The greatest rivalry renews this weekend as the New York Yankees head on up to Boston with a clash with the Red Sox.
The Bombers are also still looking to live up to their nickname as they have scored three runs or less in 13 of their last 15 contests and are 5-10 in that span.
Prior to Wednesdays loss to the Rangers, the Yankees’ offense scored three or fewer runs in 15 of the previous 20 games and were 3-12 those games.
The only two years the Yankees have scored three runs or less as much as they have this year was in 1966 and 1968. The ’66 Yankee team finished 70-89 and dead last in American League while the ’68 team finished fifth in the AL.
On the other side, the Red Sox are coming off a series in which they took 3-out-of-4 from the Atlanta Braves at Fenway.
The first match-up of the now-dimmed rivalry of 2016 begins tonight and Elite Sports NY has you covered on everything you want to know.
Pitching Match-Ups:
Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.92 ERA) vs Henry Owens (0-0, 8.10 ERA
Tanaka will be making his fifth start of 2016 and has allowed only two earned runs in each of his four outings. In his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, he struck out a season-high seven batters while tossing seven innings. In his career against the Red Sox, Tanaka is 4-2 with a 5.13 ERA in seven starts.
The Bombers will face yet another lefty with Owens on the hill for Boston. In two starts against the Yankees a year ago, Owens went 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA.
Owens will be the eighth left-handed starter the Yankees have seen in the last ten games.
Michael Pineda (1-2, 6.95) vs Rick Porcello (4-0, 3.51 ERA)
Pineda has struggled mightily, to say the least in his first four starts in 2016 as he’s allowed 30 hits in his 22 innings of work.
Yes, his strikeout total is ranked fifth among American League pitchers with four starts or fewer, but he surrendered seven homers which is one of the highest totals in all of baseball.
Porcello is off to a strong start as he has a winning decision in his first four starts. The righty has decent numbers in 11 starts against the Yankees going 5-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 11 starts.
Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.38 ERA) vs David Price (3-0, 5.76 ERA)
Nasty Nate is on a quest to prove that the pitcher who flirted with a no-no last time out is here to stay.
The hard-throwing righty no-hit the Rangers for six innings and notched his first victory this season thanks to an incredible mix of his splitter and high-90s fastball.
The Price has not been right for the Sox $217-milion investment, but he showed his true potential after a 14-strikeout gem against the Braves.
On Sunday night baseball, Price will be making his first start in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. Price owns a 13-7 record with a 4.04 ERA against New York.
Players To Watch:
David Ortiz:
This will be the start of Big Papi’s last season in the greatest rivalry in sports. Ortiz is hitting .306 with 47 homers and 158 RBIs in his career against the Yankees and is off to a great start of his final season.
He is currently slashing .296/.398/.577 with three home runs and 16 RBI. He also leads the league in doubles with 11.
Starlin Castro:
Starlin my Darlin’ will welcome himself into the rivalry in hopes to become a key component in its history.
In his career at Fenway Park, Castro has a .308/.333/.423 slash line and has recorded three two-hit performances in his last four games.
Against left-handed pitching this season, Castro has a .300 batting average and a home run being one of the only bright spots against southpaws. New York will see two of them this weekend so watch for their second baseman to have an impact.
Carlos Beltran:
The Yankees’ right fielder owns a 15-game hitting streak at Fenway Park in the regular season. In that span, Beltran owns a .371 batting average with four dingers and a staggering 13 RBI.
In his career in Beantown, Beltran is slashing .347/.390/.578 with seven home runs in 36 games played.
Brett Gardner:
Gardner also has a hitting streak in Boston (11-games) and is batting .364 with 12 RBI throughout that streak.
Against Saturday’s starter, Rick Porcello, Gardner owns a .389 batting average with a home run in 18 at-bats against him.
Game Times:
- Game 1: Friday, 7:10 PM ET, YES/MLB Network
- Game 2: Saturday, 7:10 PM ET, WPIX/MLB Network
- Game 3: Sunday, 8:05 PM ET, ESPN
Injury Notes:
New York:
- Aaron Hicks: day-to-day with left shoulder soreness
Boston:
- Pablo Sandoval: 15-day DL with left shoulder strain
- Eduardo Rodriguez: 15-day DL with dislocated right knee cap
- Joe Kelly: 15-day DL with right shoulder impingement.
Bold Predictions:
The Yankees annihilate David Price on Sunday night and sweep their hated rivals.