extensive eye damage after being struck in the face by a line drive by New York's Ryan Thompson.

With the crowd of 40,326 getting loud, Derek Lowe relieved with runners on first and second in the eighth and got Paul O'Neill to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Lowe finished with a hitless ninth for his 32nd save, giving the Red Sox their AL-leading 12th shutout. New York never got a runner past second base.

"We couldn't get anything going," said Yankees leadoff man Chuck Knoblauch, who went 0-for-4.

Offerman hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Alexander had a two-run drive in the second. Boston was outhomered by the Yankees 14-0 in seven games at Fenway this season, but held a 7-6 edge at Yankee Stadium.

Hernandez, who had won three straight decisions, fell to 3-8 at home. He walked Trot Nixon to start the night and Offerman followed with his fourth homer in six games.

Brian Daubach singled to open the second and Alexander, batting ninth and facing Hernandez for the first time, hit his fourth home run.

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