Two big rivals, one big series this weekend in Boston.
With just a half-game separating them behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings, the New York Yankees (81-65) and Boston Red Sox (81-66) begin their final head-to-head set of the regular season Friday night.
The Red Sox have missed the playoffs in three straight and five of the last six seasons, meaning that series of this magnitude between the two have been few and far between of late. It didn’t take Boston newcomer Alex Bregman long to figure out the meaning, especially in the midst of a playoff chase.
“It’s so cool playing against those guys,” the third baseman said, via USA Today. “Just fun games, pressure-packed, great environment. It was a lot of fun living out that childhood dream, watching those games on TV and watching them play in October.”
Boston’s three-out-of-four series victory in the Bronx last month (Aug. 21-24) marked Bregman’s first taste of the rivalry. He went 7-for-16 after being sidelined for the teams’ first six games against each other back in June.
The Red Sox settled for spitting a six-game road trip following Wednesday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the Athletics. The game ended with closer Aroldis Chapman allowing two hits and his first run since July 23.
“At one point, he was going to give it up,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It just happened that it was (Wednesday). … We’re going home now. Just be ready for Friday.”
Now, right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-3, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound back at home.
Giolito allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits across five innings in last Saturday’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had won his two prior starts, including eight shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 26.
Giolito is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in six career starts against New York.
While the Red Sox had Thursday off, the Yankees blitzed the Detroit Tigers 9-3 to avoid losing three in a row.
Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler pitched six innings of one-run ball.
Aaron Judge (3-for-4, two home runs) and Boston-area youngster Ben Rice (two doubles, RBI) helped support Schlittler’s effort. Judge tied Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the Yankees’ all-time home run list (361).
“Everybody had each other’s back,” Judge said. “We knew we had (Schlittler) on the mound, who wasn’t gonna give up too many runs. Just have to get one or two runs for a guy like that. It was a big day.”
New York banged out 14 hits, including two more from Jose Caballero, who made a second straight start in Anthony Volpe’s place.
Volpe (.206 average) had a cortisone shot in his left shoulder Wednesday, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects him “to be OK in the next couple days.”
“Obviously, we’re down to the end, and as I’ve said, it’s kind of all hands on deck, and do what we think is best, day in, day out,” Boone said.
Meanwhile, New York starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of the team’s last 17 games. Right-hander Luis Gil (3-1, 3.31) looks to keep that streak going for a sixth consecutive start Friday. He is 1-1 with a 1.27 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.
Gil beat Toronto last Saturday by working around four walks to allow just one run over six innings.
“Hopefully, we can just start to build where the command and control is there with the stuff following,” Boone said.