BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury started off the second half for the Boston Red Sox in the best possible way. Ellsbury hit Andy Pettittes second pitch of the game over the right-field bullpen, and Johnny Gomes added a two-run shot in the second inning to help the Red Sox return from the All-Star break with a 4-2 victory over the depleted New York Yankees on Friday night. "It seems like hes been hitting .700," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "His timing has been much more Jacoby-like. And his ability to get on base speaks for itself with the havoc he can create." Felix Doubront outpitched Pettitte in the opener of the three-game series to help AL East-leading Boston maintain a 2 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the division and open a seven-game cushion over its fourth-place rivals from New York. "You cant take too much of it, but obviously this is an important stretch for us that we are in," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We understand that. The next three teams we play are all in front of us. We need to play well." Ellsbury also singled in the third inning and reached on a walk in the seventh to support Doubront (7-3), who allowed three or fewer earned runs for the 12th start in a row. Doubront has six quality starts against the Yankees in six tries. The last Red Sox pitcher to open his career with as many quality starts, defined as six innings pitched and three or fewer runs allowed, against the Yankees was Dutch Leonard -- in 1913-15. "Look at the last two months. Hes pitched extremely well since the end of May," Girardi said. "And hes been tough on us." Ellsbury hit .360 in June and is batting .370 in July, putting together a 19-game hitting streak that was snapped just before the break. He had three hits in the first-half finale, then went 2 for 3 on Friday night to raise his average to .308. "Not the way you want to start the second half, first batter of the game hitting a home run off you," Pettitte said. "Cant keep going out there and giving up 2-3-4 runs in the first or second inning. ... The long ball hurt me." Doubront held a Yankees lineup without Derek Jeter and a handful of other regulars hitless until Lyle Overbay doubled to lead off the fifth inning. In all, the Red Sox left-hander gave up two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and three walks while striking out five in 6 1-3 innings. Koji Uehara pitched the ninth for his ninth save. Pettitte (7-7) gave up four runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four in 6 1-3 innings. Three days after the New York Mets showed their support for the city in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings by playing "Sweet Caroline" at the All-Star game, the Red Sox thanked the Yankees by playing "New York, New York." The Yankees made their first visit to Fenway Park this season for the first game after the break, and Robinson Cano played after being hit on the knee by a pitch in the All-Star game. But the lineup barely resembled the team New Yorkers thought would be wearing pinstripes at this point in the season. Jeter was placed on the disabled list before the game -- hes spent all but one game there this season -- and the Yankees are also missing third baseman Alex Rodriguez, first baseman Mark Teixeira (wrist surgery), outfielder Curtis Granderson (broken pinkie) and catcher Francisco Cervelli (broken hand). The lineup was further depleted when left fielder Zoilo Almonte came out of the game in the fifth inning with a left ankle sprain; X-rays were negative. And centre fielder Brett Gardner took himself out when, after being called out on a 3-2 pitch to end the top of the fifth, he slammed his helmet on the ground and was ejected by home plate umpire Mike Everitt. "I have to have better control of my emotions. I put us in a bad spot and caused some guys to play out of position," Gardner said. "I was frustrated. I feel I let the team down and Im sorry for that." That left the Yankees ill-equipped to come back after Boston took a 3-0 lead on the homers. New York made it 3-1 when Gardner walked, stole second and scored when he stole third and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchias throw went into left field. Chris Stewart doubled home Overbay in the fifth to cut the deficit to one run. The Red Sox added a run in the seventh, then Ichiro Suzuki singled over the shortstops glove and Cano doubled to put runners on second and third with one out in the eighth. But Craig Breslow got Vernon Wells to fly out weakly to short and Luis Cruz grounded to shortstop; Jose Iglesias throw pulled first baseman Mike Napoli off the bag, but he made the tag for the third out. Notes: The Yankees put Jeter on the disabled list before the game with a strained right quadriceps. ... The Yankees signed INF Brent Lillibridge from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. ... Pettitte had allowed just 19 hits in 100 at-bats against lefties coming into the game before Ellsbury hit a leadoff homer. It was the third homer against him by a lefty in his last four starts. ... Boston OF Shane Victorino left the game with left hamstring tightness. ... It was the latest the Yankees have played their first game of the season at Fenway, except for the strike-shortened season of 1981. ... The Red Sox placed RHP Andrew Bailey on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 13) with a right shoulder strain. To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, right-hander Jose De La Torre was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Authentic MLB World Series Jerseys . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Cheap St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http://www.cheapworldseriesjerseys.com/cheap-houston-astros-jerseys/ . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Cheap Colorado Rockies Jerseys . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Cheap Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. The rink where?Josh Harding?now works is five minutes from?his house in Edina, Minnesota. A road trip now means a drive to a different local high school. Every day includes lots of quality time with his 3-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son.Even over the phone, you can sense that Harding is at peace with the fact that this is where his career path has led.When the doctors say enoughs enough, you kind of have to listen to them, the former Minnesota Wild netminder said.Just before he picked up the phone to call an ESPN.com reporter, Harding, 32, spoke with?Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell.Bickell, 30, was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and is taking time away from the game to try to figure out how best to deal with the disease, the same incurable one that ultimately ended Hardings career in 2015.By sharing some of his experiences in dealing with MS, which attacks and scars the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord, Harding gave Bickell at least some sense of what lies ahead. He also shared strategies, things that worked and things that didnt work for him.Anything I can obviously do for him to kind of help him along, Harding said. I was just telling him that one of the things I felt was very tough was when youre trying new medications but trying to play and practice through those. That was pretty tough for me. But I think Bryans handling it great.Apart from his hands-on advice, Harding has also helped simply by being a sounding board, someone who understands intimately the nature of the now-competing narratives that will dominate Bickells life moving forward -- battling the disease and fighting to stay in the game.When Harding was diagnosed in 2012, he spoke with Jordan Sigalet,?another netminder whose playing career had been derailed by multiple sclerosis. Both Sigalet and Harding have been or plan to be in touch with Bickell, a kind of unspoken pay-it-forward mentality that springs from the shared experience of being diagnosed with MS.Just coping with it and accepting that there isnt a cure right now, but the sooner you can kind of wrap your head around it and really get what works for you, the better its going to be, Harding said.The one thing that Harding cannot give Bickell is the answer he wants to hear: that he will definitely, at some point, return to being an NHL player.If there was a blueprint for what you have to do, I really think Id still be in the league, Harding said. Thats obviously another tough thing with this disease, that there isnt this exact handout that you can follow to get it out of your body.Harding knows the difficulty of that fact all too well.The native of Regina, Saskatchewan, was diagnosed with MS in September 2012. That fall, NHL players were locked out in a labor dispute for several months and the season was ultimately cut almost in half.Harding wrestled with how to deal with his diagnosis. The Wild were aware, but he considered keeping his condition from becoming public knowledge. That ultimately didnt seem workable, giiven that he was going to need to take time away from the team for rest and treatment.ddddddddddddHarding ultimately decided that sharing his story -- letting people know that multiple sclerosis wasnt something to be ashamed of and that he was going to work to continue his job while dealing with the disease?-- was an important part of his new reality.That mindset has never changed, even if Harding did have to make concessions to his health.He registered a shutout in his first game after the lockout but appeared in just five games during the shortened 13 season. That spring, Harding was pressed into service in the first round of the playoffs when starter Niklas Backstrom was injured before Game 1 against the?Chicago Blackhawks. Harding was excellent in an overtime loss in the Wilds first game against top-ranked Chicago and played in every game of the series before the Wild were eliminated in Game 5.Later, Harding would receive the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in recognition of his perseverance and dedication to the game.But the reality was that Hardings best opportunity to keep the disease at bay was at odds with being a player -- and, specifically, an NHL netminder.Im not going to sugarcoat it: It was very tough for me, he said. Right when I thought that I kind of had it under control, it just seemed like something would kick my legs out from under me again.For Harding, taking as much stress out of his life and having an orderly schedule of rest allowed him to function as close to normal as possible. And that meant an end to his life as an NHLer. I feel like Im in a lot better place now, healthwise, he said.Maybe Bickell will find that his experience with MS is different. Harding, for one, is rooting for Bickell to find something that eluded him.I would give anything to be back playing hockey, Harding admitted. Thats kind of what weve done for our entire life. Its kind of a diagnosis that you know you didnt ask for and you didnt want. Theres really not much you can do except to battle through it. But I really miss [playing].The extra time Harding gets with his young family is a treasure that is denied most NHL players, given the travel demands of the sport. And coaching alongside former NHLer and highly successful high school coach Curt Giles at Edina High School has given Harding a welcome connection to the game.Sometimes the kids on the Edina Hornets will ask whether Harding is going to put on the pads at practice. But he doesnt. Harding is aware that even something that seemingly simple could upset the balance that he has established in his life, could add unneeded stress.Plus, he joked, there are pretty good shooters among the high schoolers and his confidence might take quite a beating. He figures that he can live without that. Hes focusing on the positives and happy that he still has a tie to the sport he loves.I try to take the positives out of it, he said. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '