Red Sox at Yankees
The New York Yankees are in the process of knocking their biggest rivals out of the postseason race. The Yankees will try to finish off a four-game sweep of the defending champions when they host the Boston Red Sox in the series finale on Sunday.
Boston looked to be crawling back into the race in the American League East when it took three straight at home from the Yankees last week but has since dropped seven in a row, including getting swept in a doubleheader on Saturday to drop 13 1/2 games behind New York in the American League East. The Red Sox, who last lost seven in a row in July 2015, have drifted 5 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second AL wild card thanks to a pitching staff that allowed an average of 7.3 runs over the last seven contests. The Yankees continue to thrive despite frequent trips to the disabled list among their star players and got a pair of home runs from DJ LeMahieu in Saturday's opener before Gleyber Torres went deep twice in the nightcap. Boston left-hander David Price and New York lefty J.A. Happ both missed the first three games of the series on paternity leave but will return to their respective clubs to square off against each other on Sunday.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (7-4, 3.86 ERA) vs. Yankees LH J.A. Happ (8-6, 5.19)
Price will try to give the team some length after the bullpen was forced to absorb 9 1/3 innings on Saturday but he is struggling to work deep into games of late. The former Cy Young Award winner needed 94 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings while allowing four runs and nine hits against Tampa Bay on Tuesday and completed six innings in one of his last five outings. Price went 6 1/3 innings at New York on June 2 and was charged with two runs and six hits while earning a win.
Happ was having his own difficulty working deep into games before completing six innings in a loss against Arizona on Tuesday, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk. The 36-year-old failed to complete six innings in any of his previous seven starts and was knocked out after 3 1/3 frames at Minnesota on July 24. Happ worked five innings at home against Boston on May 31 and came away with a win while yielding one run.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees DH Edwin Encarnacion was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken wrist in the first game Saturday and was placed on the 10-day IL.
2. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts is 0-for-11 in the series.
3. New York SS Didi Gregorius (wrist) sat out the first three games of the series and remains day-to-day.