The last time the Boston Red Sox faced the New York Yankees, they had plans of getting back into the race in the American League East. When the Red Sox visit the Yankees on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series, both teams will be in vastly different positions.
Boston dropped two of three at home to New York in front of the All-Star break and then lost 11 of 13 on the other side to join the race for worst record in baseball instead.
The Yankees watched other teams make big moves at the trade deadline and then went out and put up 27 runs in three games at Chicago against the White Sox over the weekend to push their lead in the East to 5 1/2 games.
New York is averaging 8.6 runs while winning six of its last nine games and opens a six-game homestand on Tuesday, with the Toronto Blue Jays scheduled to visit after the Red Sox leave town. Facing that surging Yankees’ offense will be left-hander Henry Owens, who is set to make his major-league debut for the Red Sox opposite Masahiro Tanaka.
Left-hander Henry Owens will make his MLB debut against Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka (7-4, 3.80 ERA).
Rick Porcello was schedule to make the start but was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with inflammation in his right triceps. That opens the door for Owens, who came into the season as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects and is 3-8 with a 3.16 ERA in 21 starts for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2015 despite 56 walks in 122 1/3 innings. The 6-6 Californian is the third southpaw to debut for the Red Sox this season after Eduardo Rodriguez and Brian Johnson.
Tanaka had a three-start winning streak come to an end when he was reached for four runs and nine hits in six innings at Texas on Wednesday. The Japan native matched a season high with three walks in that turn but kept the ball in the park after yielding five home runs in his previous two outings. Tanaka battled through five innings to earn a win over Boston on April 12 and is 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA in four career starts against the division rivals.
GAME NOTES: Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval (forearm) was limited to one at-bat over the weekend and is day-to-day. … New York 1B Mark Teixeira has five homers and nine RBIs in his last four games. … Boston 1B Travis Shaw went 6-for-8 with two homers, five runs scored and three RBIs in the last two games.
MLB NOTES: Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander A.J. Burnett has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his pitching elbow and is expected to miss four weeks. The Pirates announced the diagnosis on and said the 38-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection. … Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock was in the starting lineup and hitting second after sitting out Saturday and Sunday with soft tissue soreness in his left knee. … The Miami Marlins placed right-hander Carter Capps (strained right elbow) on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. They also optioned infielder Donovan Solano to Triple-A New Orleans and recalled catcher Tomas Telis and right-hander Brian Ellington from New Orleans.