0, no: More Sox zeros; CC dominant in Yanks' win.

• Position: SPORTS

Byline: Jay Cohen

NEW YORK - CC Sabathia shut down the Red Sox just like A.J. Burnett did, putting the New York Yankees in position for a pivotal four-game sweep.

Sabathia didn't allow a runner past second base while pitching into the eighth inning, and New York beat Boston, 5-0, last night for its sixth consecutive win.

Derek Jeter hit an opposite-field, two-run homer in the eighth for the Yankees, who extended their AL East lead to a season-high 51/2 games. Robinson Cano finished with three hits.

Jacoby Ellsbury lined a clean single to center with two outs in the sixth for Boston's first hit off Sabathia (12-7), who improved to 4-1 in his last five starts. The big left-hander got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd, and promptly struck out Dustin Pedroia to end the inning.

Sabathia allowed two hits, walked two and struck out nine in 72/3innings, tying his season high of 123 pitches set June 11 in a loss at Fenway Park, and matching Burnett's terrific outing in Friday night's 2-0 victory.

"A.J. definitely set the tone," Sabathia said. "I was just trying to do the same thing and be the 1-2 punch that we came here, you know, to be."

New York gave Sabathia and Burnett $243.5 million in free-agent contracts in the offseason for precisely the type of performances they delivered against Boston. Burnett limited the Red Sox to just one hit in the second game of the series and the Yankees went on to win on Alex Rodriguez's two-run homer in the 15th inning.

"They showed they can throw at a very high level and in a very important game," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "The stakes were high, and they came up big."

The Red Sox won their first eight games against the rival Yankees this season, but this trip to the Bronx has been a disaster. The slumping lineup hasn't produced a run in the last 24 innings and is 3 for 33 with runners in scoring position for the series. Their last extra-base hit was Casey Kotchman's two-run homer in the fourth inning of Thursday night's 13-6 loss.

"The last two nights, we've done nothing," manager Terry Francona said. "We've faced two really good pitchers and we've done nothing."

New York will send Andy Pettitte to the mound tonight against Jon Lester as it tries for its first four-game sweep of Boston at home since 1985.

"We have a chance to extend the distance tomorrow," Girardi said, "and any time you have a chance to do that, they're really important games."

New York's shutout streak is its longest versus the...