New York @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 13, 2014 ) Boston 2, NY Yankees 3

The Boston Red Sox already got a chance to play against Jacoby Ellsbury when they visited the New York Yankees earlier this month. The home fans will get their first chance to welcome back the two-time World Series champion when the Yankees make their first visit of the season to Boston on Tuesday. Ellsbury is off to a strong start for first-place New York and had five hits against the Red Sox when the Yankees took three of four at home from April 10-13.

Boston went through an emotional weekend at home with several tributes to the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings and ended up splitting a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox overcame a five-run deficit to take Sunday’s game and nearly overcame a six-run hole before leaving the tying run on third base at the end of Monday’s 7-6 setback. The Yankees dropped two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, allowing 27 runs in the first two games before recovering for a 5-1 victory in 12 innings in Sunday’s finale.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (2-0, 2.05 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Jon Lester (2-2, 2.17)

Tanaka will get his first taste of the historic rivalry after his turn did not come up during the first meeting between the teams. The Japan native has been everything New York expected when they brought him in during the offseason and is coming off his best start after holding the Chicago Cubs to two hits over eight scoreless innings last week. Tanaka has notched 28 strikeouts while issuing only two walks in 22 total innings.

Lester retired the first 16 batters he faced and outdueled Chris Sale to earn a win at the Chicago White Sox last week, striking out nine over eight frames. The 30-year-old beat the Yankees in his previous turn, surrendering two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings, and has yielded two or fewer earned runs in each of his four starts. Lester gave up a single to Ellsbury and walked him once in the first meeting.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia is 6-for-11 with four doubles in the last three games.

2. New York 1B Mark Teixeira (hamstring) returned from the 15-day disabled list Sunday and went 2-for-6 with a pair of singles.

3. Boston RHP Burke Badenhop is likely unavailable after pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief Monday.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2