Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2014 ) Boston 4, NY Yankees 2

The Boston Red Sox didn't know what to expect from reclamation project Grady Sizemore, but the outfielder is making their gamble look like a winning move. Boston tries for its second straight victory when it visits the New York Yankees on Saturday after Sizemore's three-run homer gave Boston a 4-2 victory Friday to even the series. Sizemore, who did not play in 2012 and 2013 because of injuries, has two homers among his 10 hits in 30 at-bats with four RBIs while playing solid defense.

Red Sox closer Koji Uehara is out indefinitely after experiencing shoulder stiffness Friday as Edward Mujica picked him up by earning his first save in a Boston uniform with a perfect ninth inning. "Early before the game Koji felt stiffness in his throwing program so we felt it was best to stay away from him. It was precautionary. We felt this would be a good day to stay away from him. It's a day-to-day thing," manager John Farrell told reporters. New York's Hiroki Kuroda snapped a career-long nine-game winless streak and a four-game slide in his last start and will oppose John Lackey, who has roared out of the gates with two victories.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, NESN (Boston), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH John Lackey (2-0, 1.38 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.92)

Lackey didn't allow an earned run in a 5-1 victory over Texas on Monday and yielded only a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz in a 6-2 win at Baltimore on April 2. The 35-year-old Abilene, Texas, native has pitched at least five innings in 25 straight starts against the Yankees, the longest such streak among active players. Lackey is 10-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 27 starts against New York - 1-1 with a 7.64 ERA in three outings at the new Yankee Stadium - while striking out Derek Jeter 18 times in 68 at-bats.

Kuroda has also recorded two quality starts to begin the season after allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings while striking out four in a 4-2 victory over Baltimore on Monday in New York's home opener. The 39-year-old Osaka, Japan, native is 3-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 12 starts against Boston, with David Ortiz (10-for-17, home run) giving him the most trouble. Kuroda lost his last start to the Red Sox 8-4 at Boston on Sept. 13 when he yielded five runs and eight hits in six innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Ortiz has reached base in 24 straight games against the Yankees, hitting .427 with three home runs, 13 doubles, 12 RBIs and 20 walks during that span.

2. The Nos. 7-9 batters in the New York lineup are hitting .307 with 17 runs, three homers, 13 RBIs and 13 walks this season.

3. The Yankees' Alfonso Soriano hit his 408th career homer Friday, moving into sole possession of 50th place on the all-time list, passing Duke Snider.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2