Below The Beltway

The Yankees rolled into Boston tonight and picked up right where they left off:

BOSTON — The Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Rice is a commentator on the Boston Red Sox’ cable telecasts. He was off Friday, absent for the Yankees’ 20-11 thrashing of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. He did not witness three more hits by Derek Jeter, who is gaining quickly on Lou Gehrig for the most in Yankees history.

Earlier in the day, speaking to children at the Little League World Series, Rice had lumped Jeter with Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, two sluggers who have been ensnared in the steroids controversy. Rice said those players compare with former greats and set a bad example for youth.

“I didn’t know I was like that,” Jeter said before the game. “That would be a first for me.”

Jeter takes seriously his role as the Yankees’ captain and caretaker of their legacy. He was not the Yankees’ most productive hitter Friday — that was Hideki Matsui, who homered twice and had seven runs batted in, a career high — but with three hits he is now just 22 shy of Gehrig’s club record of 2,721.

Jeter is 19 for 36 on the Yankees’ trip, which has included six wins in eight games to pull them seven and a half ahead of the Red Sox in the American League East. It was the Yankees’ first victory in seven games at Fenway this season, and they took advantage of a chance to pull away from their rivals.

“Here, you’ve got a chance to directly do it,” Manager Joe Girardi said before the game. “You don’t have to rely on someone else.”

The Yankees are happy to trust themselves. They have matched their best start ever after the All-Star break, with a 26-8 record, the same as in 1938. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have gone 15-18.

The Yankees now have an 8 game lead in the AL East. One or two more wins in Boston this weekend would shut the door on the division. Time for Boston to concentrate on the Wild Card.