New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Series Preview

In what’s been an annoying season so far, the first series against the Red Sox may have been the apex of annoyance from the Yankees. Back towards the beginning of the month, the Yankees were swept at home by Boston. The only thing approaching a good performance in the series came in the finale of those three games, and even in that one, the Yankees blew a lead in the final couple innings.

While there have been some bad points since then, the Yankees have played better since taking those three losses. They’ve gone 9-5 in the two weeks since, including a sweep of the Blue Jays and nabbing two of three from the Athletics.

Now, the Yankees have to head up to Boston for the first time this season. A series win would see them cut into their AL East deficit, while another sweep leave them in a really bad spot. (As of Friday morning, they trail Boston by 3.5 games and Tampa Bay by 4.) No one series in June is make-or-break, but the Yankees could use some wins. Let’s check out the pitching matchups we’ll see at Fenway Park this weekend.

Friday: Domingo Germán vs. Martín Pérez (7:10 pm ET)

After nearly two months of fairly steady performances, Germán is now coming off two poor outings in a row, allowing 11 runs in 8.1 innings. The one immediately preceding those two was against this Boston team. That night, Germán was good, allowing one run on three hits in 5.1 innings.

His opposition number will be a man in Pérez who didn’t take the mound the last time these two teams met. His June so far has been very up-and-down. Bookending his four starts in June are two good ones, where he’s given up a total of one run on nine hits in 12.2 innings. However in the two in between, Pérez didn’t last past the second inning.

Saturday: Jordan Montgomery vs. Nathan Eovaldi (7:15 pm ET)

Montgomery is coming off a solid start against the A’s, but prior to that, he had been a bit iffy. Despite that uneven stretch, Montgomery has pretty much also managed to grind innings out without things get too out of hand. The Yankees haven’t lost a game he’s started since May 16th.

The former Yankee Eovaldi put in one of his better outings of the season against his old team when they met earlier in June. He allowed eight hits, but then limited the Yankees to just two runs, only one of which was earned. Two of his starts since then have been less than stellar, including him lasting four innings on the 20th against the same Royals team that the Yankees just won two of three against.

Sunday: Gerrit Cole vs. Eduardo Rodríguez (1:10 pm ET)*

As things lined up, Cole didn’t end up getting a start in the last Red Sox series. In fact, he’s only made one start against Boston since joining the Yankees, and that came last year on August 14th. That day, he threw seven innings of one-run ball, although Boston’s offense is a tad bit better than they were last season.

Rodríguez was solid when he faced the Yankees back on June 5th, but he’s had some brutal performances since then. In his last three starts, Rodríguez has surrendered 13 earned runs in 14.2 innings, lasting past the fifth inning only in his most recent outing. In general, his Yankees performance has been the exception not the rule for him this season, as Rodríguez comes into this game with a 6.07 ERA. That being said, his peripherals suggest that he hasn’t been that bad.

*Editor’s note: Yes, you read that right! For once, the Yankees and Red Sox are not automatically the featured matchup on Sunday Night Baseball. Enjoy your evenings.