Tonight’s win by the Red Sox over the Yankess and sweep their 3-game set was especially gratifying because this one was (or at least should have been) in the bag for the Bronx Bombers. A 3-1 lead in the 8th inning, C.C. still going strong, and sloppy weather conditions that slowed the game down to a crawl.

And yet, within the space of minutes, Sabathia was gone (pulled by Yanks’ manager Joe Girardi after allowing a single and a walk to lead off the inning) and the Yankees’ bullpen imploded, allowing the Sox to push across three runs before turning things over to Jonathan Papelbon to close the door and send the BBs back to the rock they crawled out from under.

You can bet they’ll be no small amount of second-guessing in the Apple after this one, and there should be. Surely, Girardi knew how important this game was – if not in terms of the standings, just to break the Red Sox 7-game winning streak over the Yankees this year – and closer Mariano “Fruit Bat” Rivera hadn’t pitched in the series – so two innings of relief work wouldn’t have killed him, just once.

More importantly, the Yankees played horribly in the series. Miserable starting pitching, atrocious baserunning, no clutch hitting, and overall listless play. Sure, they’re just a couple of games in back of the Sox, but the Yankees have definite concerns. Some other thoughts:

* I don’t understand why Joba Chamberlain is not Rivera’s set-up man – tonight’s game showed yet again they have no way of getting to Rivera right now. Perhaps at the trading deadline they’ll trade for another starter, put Chamberlain in the bullpen and Philip Hughes into the rotation; they’d be immediately stronger.

* It’s pretty obvious David “Big Papi” is back, but I wouldn’t screw around with the lineup right now and put him back in the third spot in the order. I love the J.D. Drew / Youk / Jason Bay / Lowell / Ortiz 2 through 6 – it really helps spread the lineup out.

* Gotta love that Red Sox pitching staff. They’ve gotten “Commander Kick-Ass” Beckett and Jon Lester straightened out, Tim Wakefield is steady, Dice-K is who he is, and Brad Penny has looked better with every start. They’ve got John Smoltz due in a few weeks, and bullpen that is rock-solid.

* It’s no coincidence that the Sox pitchers have been pitching better and Julio Lugo is riding the pine. Nick Green had a fantastic series against his former team, and there’s no reason for Lugo’s shadow to darken the dirt at shortstop with Jed Lowrie due back around the same time as Smoltz.