Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2014 ) Boston 1, NY Yankees 5

The Boston Red Sox have nothing left to play for as far as the standings are concerned, but knocking the rival New York Yankees back a peg or two could at least keep the fans happy. The Red Sox will attempt to put a dent in the Yankees’ postseason hopes when they visit New York for the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday. The Yankees trail the Detroit Tigers by four games for the second wild card in the American League.

Boston lost its chances for a three-game sweep when it could not figure out Hiroki Kuroda in a 5-1 setback on Wednesday. New York snapped a three-game slide with that victory and got an encouraging performance from Brian McCann, who went 4-for-4 with a home run after homering in Tuesday’s 9-4 series-opening setback. The Red Sox continue to deal with the ups and downs of youth on the roster, and Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts displayed that inconsistency by combining for a 0-for-7 effort with four strikeouts on Wednesday after going 7-for-10 with a pair of home runs on Tuesday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Brandon Workman (1-8, 4.93 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Chris Capuano (2-3, 4.24)

Workman suffered the loss in each of his last eight appearances at the major-league level but is expected to remain in the rotation for the rest of the season with the team in evaluation mode. The Texas native’s last start came Aug. 23 at home against the Mariners, who ripped him for seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. Workman went seven innings at New York on June 27, yielding four runs on seven hits in a loss.

Capuano earned his first win with the Yankees last time out, scattering three runs - two earned - and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings at Toronto while striking out four. The Massachusetts native worked out of the Boston bullpen until being let go in late June and has been a fixture in New York’s rotation since breaking back into the big leagues on July 26. Capuano started against the Red Sox on Aug. 1 and absorbed the loss, allowing four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia (concussion) has missed the last four games but could return when the team begins a homestand on Friday.

2. Yankees OF Martin Prado (hamstring) sat out Wednesday and is day-to-day.

3. New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 7, Yankees 6