NEW YORK -- A few quick nuggets from Yankee Stadium ...

• Reliever Chris Smith was sent to Pawtucket to make a spot for tonight's starter, Tim Wakefield, to come off the disabled list.
• Outfielder Joe Thurston (.314 10 homers, 62 RBIs with Triple A Pawtucket this season) is here but has not been activated. He likely would get added to the roster if the Red Sox put J.D. Drew (missed the last six games with a back injury) on the DL. A decision has not yet been made on Drew, who went to a spine specialist this morning in New York.
• First baseman Sean Casey is actually able to play tonight, saying his stiff neck is better. However, Jeff Bailey will get the start at first base.

NEW YORK -- Here are the lineups for tonight's game:

Red Sox

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Jeff Bailey, 1B
9. Kevin Cash, C
-- Tim Wakefield, SP

Yankees

1. Johnny Damon, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jason Giambi, 1B
6. Xavier Nady, LF
7. Hideki Matsui, DH
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Jose Molina, C
-- Andy Pettitte, SP

NEW YORK -- Though a couple of web sites have reported that the Red Sox are nearing a deal with the Braves to bring Mark Kotsay to Boston, the Red Sox appear not to be quite that close. A source close to the situation said that the Sox are still talking with Atlanta about the centerfielder, though a deal has not been agreed upon.

Kotsay, who is signed through the end of this season, has a limited no-trade clause. It is not known if the Red Sox are one of the teams on that list.

While Kotsay would be insurance for J.D. Drew, who went on the disabled list today with a strained lower back, the centerfielder has also had back trouble this season. He has suffered through a bulging disk, which put him on the disabled list earlier this season.

NEW YORK --- Making their last visit to the venerable House That Ruth Built, the Red Sox tonight started this three-game series against the Yankees with a rousing 7-3 victory over the Bombers before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 55,058.

Tim Wakefield, who before the game was activated after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 12 (tightness right shoulder), showed no ill effects after he picked up the win to even his record at 8-8. Wakefield went five innings and allowed three runs on eight hits, including a pair of solo homers by Johnny Damon in the first and fifth innings.

``I thought it was a good effort considering that he had not pitched in a while,'' said Sox manager Terry Francona. ``He didn't have his best knuckleball tonight, but it was plenty for his first time back.''

The Sox erupted for seven runs on 14 hits, chasing Yankees starter Andy Pettitte (L, 13-10) from the game in the fifth after he allowed six runs on 10 hits. The Sox rallied from a 2-1 deficit with two runs in the third on RBI hits by Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay and then broke it open with three runs in the fifth.

Justin Masterson helped Manny Delcarmen out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh when he induced Alex Rodriguez to ground into a double play on just two pitches.

``It was the biggest pitch in the game,'' Francona said of Masterson's 0-1 sinker that got Rodriguez to hit into his second GIDP of the game, 13th of the season, and ninth in the last 19 games. ``He was in a position where one pitch could turn the whole game around. If Alex gets a hit there, they have their lefty hitters coming up and they get the ball rolling. It was the best case scenario for us.

``One pitch was able to get us two outs.''

Jonathan Papelbon picked up the save by striking out Rodriguez with two out and two aboard in the bottom of the ninth, prompting Yankees fans to shower A-Rod with a chorus of boos.

``No one's more frustrated than me,'' said A-Rod, who wound up going 0-for-5, with a pair of strikeouts to match the pair of GIDPs he had. ``I was even booing myself.''

SOX NOTABLES

* Wakefield recorded his first win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium since May 11, 2006. Prior to that, he had been winless in his last six regular-season starts vs. the Yankees since May 23, 2006, going 0-5 with a 8.91 ERA (32.1 innings pitched, 32 earned runs).

* Kevin Youkilis went 1-for-2 with three walks and has reached base safely 35 games since July 12, marking the longest such streak in the Majors.

*Dustin Pedroia had his streak of 61 consecutive errorless games snapped with an eighth-inning fielding error on Jason Giambi's grounder.

NEW YORK --- Manny Delcarmen was no sooner in the game when he found himself departing it after loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh by issuing a pair of walks to Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu around a single to right by Derek Jeter.

Justin Masterson came into the game to face Alex Rodriguez with the bases loaded.

Masterson got out of the jam when he induced A-Rod to ground into a double play, which was masterfully turned by Alex Cora. The Yankee Stadium crowd of 55,058 really let A-Rod have it, raining down boos on the third baseman.

The Sox preserved their 7-3 lead and went to the eighth to face Edwar Ramirez.

NEW YORK --- Manny Delcarmen, who recorded his first save of the season after closing closed out Sunday's 6-5 victory over the Blue Jays in 11 innings, came into tonight's game in the bottom of the seventh in relief of Javier Lopez (1 inning, 1 strikeout).

Manager Terry Francona also made some position changes, switching Kevin Youkilis from third to first, Jed Lowrie from short to third, and inserting Alex Cora at short. First baseman Jeff Bailey departed.

NEW YORK --- The Sox threatened to blow the game wide open when Brian Bruney walked the bases loaded, but he allowed just one run to score when Jason Bay's sacrifice fly to left pushed across Dustin Pedroia to give the Sox a 7-3 lead.

Javier Lopez came into the game in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Tim Wakefield (5 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 2 home runs). Lopez pitched a tidy 1-2-3 inning. Lopez ended it by striking out Robinson Cano on three pitches, getting the second baseman to go down flailing wildly at 92-mile per hour fastball that sent his bat sailing into the stands behind the Yankees dugout.

No one was injured. The bat was recovered. And the band played on.

Sox lead, 7-3, with David Robertson now on the mound in the seventh for the Yankees.

NEW YORK --- Johnny Damon continued to feast on Tim Wakefield's knuckleball, taking the Sox starter deep to right for a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the fifth.

It was Damon's second homer of the game, 11th of the season, and 11th multi-homer game of his career. The last time Damon had two homers in a game was July 30, 2006, vs. Tampa Bay.

Sox spokesman John Blake just passed through the press box with the following update on Bartolo Colon's rehab outing at Lehigh Valley: Colon pitched 3 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) with one walk, and three strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches, 37 for strikes, and allowed all four runs in the second inning and came back and struck out the side in the third.

NEW YORK -- And on his 101st pitch, Andy Pettitte departed the game. The Yankees starter was chased after giving up a two-run single (that caromed off the third base bag) to Sox first baseman Jeff Bailey.

Bailey's shot scored Jed Lowrie (single to right) from third and Coco Crisp (single to right, stolen base) from second.

Righthanded reliever Brian Bruney entered the game and got the Yankees out of the inning by inducing Kevin Cash to ground to third.