Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 10, 2014 ) Boston 1, NY Yankees 4

Jacoby Ellsbury got the better of his former team the first time around and continues to settle in nicely as the New York Yankees’ No. 3 hitter. Ellsbury and company will try to take a 2-0 lead in the four-game set when they host the Boston Red Sox again on Friday. The star center fielder drove in a run and scored in the series opener and is batting .351 in the early going after being recast as a middle-of-the-order threat recently by the Yankees.

Boston took 13 of 19 from rival New York en route to the 2013 World Series title but could not get much done against Michael Pineda in a 4-1 loss in the 2014 opener. The Red Sox did get something positive out of the loss as Daniel Nava busted out of a slump with a home run and rookie Xander Bogaerts delivered two more hits. Boston’s replacement for Ellsbury in center field was Grady Sizemore coming out of spring training, but rookie Jackie Bradley Jr.‘s superior fielding and strong batting eye has given him more time in center, with Sizemore shifting to left Thursday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Jon Lester (0-2, 2.51 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (1-1, 7.50)

Lester has been sharp in each of his first two starts but got a total of one run of support against the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers. The 30-year-old recorded 14 strikeouts against two walks in 14 1/3 total innings. Lester went 2-1 with a 3.29 ERA in four starts against New York last season, but Derek Jeter is 21-for-63 (.333) with eight RBIs against Boston’s ace in his career.

Sabathia was knocked around for six runs in as many innings at Houston on opening day and had a strong outing in Toronto end on a sour note Sunday, when he surrendered three of his four runs in the sixth inning. The burly veteran has issued only one walk in his first two starts but surrendered three home runs and 15 hits in 12 innings. Sabathia posted a 2-2 record with a 7.22 ERA in five starts against the Red Sox in 2013.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Red Sox reportedly plans to give Ellsbury and LHP Matt Thornton their World Series rings Friday.

2. Jeter extended his hitting streak to five games with a pair of hits Thursday.

3. New York is searching for a closer with David Robertson (groin) on the DL and let RHP David Phelps go the final 2 1/3 innings in the opener with RHP Shawn Kelley getting a rest.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Yankees 2