New York @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 28, 2018 ) NY Yankees 11, Boston 6

The New York Yankees ultimately fell short of their goal of winning the American League East this season, but they accomplished about as much as they could reasonably hope for in one night Friday. With home-field advantage in AL Wild Card Game in hand, the Yankees hope to continue their recent offensive resurgence Saturday when they continue a three-game set in Boston against the Red Sox.

New York (99-61) removed whatever mystery existed in regards to its first postseason destination, solidifying home field against Oakland after beating Boston 11-6 in the series opener. The Yankees belted four homers Friday against the Red Sox to increase their season total to 264 - tying the all-time mark set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners - and the offense has caught fire at the right time - averaging 9.8 runs over the last four contests. Boston (107-53) has little left to play for this weekend outside of antagonizing its archrival, as the Red Sox clinched the major's best record and set a single-season club mark for victories earlier in the week. Nevertheless, the Red Sox can't be overly pleased with their pitching over the last two days, giving up 10 runs in a loss to Baltimore on Wednesday before Friday's result.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Lance Lynn (9-10, 4.80 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 3.88)

Lynn, who will likely work out of the bullpen in the postseason, enters his final start of the regular season with a 1-0 record a 2.25 ERA over his last three outings. The Ole Miss product yielded one earned run over five innings but did not factor into the decision for the second straight time following last Saturday's effort against Baltimore. Jackie Bradley Jr. (3-for-5, two homers) has enjoyed the most success of any Boston hitter versus Lynn, who is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two 2018 starts against Boston.

Eovaldi ended an eight-appearance, seven-start winless streak with a dominant effort Monday against Baltimore, permitting one run on four hits while matching a career high with 10 strikeouts over five innings. The 28-year-old Houston native is 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA since arriving from Tampa Bay in late July and 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four games (three starts) this month. Eovaldi has blanked the Yankees over two outings spanning 14 innings since joining the Red Sox, allowing a total of five hits and three walks.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Yankees have hit at least four homers in a game 16 times this season, five more than any other team.

2. Boston's Alex Cora needs two more victories to tie former Yankees manager Ralph Houk (1961) for the most wins ever by a first-year manager.

3. New York OF Andrew McCutchen played in his 1,500th career game Friday - one of only 14 active outfielders to reach that milestone.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 8, Yankees 3