All eyes will be on the AL East as for the second time this season, the (24-10) New York Yankees and (25-9) Boston Red Sox will meet (Game 1, Today, Tuesday @ 7.05 PM ET; Game 2, Wednesday @ 7 PM ET; Game 3, Thursday @ 7 PM ET).
Only this time, with both the Yankees and Red Sox playing some of the best baseball of the season for any team, the division lead will be on the line. In short, it looks like it is back to the good ol’ days for this classic rivalry.
When the Yankees and Red Sox first met this season, New York was just 5-5 and experiencing some serious growing pains among its new-look roster. Boston on the other hand, was on top of the MLB standings and had lost just two games up to that point. With the series at Fenway Park, the Red Sox easily took the first one before New York struck back in Game 2. Their victory broke Boston’s nine-game winning streak. It didn’t take long for the Red Sox to start another one though. They defeated the Yankees in the rubber match to win the series before rattling off another six victories in a row.
Boston finished up April on a bit of a rocky note but so far in May, they’ve won four of six and are currently on a three-game winning streak. All of that sounds great but compared to what New York has done ever since dropping to 6-7 following their first series of the season at Fenway, Boston’s accomplishments pale in comparison. Hands down the hottest team in baseball at the moment, the Yankees followed up their first series with the Red Sox by going on an absolute tear. New York has won 18 of their last 21 and 15 of their last 16. They are undefeated in the month of May (6-0).
When the Yankees left Fenway back in early April, they left a different team than they had been at the start of the series. As a result, they are in the midst of their best start in 15 years. They are also in position where, with the upcoming series taking place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, that they could take control of the AL East for the first time this year.
Unlike the first series, this is a Yankees team that is more than capable of taking down their biggest division rival both historically and this season.
Game 1: (BOS) Drew Pomeranz vs (NYY) Luis Severino
The last time these two teams met, which feels like a lifetime ago given the Yankees’ turnaround, Luis Severino had a rough outing. The young righty gave up five runs in five innings en route to one of New York’s two losses. Since then however, much like his team, Severino has been a completely different pitcher. In his four starts since, Severino has a 4-0 record with a 1.24 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. Simply put, Severino has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball this year.
Opposing him on the mound will be Boston’s Drew Pomeranz, who is making just his fourth start of the season. Pomeranz spent time on the DL to open the season, missing the first BOS/NYY series as a result. On the season, Pomeranz is just 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA but in his career at Yankee Stadium, his numbers are much improved. The 29-year-old lefty has a 3-2 record with a 3.12 ERA.
Game 2: (BOS) David Price vs (NYY) Masahiro Tanaka
On paper, this is what should be the marquee pitching matchup of the series but both starters have had their struggles at times this season.
David Price was as advertised in his opening start, picking up a win for the Red Sox and starting a 14 inning scoreless streak. But after that, Price began slumping, recently giving up seven earned runs in just over three innings pitched in his last start. On the season, Price is just 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA. Not counting his first start, the left handed ace has an ERA of 8.22. And unfortunately for Price, more than a few Yankees have hit him exceptionally well over the last five years with Didi Gregorius, Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez all batting above .400 in at least 10 at bats.
On the mound for the Yankees is this ace, Masahiro Tanaka, who unlike Price took a poor early season start and turned it into a rebound campaign. New York has won each of Tanaka’s last three starts including most recently when he gave up three runs in six innings against the Houston Astros. Tanaka gave up six earned runs in as many innings the last time he faced Boston this year, but overall in his career, he has fared pretty well against Red Sox hitters. No one with over 20 at bats is hitting over .240 against Tanaka in the last five years.
Game 3: (BOS) Rick Porcello vs (NYY) CC Sabathia
It is a matchup of the old guard as Rick Porcello will take the mound in Game 3 against longtime Yankee, CC Sabathia. Both men have turned back the clock and are big reasons as to why their teams have been as successful as they are.
For Boston, Porcello has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his seven starts this season. As a result he is 5-0 and enters this game with just a 2.14 ERA. In addition, Porcello’s sinker has been lethal as the righty has recorded 46 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched. That success notwithstanding, Yankee Stadium has not exactly been kind to Porcello, who is just 1-4 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts in New York.
CC Sabathia has been having a great year as well, pitching much like he did when the Yankees got him over a decade ago. Then, Sabathia was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Now, he enters this game having allowed just one earned run in his last four starts and 23.1 innings. He has one of the lowest ERAs in the league at just 1.39 and has won five straight starts against the Red Sox dating back to two years ago.
Our Preview’s Boston Red Sox vs NY Yankees Game 1 & Series Picks with Betting Predictions
The Yankees have yet to get Giancarlo Stanton (.224) going but the rest of the team has been on an absolute tear. One reason why is Ronald Torreyes, who since coming up to the team about halfway through the season, has been unstoppable. The 25-year-old is leading the team in average (.362) and picking up the slack for Stanton. Overall, the Yankees have six guys batting at a clip of .290 or higher, including Didi Gregorius, who leads the team in both homers (10) and RBI (30). Ultimately, that’s going to be the key to this series.
Here are our Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankee Game 1 predictions and picks, looking at the best odds available for them from the top betting websites:
- Take the Yankees (-1.5) to win Game 1 @ best odds of +105 with 5Dimes, Intertops or Bookmaker sportsbooks.
- Look for the run total to sit under 8.5 @ -105 with 5Dimes.
- I also expect New York to win the series 2-1.
Marilee writes on NFL, MLB, NBA & tennis for USA Betting. Another area of her sporting journalistic expertise is pro wrestling. A native of Philadelphia and a big Eagles fan, she has been a sports writer for many major websites including Bleacher Report and Rant Sports. She started her journalistic career early, as sports editor for her college newspaper.