Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 8/4

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox start a three game set this week at Yankee Stadium with the Yankees in the driver’s seat of the American League East Division race. Boston sits at the bottom of the division with a double-digit deficit but that doesn’t make the team any less dangerous. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka, their ace, to the mound tonight to face off with the Red Sox starter Henry Owens. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Tanaka comes into this start looking for more consistency and command than his last start where he gave up four runs and nine hits to the Texas Rangers in a loss. Tanaka will also look to improve on his career marks against the Red Sox which currently sit at 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA in four career starts against Boston.

• Owens will be making his Major League debut tonight in the Bronx after garnering the position of the Red Sox #5 starter in a deep farm system. The left-handed pitcher will look to showcase a low-90’s fastball, changeup and curveball tonight against a red hot Yankees offense. Owens had a 3.16 ERA in Triple-A this season before the call up.

Yankee Stadium will play host to six very important games this week including the contest tonight as the Yankees play host to the Red Sox for three games and will then play host to the Toronto Blue Jays for three more very big games. The Yankees can throw the last bit of dirt on the Red Sox season with a sweep this week and can truly make things hard on Boston with a series win and if that were to happen nothing could make me any happier. Go Yankees!