Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 5, 2018 ) NY Yankees 4, Boston 5

The New York Yankees are no longer concerned with chasing down the Boston Red Sox in the American League East, they're just trying to find a rhythm again. The Yankees will try to avoid letting the Red Sox clinch the division in their stadium for at least one more day when they host the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

New York is 11 1/2 games behind Boston in the East and sits just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Oakland Athletics for the top wild card spot along with home-field advantage in the wild card game after dropping four of its last five contests. "We've got to play better, clearly," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after watching his team squander a late lead in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. "We're not playing our best right now. But the history of this game is littered with stories of teams that went into the playoffs in different scenarios - limping, playing great. The bottom line is, you've got to be playing right when it counts." The Red Sox, who enter the series with a magic number of two, can clinch the division with one win over the next three games and are just concerned with going into the postseason healthy after watching MVP candidate Mookie Betts leave Sunday's win over the New York Mets with a left side injury, though he is expected to play in this series. Boston will send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound looking for the clincher while New York counters with lefty J.A. Happ.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, Facebook Watch, NESN (Boston), WPIX (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.22 ERA) vs. Yankees LH J.A. Happ (16-6, 3.75)

Eovaldi is unlikely to be part of the postseason rotation and failed to go more than four innings in any of his last four appearances. The 28-year-old Texan is winless in his last seven outings and is struggling with his control of late while issuing a total of six walks over seven innings across his last two appearances. Eovaldi's best start since joining Boston prior to the trade deadline came against the Yankees on Aug. 4, when he scattered three hits across eight scoreless innings and earned the win.

Happ has yet to suffer a loss since joining the team and owns a 6-0 record with a 2.70 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees, including a gem at Minnesota in his last outing on Sept. 10. The Northwestern product scattered six hits across six scoreless innings against the Twins - the sixth time he surrendered two or fewer earned runs as a member of New York. Happ matched a season high with 10 strikeouts in seven innings against the Red Sox as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays on Apr. 24.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees top prospect LHP Justus Sheffield is expected to join the team Tuesday and be available out of the bullpen.

2. Red Sox UTIL Brock Holt recorded seven RBIs among his last 10 at-bats.

3. Boston INF Eduardo Nunez (knee) sat out the weekend but could return to the lineup on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Yankees 7, Red Sox 3