The rivalry between the New York Yankees (40-35, 19-17 away) and the Boston Red Sox (45-31, 21-17) continues Saturday night with game two of a three-game weekend series between two foes. Boston took the opener Friday night, 5-3. The Red Sox have won four straight over the Yankees.
Saturday’s first pitch is at 7:15 p.m. at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. The Red Sox are a slight favorite (-115), while the run total is at 10.
Red Sox Top Yankees in Opener
Boston jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a pair of run-scoring doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe. The Yankees responded with three runs of their own in the top of second to even the score at 3-3.
Renfroe again came in clutch at the plate in the bottom of the third with a sac fly to put the Red Sox ahead for good. Christian Vazquez tacked on insurance in the eighth with an RBI single.
Garrett Whitlock got the win while Domingo German took the loss. Matt Barnes came into the ninth and shut the door for his 16th save of the season.
What to Know – Boston Red Sox
Boston is now just a half-game back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. By the end of Saturday night, they could take over the top spot in the standings.
Nathan Eovaldi (7-4, 3.90 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) is penciled in on the hill for the host. Eovaldi faired well against the Yankees in his first start this season, throwing six innings, allowing one earned run on eight hits, and striking out seven in the victory.
Third baseman Rafael Devers paces the Red Sox offense with 60 runs driven in and a .276 batting average. The Red Sox are third in the majors with a .256 team batting average thanks to shortstop Xander Bogaerts club-leading .320 average.
What to Know – New York Yankees
The Yankees have lost four straight to their rival and now sit in third place in the AL East, five games out of first. New York is 7-3 over their last ten ball games.
Lefty Jordan Montgomery (3-1, 4.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) is the expected starter for the visitors. Montgomery won’t go deep into games, but he has done well this season in limiting damage with only one loss. This will be the 28-year old’s first time facing the Red Sox lineup this season.
New York is fourth in the American League with a .320 on-base percentage. Outfielder Aaron Judge leads the Yankees offense in batting average (.282), home runs (16), RBIs (38), and runs scored (42).
What Will Happen
Montgomery limits the Red Sox in the early innings, and the Yankees jump out to a lead after some quality at-bats. The Yankees hold off a late rally by the hosts and end their four-game losing stretch against their rival.
Betting Pick: New York Yankees +105
