Boston Red Sox rolling into Yankee Stadium on high note

Winners of four straight, the Boston Red Sox will look to extend their A.L. East lead during a crucial three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

Summer baseball carries with it a fair amount of certainties. The appearance of fresh cut grass. A variety of smells wafting over from the fired-up grills. And the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees vying for supremacy in the American League East.

The two teams are back at it again this weekend, squaring off with one another for a three-game in New York.

In the battle for 2018, each team has delivered their initial punches. Both the Boston Red Sox and the Yankees have taken three games apiece in their season series as neither team appears to be backing down.

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It has been a season of streaks for both sides. Boston set a blistering pace early, racing out to a record of 17-2. Early season struggles found the Yankees bobbing around .500, but they ripped off a 18-3 mark from late April to mid-May.

Haymakers and jabs aside, the two teams seem to again be on the path to meaningful October baseball. A mix of homegrown talent and high-priced free agents highlight each roster, helping to keep this rivalry relevant.

A late-June matchup has plenty at stake. Bragging rights top the list, as the third-place team in the division, the Tampa Bay Rays currently sits 15 games behind the Red Sox. But the eye of the summer prize is, of course, home field advantage in the playoffs.

We may still be 80 or so games away from the final decisions, but in the summer, every game carries with it a certain weight. Boston has stepped up and maintained its end of the bargain so far, hopefully leading to a fun summer.

Red Sox starting pitching

Boston will trot out a trio of left-handers to start on the mound this weekend against the Yankees. The three are arguably the best starters the Red Sox have going in 2018.

Eduardo Rodriguez will start things off on Friday. In ten career starts against New York, he is 4-2 with 2.70 ERA.

Rodriguez has enjoyed a 9-2 start to the season with an ERA of 3.86 while collecting 92 strikeouts. The ERA might be a little high but Rodriguez has been the most consistent starter outside of Chris Sale in 2018.

Sale will get the nod on Saturday. The strikeout king has rung up 153 batters so far in 2018. A 7-4 record isn’t quite indicative of Sale’s performance as once again he’s had a few outings with little run support. Still, you know what you’re getting with Sale on the mound.

The same can be said of David Price as of late. Price will get the ball on Sunday as he looks to continue his recent string of masterful pitching.

After a May 3 loss to the Texas Rangers in which he gave up 9 runs (7 earned), Price’s record fell to 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA. Since that game, Price is 7-1 and his ERA has dropped to 3.65.

The three lefties have been aces as of late. If there is one thing to worry about, however, it’s the amount of home runs given up. Each has allowed 10 home runs this season, a scary thought considering the Yankees lineup.

Battle of the bats

It’s no secret the Yankees and Red Sox hit well and score runs en masse. Both Boston (+125) and New York (+105) are tearing through opponents. The only team better at run differential is the Houston Astros (+175). For comparison, no team in the National League currently is above +90.

Unlike last year, the Red Sox are keeping pace in the power department thanks in large part to J.D. Martinez. The slugger hit his 25th home run earlier this week, a number no Boston player reached in 2017.

Martinez was acquired in part to counter the Yankees acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. Both players have impressed. Stanton, who struggled early in pinstripes, has hit .306 in June and seems to have shaken off early season struggles.

Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts will be center stage as will Andrew Benintendi and Gleyber Torres. Throw in a Rafael Devers for good measure and you can see — health permitting — there is plenty of youth to go around to keep these rivalry going well into the future.

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Barring a meltdown, these two teams will be slugging it out for first-place and the top wildcard spot for the remainder of the season. And to me, that’s a summer worth enjoying.

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