Red-hot Yankees seek sweep of Red Sox

But with the powerhouse Yankees positioned to battle tooth-and-nail against the defending AL East-champion Red Sox this year, there really isn’t tremendous room for error – especially when a win is within the Red Sox’ grasps the way it was on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. It was a much-needed big night for the veteran outfielder, who modestly gave credit to his teammates after the game when asked about his clutch hit late in the game. Sabathia might not be the pitcher he once was, but he has found his groove as a steady cog in New York’s rotation.

Boston relievers have allowed 20 earned runs in 36 eighth innings this season. Gardner drilled a ball into left-center field, well over the head of center fielder Mookie Betts, who was playing shallow.

It took Tanaka 21 pitches just to navigate a 1-2-3 first inning, and Moreland clubbed a two-run homer in the second. The game had a playoff feel throughout the night and the victor would take sole possession of first place in the division. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Yankees starters have an ERA of 4.47 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.89.

Beside the 17-1 run, they are on their second eight-game winning streak of the season and their 11-game home winning streak is the longest since a 12-game run from April 25-June 1, 1985, in the early days of Billy Martin’s fourth managerial tenure. Sacrifice flies by Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez accounted for the other NY runs. The team has hit.248/.355/.465 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that stretch.

“We knew it was going to be close throughout the entire year and come down to the end of the year”, Kimbrel said. Gregorius has produced a line of.291/.382/.622 with 10 homers, 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored. He had yet to pitch this season after playing for Class A affiliates Lowell and Greenville last season. The Red Sox hit a sac fly of their own in the top of the sixth inning with Xander Bogaerts on third base and ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez at the plate to make it 5-4.

Neither Price nor the Red Sox would contend his struggles over the last three starts had to do with the lost feeling in his hand.

He’s also left-handed – and the Yankees feature a veritable lefty destroyer in the form of Giancarlo Stanton. Opposed to six that’ve gone under.

Cleveland and Minnesota played a two-game series last month in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played in a three-game series in Monterrey, Mexico, last week.

Last night’s Red Sox-Yankees game on YES averaged a 6.76 TV Household rating, 603,000 Total Viewers and 478,000 Households. Including 10 over their last five.