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(Sports Network) - One night after putting together their most prolific offensive output of the season, the New York Yankees will have to face one of the game's premier pitchers in this evening's showdown with Josh Beckett and the visiting Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees won a slugfest against their bitter rivals in Wednesday's opener of this two-game set, as Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu both homered to power a 16-hit attack that propelled New York to a 15-9 victory.

Jorge Posada added two hits and three RBI to help the Yankees to their third consecutive win, while both Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on the night.

New York's offensive outburst compensated for a rough outing out of starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, who was rocked for eight runs on nine hits through four-plus innings. LaTroy Hawkins recorded the win with two scoreless frames of relief, with Brian Bruney holding Boston scoreless over the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up a save.

Wang threw a complete-game two-hitter to defeat the Red Sox at Fenway Park last Friday and entered the game with a 3-0 record and 1.23 earned run average over his first three starts of 2008.

Clay Buchholz didn't fare any better for Boston, as the young right-hander was tagged for seven runs on eight hits and lasted just 3 2/3 innings. Julian Tavarez (1-1) issued four runs (3 earned) over the following 1 1/3 frames and was hung with the loss.

J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez each finished with three hits for the Red Sox, who had a four-game win streak halted. Drew, Dustin Pedroia and Sean Casey all knocked in two runs in the loss.

The Yankees may find the going a little tougher with Beckett on the mound tonight. The All-Star right-hander beat the Bronx Bombers in Boston this past Sunday with a strong performance in his second start off the disabled list.

Beckett limited New York to just one hit over his first five innings of Saturday's 4-3 triumph and ended with a line of three runs and five hits allowed in 6 2/3 innings of work.

The hard-throwing righty returns to the site of his most memorable career accomplishment, a dominating five-hit shutout in Yankee Stadium during the deciding Game 6 of the 2003 World Series while a member of the Florida Marlins.

Beckett hasn't had great success pitching at Yankee Stadium in regular-season play, however, as he is 2-2 with a 6.86 ERA in four such starts in the Bronx. For his career, the 27-year-old Texan is 5-3 with a 6.24 ERA in nine overall outings versus the Yankees.

Mike Mussina went opposite Beckett in last weekend's tilt and received the loss after surrendering four runs and eight hits in just 5 2/3 innings. The veteran righty took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but yielded a go- ahead two-run double to Ramirez.

Mussina was brilliant in his previous trip to the hill, when he held Tampa Bay to a run and two hits through six frames in New York's 6-1 decision.

The 39-year-old has faced the Red Sox 53 times over the course of his 18-year career and owns a 19-16 overall record with a 3.70 ERA against Boston.

With Thursday's victory by the Yankees, these two American League East foes have now split four meetings this season. New York has won seven of its last 10 encounters with the Sox in the Bronx.