Showdown in Beantown: Yankees gear up for second matchup of the month with Red Sox

Yankees set to sweep into Boston with AL East lead

OAKLAND, Calif. — A lot sure has changed for the New York Yankees since they started out 0-8 against the Boston Red Sox.

Better bullpen. A four-game sweep over the Red Sox in the Bronx. Big lead in the AL East.

Only one thing missing for the Yankees: An end to their Fenway funk.

New York has lost seven in a row at Boston, including all six this season after being swept in April and again in June. The skid is the Yankees’ longest at Fenway Park since losing their first seven in 1990.

“We don’t want to go 0-fer Boston,” slugger Mark Teixeira said. “Since the last series against them, we’ve been playing good baseball.”

Off Thursday after a series in Oakland, the Yankees start a three-game set at Boston on Friday night. It’s their final regular-season trip there, and Andy Pettitte starts the opener vs. Brad Penny.

The Yankees took a seven-game lead over Boston into Thursday.

“This time going into Boston we’re in a lot better shape than we were any other time,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s another big series. You have a chance of doing something special again.”

“The real thing is wanting to win another series, not win another game there,” he said.

Girardi acknowledged that sweeping the Red Sox from Aug. 6-9 — New York’s first four-game sweep of Boston at home since 1985 — was a big boost for his players. The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 25-8, including a 2-0 win in 15 innings, and got two victories from lefty reliever Phil Coke.

“I think it just kept us on a roll, kept us used to winning series,” Girardi said. “It was a great series for us. We won all kinds of different games. We played well and it’s got to help morale. They understood the importance of that series. … Our guys went in with a chip on their shoulders.”

Nick Swisher cautions the Yankees to forget the sweep.

“That’s gone. It don’t matter,” the exuberant New York outfielder said.

Everybody involved knows the importance of these games in a race that very well could come down to the final weekend. And don’t count Tampa Bay out, either.

It might be tough for New York to duplicate such a dominant weekend considering the club had to fly cross-country after Wednesday night’s series finale at Oakland, ending a stretch with 33 games in 34 days.

“It’s going to be an absolute battle all three games,” Swisher said. “It’s going to be fun. They’re a good team. We’re a good team. It’s at their place and they want to send a message.”

The Yankees have a curfew of midnight the night before the series opener, Girardi said.

“Those are big games,” starter CC Sabathia said.

Girardi is keeping things in perspective, too. There’s still so much season left.

And the Yankees aren’t discussing their AL East lead — in fact, Girardi guesses that most don’t even know what it is.

“One thing I’ve been proud about our club is there’s a sense of urgency every day,” Girardi said. “This club knows how to push.”