New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Series Primer

The New York Yankees will start a four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox this weekend. It will be the last head-to-head regular season matchup between the two rivals this year. With an AL East title on the line, this could be the Yankees biggest series of the year.

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are set to square off in a four-game series of the greatest rivalry in sports. Scheduled to run from Thursday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 3, this will be the final regular season meeting between the two sides.

“At this point, you’re going to be able to say those are the most important games of the season because we won’t run into them and [because of] where we are in the standings,” Joe Girardi said in reference to the upcoming series against Boston.

As the Yankees sit 5.5 games back of the Red Sox, there’s no doubt this series could make or break the Bronx Bombers’ hopes for the AL East Crown.

When chasing a team in the standings, head-to-head matchups are crucial. This is the final opportunity for the Yanks to hand the Sox any losses. After this weekend, New York will have to rely on other teams to beat Boston.

A four-game sweep in favor of the Yankees would pull them to within 1.5 games of their rivals. However, a four-game sweep for the other side would leave the Bombers 9.5 games behind the Sox with only about a month of baseball left. If the New York Yankees want any hope at fighting for the AL East Title, they’ll need to take at least three out of four this weekend.

Luckily for New York, the pitching matchups for the four-game series give them a good chance of taking at least three games.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 28: Luis Severino (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Starting Pitching Matchups

Game 1 – Thursday, Aug. 31 7:05 pm ET, WPIX

Game 2 – Friday, Sept. 1 7:05 pm ET, YES

Game 3 – Saturday, Sept. 2 1:05 pm ET, YES

Game 4 – Sunday, Sept. 3 7:38 pm ET, ESPN

In Game 1, the Yankees have to like their chances with CC Sabathia on the hill. He’s found a fountain of youth this year and has been dominant against the rival Red Sox (3-0, 0.90 ERA in three starts). Eduardo Rodriguez also has a 5.08 ERA after the All-Star break so their offense should have an opportunity to get back on track.

New York should like the pitching matchup in Game 2 as well. Doug Fister is Boston’s worst starter and Sonny Gray has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last two months. Since being acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline, Gray is 2-3 with a 2.70 ERA. Pitching for the Oakland A’s and the Yanks, Gray is 4-4 with a 2.05 ERA since the All-Star break overall. The Yankees just need to make sure they give Gray some run support, which shouldn’t be too difficult against Fister.

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Game 3 could go either way for the Bombers. In an inconsistent 2017, Masahiro Tanaka has pitched much better of late. Tanaka is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA since the All-Star break and has a 3.32 ERA against the Red Sox this season. The real issue for the Yanks is the 1:05 pm ET start. In one of the weirder splits, Tanaka has a 9.62 ERA in day games this year compared to 3.24 at night. Drew Pomeranz also won’t make things easy for New York’s lineup. The left-hander is 5-0 with a 2.60 ERA post-All-Star break.

Game 4 is the marquee matchup that everyone is looking forward to. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball is a battle of the aces. Chris Sale has dominated just about everyone this year and for the most part, the Yankees are included. Sale has an ERA of 2.12 against the Bombers in 2017 but is 0-2 in four starts. New York hopes to keep Sale’s winless streak going and they have just the starting pitcher to do it. After a first half that earned him a trip to the All-Star Game, Luis Severino has pitched even better since the Summer Classic. In his nine second half starts, Sevy is 6-2 with a 2.38 ERA. In three starts against the Sox, however, Severino has just a 4.42 ERA, so he’ll have to step it up to take down mighty Chris Sale and the Boston offense.

I see the New York Yankees winning the first two games and at least one of the final two matchups. Masahiro Tanaka has pitched well of late but so has Drew Pomeranz. Tanaka will need to shake off his day game struggles, which he was able to do in his last start against the Seattle Mariners, to give the Bombers a shot. If the Yanks had anyone else matched up against Chris Sale, I wouldn’t give them a chance. However, if they’re going to come away with a win on Chris Sale Day, Luis Severino is the man to bring home the victory. If Sevy can keep the ball in the yard, the New York Yankees could take three out of four, or even come away with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

The starting pitching matchups are important and the New York Yankees will need to take advantage of them to win this series. However, there are other aspects they have to take care of.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 11: Aaron Hicks (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Keys to the Series

Get Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro Going Offensively –

The Yankees waited awhile for Hicks and Castro to get healthy and expected the two to provide an offensive spark upon their returns from the disabled list. Since his return, Aaron Hicks has hit just .167 with a .253 OBP. Hicks was hitting .290 with one of the best OBPs in baseball at .398 prior to his oblique injury. Hicks did have

a huge home run

against the Red Sox in New York’s comeback win on Aug. 11 but seems to still be getting back in the swing of things. The switch-hitting outfielder is certainly heading into the four-game set against Boston on the right foot, however, after going 4-4 in the second game of the Yankees’ doubleheader on Wednesday. Starlin Castro is off to hot start since coming off the DL, hitting .375. He’s only been back six games, however, and Castro’s average is significantly aided by a 4-4 day against the Mariners on Aug. 27. Without that big day at the plate, Castro is hitting just .167 since his return. Of course, his 4-4 day counts just the same as any other day, but Castro needs to string together a few more multi-hit games during this series for the Yankees to make up ground in the AL East.

Contain Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers –

Andrew Benintendi is hitting just .224 against the Yankees this season but he terrorized New York in the two series in mid-August. In his last six games against the Yanks, Benintendi went 8-for-27 (.296) with three home runs and ten RBI. Two of those homers and six of those RBI were against Yankees ace Luis Severino. Benny also made some nice plays in left field. Rafael Devers has only played those six mid-August game against the Yankees in his young career and wasted no time making enemies in New York. Devers went 8-for-22 (.364) with three home runs and six RBI. One of those three home runs was

a game-tying homer off of Aroldis Chapman

that helped push Chapman out of his closer role. Benintendi and Devers are both extremely talented and will likely continue to terrorize the Bronx Bombers for years to come. If the Yankees want to stay in the AL East race, however, they’ll need to hold off that terror for these four games.

The Bullpen Needs to Be on Top of Their Game – I just mentioned Aroldis Chapman blowing a save against the Sox in mid-August by giving up a home run to Rafael Devers. That can’t happen this weekend. The New York Yankees bullpen has pitched well of late, all year for that matter, but that can’t stop now. Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, and Chad Green all need to be on top of their games throughout this series. With a shot at the AL East Title on the line and Joe Girardi already acknowledging the series’ importance, I expect Girardi to manage this weekend like it’s a playoff series. If his starters get in trouble, Girardi will have a quick hook and bring in Chad Green to get through the early innings. Tommy Kahnle and Adam Warren could see action as early as the fifth inning. We could see David Robertson and Dellin Betances pitching multiple innings. The Yankees need this series and will rely on their loaded bullpen to close games out. New York’s relief corps can’t afford to let them down.

The Boston Red Sox took four of six from the New York Yankees in their mid-August matchups and the Bronx Bombers missed an opportunity to pull closer in the AL East standings. With this weekend series being the final regular season meeting between these rivals, this will be the Yankees’ last chance to make up ground on the Sox without help from other teams.

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The starting pitching matchups appear to favor New York, as the Yanks will send out their top-four hurlers. They’ll also need their bullpen to live up to expectations and bail out the starters if they get in trouble. If they can get the offense on track, with key contributions from Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro, the New York Yankees could come out of this four-game series closer to first place in the AL East than when it started.

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