The Red Sox head home this weekend after losing back-to-back games to the Rays on Wednesday and Thursday. Those losses have taken Boston out of first place in the AL East, half a game behind Tampa. In fact, the Red Sox have now lost four of their last six and are 7-8 in their last 15 games, so they are not at their best right now.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are slowly moving in the right direction. Since getting swept by the Red Sox earlier this month, the Yankees have gone 9-5 and have won their last three series. That has pulled New York six games over .500 and four games behind the Rays in the AL East.
It’s Domin-Go Time
The Yankees will send Domingo German to the mound for Friday’s series opener. He’s come close to picking up where he left off in 2019, going 4-4 with a 4.17 ERA over 13 starts. However, things have started to fall apart for German in June, as he’s given up 11 runs on 17 hits over his last two starts, covering just 8.1 innings during that span.
The silver lining is that German had Boston’s number when he faced them earlier this month, giving up just one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. Few pitchers have been able to contain the Red Sox like that this season, as the likes of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers are all having all-star caliber years. On the other hand, the Red Sox have cooled off a little lately, scoring three runs or less in four of their last six games.
Little Martin on the Mound
Lefty Martin Perez is scheduled to make the start for Boston on Friday. He’s been solid and steady for the Red Sox this year, going 5-4 with a 4.32 ERA over his first 14 starts of the season. The caveat is that his worst starts have come at Fenway Park, where he owns a 6.68 ERA in eight starts.
Perez has yet to face the Yankees this year, although he’ll face a lineup that’s averaging 5.3 runs per game over their last nine games. The Yankees aren’t quite clicking on all cylinders right now, but Gary Sanchez has become a home run machine while Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have heated up again. Plus, DJ LeMahieu has finally come alive during the month of June, while the return of Luke Voit from the IL has been a welcomed addition to New York’s lineup.
Pinstripe Power
Things are finally starting to go well for the Yankees while the Red Sox have leveled off over the past couple of weeks. On paper, the Red Sox are probably a better team, but the Yankees are playing better right now. Bet on the Bronx Bombers to take Friday’s series opener.