The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox open up a three-game weekend series Friday night in the American League East division at Fenway Park.
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
New York has won seven straight games after finishing off a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a 7-2 win last night. The Yankees are now a season-high 26 games above .500 and have the most wins in the Majors since May 17. It’s recent seven-game win streak has moved the club into a first-place tie with tonight’s opponent in the division standings. Continuing its winning ways over the weekend may be difficult due to a 1-8 record against Boston this season, including losses in the last seven meetings. New York is 20-6 in its last 26 games against left-handed starters.
Yankees starting pitcher Bartolo Colon is 8-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 appearances (16 starts) this season and comes in riding a two-game winning streak. The right-hander has received 15 runs of offensive support in both outings at Yankee Stadium, while giving up four runs and 13 hits over 12 frames. He will be making his 11th appearance (10th start) on the road, bringing in a winning 4-3 mark and 2.81 ERA. In 24 career games (23 starts) versus the rival Red Sox, Colon has tallied a losing 8-11 record and 4.09 ERA, including an even 6-6 mark and 4.03 ERA in 15 tries at Fenway Park.
Boston dropped a 7-3 contest last night against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park after winning back-to-back games in walk off fashion. The Red Sox have still posted a 13-7 record since the All-Star break and shares the distinction of having the AL’s-best record with the Yankees. Playing in front of the home fans has been a winning situation this year, tallying victories in 27 of 39 contests since May 7. Boston has done a great job of bouncing back from defeat recently, winning seven of its last eight games following a loss.
Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester is a solid 11-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 20 starts this season and is hoping his numbers from a month ago carry into August. The left-hander tallied a 1-0 mark and 1.56 ERA in three July outings, as opposing hitters managed to hit just .186 against him. Lester will be making his ninth home start of the year, coming in with an even 3-3 record and 3.86 ERA, which doesn’t measure up to his career numbers. The 27-year-old is 34-13 with a 3.35 ERA in 68 lifetime appearances at Fenway Park, including a 2-0 record and 5.34 ERA in five starts versus the Yankees.
At the time of this writing, Boston checks in as a -160 home favorite and the total stands at 9 under (-125).