One of the best rivalries in all of sports gets renewed on Friday as the New York Yankees (92-49) will travel to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox (75-65). For the Yankees, this has been a season of adversity as the injury bug has consistently kept them from full strength. Despite that, they have still found a way to create a sizeable advantage in the AL East, as they lead the second-place Tampa Bay Rays by 9.5 games.
For the Red Sox, it has been a season of adversity that they have been unable to overcome. The defending World Series champions currently sit in third place in the AL East but find themselves a whopping 16.5 games back coming into play Friday.
The pitching matchup for this one features Domingo German (17-3, 4.01 ERA) going for the Yankees against Boston’s Jhoulys Chacin (3-10, 5.79). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
The moneyline for this matchup features the New York Yankees at +102 and the Boston Red Sox at -112. The over/under for runs scored sits at 10.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, these two teams have been neck and neck this season. The Yankees currently sit in second place in the majors in terms of runs scored, averaging 5.79 runs per game (6.26 on the road). The Red Sox come in one spot later at third, averaging 5.76 runs per game (5.79 at home).
On the pitching side, it is once again New York that holds the advantage. Their earned run average ranks 14th overall with a team ERA of 4.39 (5.13 on the road). The Red Sox come in 19th in the majors with a staff ERA of 4.67 (4.62 at home).
When you put it all together, it is no shock that the Yankees have been better when it comes to run differential. They rank fourth in the majors with a run differential of +165, while the Red Sox rank ninth with a run differential of +95.
Yankees Fighting For Home-Field Advantage
While the New York Yankees all but have the division sewn up, they are still in a battle for home-field advantage in the playoffs with the Houston Astros and will be looking to pick up every win they can for the rest of the season.
Going for it on Friday will be Domingo German. On the season, German is 17-3 in 24 games (23 starts) with a 4.01 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and opponents are hitting .233 off of him. In 132 1/3 innings, he has allowed 119 hits, 59 earned runs, 29 home runs and has struck out 141 versus 33 walks. In his last outing, a 4-3 win over the A’s, German went five innings, allowing four hits, three walks and two earned runs while striking out five.
D.J. LeMahieu has continued to show why he is an MVP candidate. In the last 30 days, the second baseman is hitting .311/.351/.519 with six home runs, 14 runs batted in and 19 runs scored. In that same stretch, Gleyber Torres has provided the biggest stick. He is hitting .295/.344/.693 in the last 30 days with 11 home runs, 17 runs batted in and 18 runs scored.
Red Sox Trying To Make Last-Ditch Effort
At 6.5 games back in the Wild Card, it is not impossible for the Red Sox to make the playoffs, but time is running out and running out quickly. To try to right the ship will be newcomer Jhoulys Chacin, making his debut for the Red Sox.
Chacin was released by the Milwaukee Brewers after going 3-10 in 19 starts with a 5.79 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. In 88 2/3 innings, he struck out 80 while walking 39. At this point, it is unclear how deep Chacin will go in the game, but for a rotation that has struggled with effectiveness and health, Boston is hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle and Chacin can return to his effective ways.
Xander Bogaerts has had quite the season this year. He is currently hitting .310/.387/.573 with 31 home runs, 103 runs batted in and 102 runs scored. Bogaerts has also had success against German in his career. In eight at-bats, he is hitting .400 with a home run.
Andrew Benintendi has also had success off of German, going 5 for 9 with two home runs and three runs batted in. Regardless, the Red Sox will be hoping to get to the Yankees’ starter before having to get into a tough bullpen later in the game.
Yankees Rough Up Chacin And Company
Given that Chacin struggled to the point of being released from a National League team, it is hard to trust him as he comes over to the American League, where you lose the luxury of facing the pitcher. Throw on top of that the fact that he has to go against a daunting Yankees lineup, and I just don’t particularly like his chances.
German’s won/loss record may be better than his peripherals suggest, but he has still thrown the ball well. He has faced Boston once this season, allowing just two runs over seven innings. For my money, I feel more comfortable taking German and the Yankees, especially since you are getting an underdog moneyline with them. Take New York at +110.