Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2016 ) Boston 5, NY Yankees 3

The Boston Red Sox got a boost before they even began play in the second half when news of a trade for All-Star left-hander Drew Pomeranz hit on Thursday. The Red Sox rode that wave to a win on Friday and will try to clinch a series win when they visit the rival New York Yankees for the second of a three-game series on Saturday.

Pomeranz is expected to join the team on Saturday and will make his first start on Wednesday at home against the San Francisco Giants, theoretically easing some of the burden on Boston’s beleaguered pitching staff. All-Star knuckleballer Steven Wright got the nod to open the second half on Friday and was strong through six innings while fellow All-Star Xander Bogaerts bashed a home run in the 5-3 triumph. The Yankees are teetering on the edge between buying and selling with the trade deadline approaching on Aug. 1 and dropped one game below .500 with Friday’s setback. Should the team decide to deal one or both of its veteran relievers – Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller – it might be able to lean on converted starter Nathan Eovaldi, who approached 100 mph with his fastball in a relief stint on Friday.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, NESN (Boston), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 8.59 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (5-6, 3.77)

A strong effort from Rodriguez would immediately alleviate some of the concerns about the Boston staff. The 23-year-old was expected to be a top-of-the-rotation arm behind David Price before a knee injury derailed his spring training, but he struggled when he came off the disabled list and eventually was bounced back to the minors after getting ripped for nine runs on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings at Tampa Bay on June 27. Rodriguez made the necessary adjustments in two starts at Triple-A, allowing a total of two runs and five hits in 10 innings.

Sabathia looked like he was turning back into the dominant pitcher the Yankees signed in 2009 with a 2.20 ERA through the middle of June, but a rough four-start stretch lowered expectations once again. The hefty veteran was ripped for 21 earned runs in 23 innings while going 0-2 in those four turns. Sabathia is seeing Boston for the first time in 2016 but was solid in three starts against the rival Red Sox last season, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.12 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Boston announced the signing of its first-round draft pick, 17-year-old LHP Jason Groome.

2. Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira is 2-for-19 in his last five games, dropping his batting average to .189.

3. New York is once again entertaining the idea of using 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez at first base.

PREDICTION: Yankees 7, Red Sox 6