Porcello gets the start for Red Sox in series opener against Yankees
New York Yankees (66-35, first in the AL East) vs. Boston Red Sox (56-47, third in the AL East)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka (7-5, 4.00 ERA) Red Sox: Rick Porcello (8-7, 5.61 ERA)
LINE: Yankees favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 11 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Boston hosts New York to begin a four game series.
The Red Sox are 25-23 against AL East opponents. Boston's team on-base percentage of .340 is third in the league. Xander Bogaerts leads the lineup with an OBP of .393.
The Yankees are 34-11 against AL East Division teams. New York has hit 173 home runs this season, third in the league. Edwin Encarnacion leads the team with 30, averaging one every 11.8 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bogaerts leads the Red Sox with 54 extra base hits and is slugging .558. Rafael Devers is 13-for-44 with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and 15 RBIs over the last 10 games for Boston.
Encarnacion leads the Yankees with 30 home runs home runs and is slugging .520. Aaron Hicks is 12-for-38 with a double, four home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 6-4, .272 batting average, 5.38 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
Yankees: 7-3, .309 batting average, 4.80 ERA, outscored opponents by 23 runs
Red Sox Injuries: Steven Wright: 10-day IL (toe), Brian Johnson: 10-day IL (undisclosed), Dustin Pedroia: 60-day IL (knee), Steve Pearce: 10-day IL (back), Michael Chavis: day-to-day (back).
Yankees Injuries: Luis Severino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Jordan Montgomery: 60-day IL (elbow), Jonathan Loaisiga: 60-day IL (shoulder), Ben Heller: 60-day IL (elbow), Dellin Betances: 60-day IL (shoulder), Jake Barrett: 60-day IL (elbow), Giancarlo Stanton: 10-day IL (knee), Cameron Maybin: 10-day IL (calf), Brett Gardner: day-to-day (knee), Jacoby Ellsbury: 60-day IL (hip), Troy Tulowitzki: 60-day IL (calf), Greg Bird: 60-day IL (foot), Miguel Andujar: 60-day IL (labrum), Gary Sanchez: 10-day IL (groin).
