SWISH HITTER: Nick Swisher (left) and Steve Pearce celebrate Swisher scoring the Yankees’ second run of a 2-0 win against the Red Sox last night. (NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
BOSTON — In Fenway Park’s confined visiting clubhouse, flat-screen television added a high-definition touch to scoreboard watching.
While the Rays-Orioles game was being tracked manually outside on the Green Monster, the Yankees were locked onto the telecast as they waited to face the Red Sox.
Finally, after the 14-inning marathon ended in an Orioles victory, the Yankees needed a win to stay even with the Birds atop the AL East.
Phil Hughes made sure his club got that victory by handcuffing a suspect Boston lineup on the way to a 2-0 win in front of 38,134 muted Red Sox supporters.
Facing a Red Sox lineup that housed Ivan DeJesus, Pedro Ciriaco, Mike Aviles, Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik and was missing Dustin Pedroia, Hughes made the minimal support hold up by not allowing a run in 7 1/3 innings in which he gave up five hits, one walk and fanned seven.
Hughes, who has won three of four decisions, improved to 15-12.
“You can’t take anything for granted,’’ Hughes said when asked about the Red Sox lineup card.
The victory enabled the Yankees to end a 10-game road trip that started in St. Petersburg, moved to Baltimore and finished at Fenway, with a 5-5 record.
With two straight wins the Yankees have copped back-to-back victories for the first time since Aug. 13-15 when they took three from the Rangers.
They have won three of four games going into a three-game series against the Rays that opens tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles are in Oakland. Each team has 19 games remaining; none against each other.
Playing with a left-ankle bone bruise, Derek Jeter tied Willie Mays for 10th place on the all-time hit list with a soft RBI single in the seventh inning that pushed the lead to 2-0. Jeter, who was the designated hitter last night, has 3,283 hits.
“It’s amazing,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of Jeter joining Mays. “That’s some kind of name.’’
As usual, Jeter downplayed the injury and being linked with Mays, considered by many to be the best player ever.
“It’s kind of hard to think about him because we are trying to win games,’’ Jeter said. “But I would be lying if I didn’t say it was special.’’
Eddie Collins at 3,313 hits is ninth on the all-time hits list.
The Yankees failed to hit in the clutch for the second straight game. Wednesday night they went 0-for-13. Last night, it was 1-for-9. In the last three games the Yankees are 2-for-34 with runners in scoring position.
Hughes exited with one out in the eighth and a runner on second. Girardi, who mixes and matches more than a busy bartender working with the head of a dating service, called for lefty Boone Logan to face Jacoby Ellsbury.
Logan, appearing in his fourth straight game and seventh of eight, retired Ellsbury on a fly to right. After the right-handed hitting Ryan Lavarnway was announced as a pinch-hitter, Girardi called for David Robertson.
Working for a third consecutive night, Robertson retired Lavarnway on a harmless fly to right and Rafael Soriano recorded the final three outs for his 38th save.
“For a long time we didn’t have much room for error,’’ Girardi said of the Yankees not scoring until the fourth and then again in the seventh. “[Hughes] had to pitch a good game.’’
If this is what the Yankees produce against pitchers the caliber of Felix Doubront, Hughes isn’t going to be the only pitcher who needs to shine in order for the Yankees to win.