MLB playoff and World Series odds 2012: Yankees just behind Rangers as favorites

The New York Yankees are in the division series, but a team that has yet to get there is the favorite to take the title.

Yankees are AL East champs after routing Boston, 14-2

The New York Yankees earned the AL East title and home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs by defeating the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Yankees vs. Red Sox: Ibanez gets start in final game

The New York Yankees prepare for their final game of the regular season as they take on the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday and attempt to lock up first place in the AL East. The Yankees will start Tuesday's hero Raul Ibanez, who hit the pinch-hit home run to send the game to extra innings and drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Yankees to a 4-3 victory.

Ibanez will bat eighth as the DH. The Yankees will move Robinson Cano back to his usual cleanup spot and Ichiro Suzuki back up to second in the lineup behind Derek Jeter.

Full lineups for both teams are below:

New York Yankees (94-67)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki, LF
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Nick Swisher, RF
6. Mark Teixeira, 1B
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Raul Ibanez, DH
9. Russell Martin, C

Boston Red Sox (69-92)

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Daniel Nava, LF
4. Cody Ross, RF
5. James Loney, 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Ryan Lavarnway, DH
8. Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

MLB standings: Yankees can clinch AL East with win

The New York Yankees will claim the AL East title with a win against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

MLB playoff scenarios: Yankees just need to win on Wednesday

There are a multitude of playoff scenarios that could unfold after Wednesday, the final day of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.

Bobby Valentine goes boom! Red Sox manager crashes bike in NYC

Yankees Vs. Red Sox Preview: Game time, TV schedule, probable pitchers

Hiroki Kuroda heads to the mound as the Yankees look to clinch the American League East title.

Yankees vs. Red Sox: Raul Ibanez helps bring New York's magic number to one in 4-3 extra-inning win

Raul Ibanez hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and provided the walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th to send the Yankees to a 4-3 victory in 12 innings and at least a berth in a one-game playoff for the American League East crown.

After the Yankees fell behind 3-1 in the ninth inning, Ibanez hit a pinch-hit homer with Curtis Granderson on base to tie the game. With multiple chances to score, both teams were unable to convert the big hit until Ibanez came through in the 12th.

Most the night's scoring was done in the first two innings, as Yankees starter David Phelps gave up RBI hits to Dustin Pedroia and Cody Ross before settling down over 5⅓ innings, giving up just three hits.

The Yankees' lone run before the ninth was scored in the second inning off of Red Sox starter Jon Lester, who kept the damage of eight hits to a minimum against the Yankees on Tuesday.

The Yankees will now look to avoid a one-game playoff with the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East crown and the possibility of a one-game Wild Card playoff under baseball's new postseason rules.

Combined with the Orioles' 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday night's results leave the following possibilities for the Yankees and Orioles, with the Yankees magic number at one:

With either a Yankees victory or an Orioles loss, the Yankees would clinch the division title and the Orioles would head to the American League's Wild Card playoff.

If the Yankees lose and Orioles win Wednesday, the two would be forced into Game 163 to decide the division crown. The winner of that game would be the AL East champion and the loser would be on to the American League's Wild Card playoff game.

The Yankees take on the Red Sox in the season finale, looking for the sweep, Wednesday at 7 p.m. Hiroki Kuroda starts for the Yankees, while Daisuke Matsuzaka goes for the Red Sox.

Yankees vs. Red Sox: New York shuffles lineup

The New York Yankees look to keep a lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East on Tuesday when they host the Boston Red Sox in the second to last game of the season. If the Yankees win and the Orioles lose to the Tampa Bay Rays, New York would clinch the AL East title.

The Yankees have shuffled the order their lineup for Tuesday's game. Mark Teixeira is now back in the clean up spot after his strong return performance on Monday and Robinson Cano has slid down to fifth. Ichiro Suzuki is out of his usual spot at second in the order and is batting ninth; Nick Swisher will bat second on Tuesday.

Full lineups for both teams are below:

New York Yankees (93-67)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Nick Swisher, RF
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Russell Martin, C
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Eduardo Nunez, DH
9. Ichiro Suzuki, LF

Boston Red Sox (69-91)

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Daniel Nava, LF
4. Cody Ross, RF
5. James Loney, 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Ryan Lavarnway, DH
8. Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

Yankees vs. Red Sox preview: Game time, TV schedule, probable pitchers

The New York Yankees continue their series with the Boston Red Sox Tuesday looking to stretch their lead in the AL East

Yankees 10, Red Sox 2: New York rolls with 9-run 2nd inning

The New York Yankees crushed the Boston Red Sox Monday night, 10-2, behind a nine-run second inning.

Yankees vs. Red Sox lineups: Mark Teixeira returns, batting 5th against Boston

The New York Yankees are currently tied with the Baltimore Orioles as they attempt to win the American League East. As the Yankees begin their final three-game series with the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, the Orioles head to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays.

New York and Baltimore have both clinched playoff spots, but the winner of the division does not have to play in Friday's Wild Card play-in game. Given the incentive to win the division, you can bet both clubs will be giving it their all as the regular season winds down.

Mark Teixeira, who has missed most of the last month with a calf injury, is back in the lineup and batting fifth. He is playing first base instead of designated hitter, which is a bit of a surprise. Here are the full lineups for the Yankees and Red Sox.

Yankees:

1. Derek Jeter (R) SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki (L) LF
3. Alex Rodriguez (R) DH
4. Robinson Cano (L) 2B
5. Mark Teixeira (S) 1B
6. Nick Swisher (S) RF
7. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
8. Russell Martin (R) C
9. Eric Chavez (L) 3B

Red Sox

1. Pedro Ciriaco (R) 2B
2. Daniel Nava (S) LF
3. Cody Ross (R) RF
4. Mauro Gomez (R) 1B
5. Ryan Lavarnway (R) DH
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S) C
7. Danny Valencia (R) 3B
8. Che-Hsuan Lin (R) CF
9. Jose Iglesias (R) SS

Yankees vs. Red Sox: David Phelps to start Game 2, not Ivan Nova

Manager Joe Girardi has decided to throw David Phelps, not Ivan Nova, in Game 2 of a three-game set against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

MLB playoff scenarios: Yankees are in, but puzzle isn't complete

The New York Yankees are in the American League playoffs. But, who they will play and whether they will be AL East champs or a wild-card team is still to be determined.

Yankees vs. Red Sox preview: Game time, TV schedule, probable pitchers