Red Sox Overpower Yankees

The Boston Red Sox had all the answers for their struggling rivals from New York.

Bill Mueller, David Ortiz and Nomar Garciaparra homered as the Red Sox rallied from two deficits to beat the Yankees, 10-5, Friday night and cut their East Division lead to 3 1/2 games.

Boston, the best hitting team in baseball, roughed up Jose Contreras (4-2) and responded immediately to New York’s two big innings.

The Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the first after the Yankees got two in the top half. In the fourth, Boston scored four runs to take a 7-5 lead.

Boston had at least 10 hits for the ninth consecutive game, and did it without Manny Ramirez, its leading home run hitter who was sidelined because of a high fever.

All that offense made a winner of Derek Lowe (14-6), who lasted six innings. Pedro Martinez (10-3) pitches for Boston today against Andy Pettitte (16-7).

Mueller, who raised his league-leading batting average to .330, had three hits in five at-bats and drove in four runs.

Since trailing the Yankees by 7 1/2 games on Aug. 20, the Red Sox have gone 7-1 to cut four games off that lead. All those games were at Fenway Park, where Boston went into Friday’s game with a .324 batting average, the best home average in the majors.

In their last four games, the Yankees have yielded at least 10 runs three times while being outscored, 39-16.

They managed only six hits, one in the last four innings. Lowe had only two tough innings and was replaced by Mike Timlin with Boston leading, 10-5, after the sixth.