Red Sox at Yankees
The Boston Red Sox have put themselves in position to overtake first place in the American League East with a successful week, but the rival New York Yankees are standing in their way. The Yankees will try to extend their advantage over the rest of the AL East when they host the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Boston enters the three-game set in second place in the East, two games behind New York, after jumping past the Baltimore Orioles with wins on Saturday and Sunday that improved the team to 4-3 on its 10-game road trip. The Red Sox are winners of 10 of their last 14 and head into the series against the Yankees looking for some revenge after dropping both games of a rain-shortened set at home against New York on April 26 and 27 while totaling one run. The Yankees are coming off a split of a four-game set at Toronto over the weekend and are riding the big bat of rookie Aaron Judge along with a pitching staff that allowed three or fewer runs in five of the last seven contests. The one question mark in the New York rotation of late is Masahiro Tanaka, who will get a chance to turn things around when he opposes Boston lefty Drew Pomeranz on Tuesday.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (5-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (5-5, 6.34)
Pomeranz worked a season-high seven innings at the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday and struck out eight without issuing a walk while yielding one run on seven hits in the win. The 28-year-old struck out a season-high 11 while walking one in his previous start. Pomeranz faced New York three times last season and yielded a total of two runs in 12 1/3 innings the first two times before getting knocked around for four runs in 3 2/3 innings on Sept. 18.
Tanaka suffered the loss in each of his last four starts and allowed at least six earned runs in three of those turns. The Japan native struck out 13 and allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings in a win over Oakland on May 26 but was rocked for seven runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 frames at Baltimore on Wednesday. Tanaka's best start of the season was undoubtedly at Boston on April 27, when he scattered three hits and did not walk a batter while cruising to a shutout.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees DH Matt Holliday is enjoying a six-game hitting streak with three home runs and seven RBIs in that span.
2. Red Sox LF Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs on Sunday after going 2-for-27 in his previous eight contests.
3. New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) stopped all activities over the weekend after a recurrence of headaches.