Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 12, 2014 ) Boston 4, NY Yankees 7

The New York Yankees had all sorts of trouble hitting home runs in their first two series but are making up for it against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees will try to keep the home run swings coming and clinch the four-game set when they host the Red Sox on Sunday night. Brian McCann hit his first two home runs for New York as part of a five-homer onslaught in Saturday’s 7-4 victory.

The Yankees managed a total of two home runs through the first eight games but have seven in the first three games of the series against Boston and really hit a groove Saturday, when McCann, Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano and Kelly Johnson each left the yard. Johnson and Soriano lead the Yankees with three home runs apiece while former Boston star Jacoby Ellsbury is settling in nicely with a .372 batting average. The Red Sox keep trying to find a leadoff hitter and gave Dustin Pedroia a shot in that spot Saturday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Felix Doubront (1-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Ivan Nova (1-1, 8.68)

Doubront battled through 5 1/3 innings to earn a win in his opening start but was pounded for five runs in just 2 2/3 innings at home against Texas on Tuesday. The Venezuela native tends to struggle with the big inning and gave up all five of his runs against the Rangers in the third. Doubront went 2-1 in four starts against New York last season but posted a 6.30 ERA.

Nova is following a similar path this season with a solid performance in his first start and a terrible turn last time out. The 27-year-old was knocked around for seven runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings by the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday while leaving too many fastballs up in the zone. Nova made two starts against Boston in 2013 and allowed a total of eight runs - seven earned - on 11 hits in eight innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox DH David Ortiz and 1B Mike Napoli have each homered off Nova in the past.

2. Ellsbury is 4-for-10 with a pair of stolen bases against his former team.

3. Boston RHP Koji Uehara (shoulder) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 8, Yankees 6