New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox: Domingo Germán vs. Martín Pérez

It’s hard to say that a series in late June is the most important of the year, but depending on how this season ends, this weekend’s tilt at Fenway Park could be the real turning point in a mercurial Yankee campaign. They’ve played well since being swept by these same Red Sox a couple weeks ago, winning 9 of the last 14 and sitting just 3.5 games back of their rivals entering play on Friday.

Domingo Germán goes for the Yankees, in a continuation of a trend where I seem to cover every single one of his starts. He went just four innings last week against Oakland, allowing four runs and pushing his June ERA to 7.11. Germán’s been on a downward trend all month, and faces a tall task in a talented Red Sox lineup tonight.

His opposite number, Martín Pérez, is also in the middle of a bad month, sporting a 6.75 ERA through 16 innings in June. He has faced the Yankees seven times in his career, with a 7.92 ERA and OPS against over 1.000. The Fourth of July might not be for another week, but we might see early fireworks on both sides tonight at Fenway.

Tonight the Red Sox honor perhaps the most annoying character in recent rivalry history, paying tribute to former MVP Dustin Pedroia. Hopefully the Yankees make it a melancholy celebration.

How to watch

Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

First pitch: 7:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, NESN, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv

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