New York @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2016 ) NY Yankees 5, Boston 6

The Boston Red Sox have spent the last three games hanging onto their advantage in the American League East while dashing the postseason hopes of the rival New York Yankees. The Red Sox will try to put another nail in the Yankees' coffin and wrap up a four-game sweep when they host the series finale on Sunday night.

Boston began the series with a dramatic win on Thursday, coming back from three runs down in the ninth inning and earning a 7-5 win on Hanley Ramirez's walk-off homer, and added another come-from-behind triumph in Saturday's 6-5 triumph as Xander Bogaerts broke out of a deep slump. The All-Star shortstop batted .214 between Aug. 1 and Friday but exploded in Saturday's win with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored and three RBIs to push the Red Sox three games in front of the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. New York entered the series with dreams of competing for not just an AL wild card but the division as well, and have now fallen well off the pace. Saturday's loss left the Yankees four games behind the Orioles and Blue Jays for a wild card spot and seven south of Boston in the division with 14 games to play.

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (8-12, 4.10 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (10-12, 3.25)

Sabathia bounced back from a sub-par outing against Tampa Bay on Sept. 8 by dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers in interleague play on Tuesday, scattering three hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out seven. The burly veteran managed only four innings against the Rays and served up three solo homers in the previous turn. Sabathia last saw Boston on July 16 and was reached for five runs - four earned - on nine hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings to suffer a loss.

Pomeranz is winless in his last four starts and was lit up for five runs on four hits and a pair of walks over two innings in a loss to Baltimore on Tuesday. The 27-year-old gave up a pair of home runs in the second inning and was lifted after 63 pitches. Pomeranz got his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry on Aug. 10, when he held New York to one run over 5 1/3 innings but did not factor in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees 2B Starlin Castro (hamstring) and CF Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) both left Saturday's game and were sent back to New York for MRIs.

2. Ramirez is 6-for-12 with two home runs and five RBIs in the series.

3. The Boston bullpen owns a 1.06 ERA in September.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 8, Yankees 7