New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Domingo Germán vs. Tanner Houck

These two teams met just a week ago in Yankee Stadium for the first time this year, but now we’re getting a double-serving of The Rivalry. The Yankees are rested after off-days bracketing their split with the Mets, and the Sox just took their first off-day of the month yesterday. Perhaps some fresh lineups will ignite the offenses that mostly were contained last weekend, though the Yankees are sending one of their better pitchers out to start things off.

Domingo Germán has quietly taken the reins as the team’s No. 2 starter this year in the absence of Carlos Rodón and ineffectiveness of Luis Severino. Pitching to a 3.48 ERA (4.38 FIP) in 67 innings so far, Germán has managed to do largely just enough to be effective without any sparkling accolades to point to (his K%, BB% and HR/9 are all right around his career averages). Considering the way the Yankee rotation has played out they’ll take a lucky bounce, and they’re hoping for a repeat of Germán’s performance the last time he went out against Boston when he tossed six innings of one-run ball, only getting tagged by a Devers blast near the end of his outing.

Tanner Houck’s 2023 is a bit of an inverse to Germán — he’s got a gaudy 5.23 ERA but a more modest 4.30 FIP and similar strikeout-walk ratios, plus he’s kept the ball on the ground far more at a 50.3 percent clip. The bounces just haven’t gone his way, and when batters do get a lift on the ball it’s leaving the park quite often. Houck was the losing pitcher against Germán last time out but he performed well in the loss, going six innings and getting beat by — you guessed it — solo homers from Gleyber Torres and Willie Calhoun. Look for the Bombers to target the Green Monster against him this time out.

How to watch

Location: Fenway Park — Boston, MA

First pitch: 7:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES Network, NESN

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280, ESPN Deportes 1050

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Online stream: MLB.tv

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