MLB

Moseley steps in for Burnett, beats Red Sox

No matter what happens today, the Yankees are playing with house money against the Red Sox.

When Dustin Moseley beats Josh Beckett there isn’t another way to view last night’s 7-2 Yankees win in front of 49,096 at Yankee Stadium.

Filling in for A.J. Burnett, who was scratched with a balky back, Moseley delivered an outstanding effort while Beckett was spanked hard.

BOX SCORE

Originally scheduled to work today against Jon Lester in the finale of a four-game series between blood rivals, Moseley gave up two runs and six hits in 61⁄3 innings.

“You can’t dream anything better,” said Moseley, who was informed Saturday of the possibility he was pitching Sunday after Burnett suffered from back spasms while playing catch. Burnett is slated to start tomorrow night against the Rangers in Texas.

It was Moseley’s third start as a Yankee and two of them have been solid.

Beckett made his fourth start since coming off the DL on July 23 and gave up seven runs and 11 hits in 4 2⁄3 innings. In four starts this year against the Yankees he is 0-2 with a hefty 11.17 ERA.

“We bear down on him,” said Mark Teixeira, who homered leading off the fifth inning, when the Yankees scored five runs. “We had an opportunity and we took advantage of it.”

The victory guaranteed the Yankees of no worse than a split against the Red Sox, who face Phil Hughes today, but also increased their AL East lead to 21⁄2 games over the reeling Rays. The Red Sox are seven lengths behind the Yankees.

Lance Berkman’s best game in a short Yankees career was a 3-for-4 night with an RBI. Teixeira’s homer was his 25th. Alex Rodriguez, who returned after missing Saturday’s game with a bruised left ankle, went 1-for-3, walked, scored a run and swiped his 300th career base.

“Until you come up with a big hit to help win a game it’s hard to feel you belong,” said Berkman, who was 2-for-22 as a Yankee going into the game and one day removed from his liner connecting with Rodriguez’s ankle during batting practice Saturday.

Moseley departed with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh. Joba Chamberlain surfaced from the bullpen, gave up an infield RBI single to pinch-hitter Mike Lowell, retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a fly to left, walked Marco Scutaro and was replaced by lefty Boone Logan to face David Ortiz.

Logan went to a full count before inducing Ortiz to hit a grounder to the right side, strand three and keep the Red Sox five runs behind. Logan worked a perfect eighth and turned it over to David Robertson for the ninth.

With two runners on, manager Joe Girardi turned to Mariano Rivera. One pitch to Scutaro produced a game-ending grounder to Robinson Cano.

Moseley’s strength is throwing strikes and last night he added fielding his position, taking a leadoff base hit away from Ellsbury start the game with a barehanded snag.

“If I fall behind, I don’t have overpowering stuff,” said Moseley, who signed a minor league deal with the Yankees knowing he needed to continue to rehab from hip surgery and opened the season at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

Beckett, who does have overpowering stuff, suffered from lack of location.

“I think I threw too many balls over the fat part of the plate,” said Beckett, who fell to 3-2. “I think it’s pretty simple. They don’t hit balls out of the strike zone that hard.”

george.king@nypost.com