New York Yankees

When the time comes for the New York Yankees to face off against David Price, the Price is, indeed, right for the Bronx Bombers. 

It doesn’t make sense that the Yankees own so much established authority over one of the most talented pitchers in baseball but I doubt they’re complaining.

For starters, there is no team Price has faced more than the Bombers (203.1 career innings) and no lineup has more home runs off the five-time All-Star than the lineup he’s prepared to face tonight.

Overall against the boys in pinstripes, the former CY-Young award winner owns a respectable 14-8 record but has maintained a 4.34 earned run average against them. According to baseball reference, no other team that he has faced at least 15 times has provoked him to have a higher ERA than the Yankees.

Price has faced the lowly Yankees’ offense twice this season already, and on May seventh – his last appearance facing them – he gave up one run in the third inning, three in the fourth, and two more in the fifth to a lineup without Alex Rodriguez, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Brian McCann.

Overall, he surrendered six runs on seven hits and only struck out four batters compared to three walks. On the year, New York has a .333/.400/.533 slash line with a .933 on-base plus slugging percentage in 45 at-bats.

Is it safe to say yet another Red Sox pitcher has found the Yankees to be his – dare I say it – Daddy?

Sure, entering tonight the Yankees have all the confidence in the world to smack around Price, but do they really?

Since being roughed up at Yankee Stadium in early May, the lefty has settled down into his former self. Also known as the guy the Red Sox invested seven years and $212 million into.

In 12 starts, he owns a 5-5 record but he has given up 29 runs in 83 innings of work (3.14 ERA) to drop his seasonal average from 6.75 to 4.34. Opposing batters have also maintained a poor .243/.283/.406 slash line after a .278/.339/.432 line in the seven starts prior.

RELATED: New York Yankees Marketable Trade Pieces

Additionally, he gets to face one of the post disappointing lineups across baseball. To be precise, it is a lineup that ranks 20 in batting average and second-to-last in average with runners in scoring position.

So maybe the aren’t so confident. But what they should be is determined. After all, tonight’s Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN against their arch rival is the most important season to date.

“It’s got to turn around tomorrow,” manager Joe Girardi told NJ Media. “This is probably as important a game as we’ve had in July in a long time.”

Entering this series, they had to really take it to the Red Sox then to the Baltimore Orioles before ending this pivotal 10-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants. After dropping the first two, they hypothetically have to win seven of the next eight games in order to call this season “salvageable.”

Nine games out of the division. Five and a half games out of the Wild Card. The time is now, against a pitcher that they rake on a regular basis, to spark some confidence following a run at relevancy.

Sure, we’ve been saying that all season even back when the Yankees started 8-16. However, no time from opening day to last night can match the desperation the Bronx Bombers are in right now.

Watch out Price, these Yankees have your number and are ever so stubborn to repeat history tonight as it means saving a season that looks all but lost.

NEXT: StubHub Deal Paying Immediate Dividends