Bosox Board

NEW YORK:

LUIS SEVERINO, RHP, 9-4, 2.91 ERA, 162K

Severino has emerged as the Yankee ace as he seeks his fifth straight victory.
In his last four starts, he has allowed just two earned runs in 25 2/3 innings for a
0.70 ERA, striking out 32 against seven walks.

With both the Yankees and the Red Sox in the throes of a tight division race, Saturday's game carries more weight than a typical bout between the two rivals.

Both teams have something to prove after a decisive five-run eighth inning, and one big throw in the ninth, Friday night gave the Yankees a 5-4 win, which put them 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the American League East. Saturday's contest begins at 4:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox nearly came back in the ninth inning when they loaded the bases on three consecutive walks with nobody out before Aaron Hicks threw out Eduardo Nunez at third base on a sac fly to complete the double play. It was a play, and a game, that Yankees manager Joe Girardi said could be a turning point to their season. Saturday's matchup will be their chance to prove the significance of Friday's win.

"I think it can really propel you and get you going again," said Girardi, whose club has won seven of 10 games vs. its rivals. "We've done it a number of times. We've had some big wins and they've got us going on a nice streak. You hope it carries over to tomorrow."

But just as a win like Friday night's can surge a team to a hot streak, a sudden lead-changing loss against a rival can also cause some teams to go cold at times, making Saturday's game just as important for the Red Sox, whose eight-game winning streak was snapped Friday, as it is for the Yankees.

Even so, Red Sox manager John Farrell isn't worried that there will be any lasting impacts on his team after coming up short on Friday.

"The way we've bounced back, the way we've come through some challenges as a group, we have responded well to them," Farrell said. "We've had our difficulties against New York this year. We recognize that. But we're looking forward to Drew Pomeranz setting the tone tomorrow at the beginning."

Pomeranz (11-4, 3.36 ERA) will start for the Red Sox. Since the All-Star break, the left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA in five starts.

Right-hander Luis Severino (9-4, 2.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Yankees after perhaps the best five-game stretch of his young career. In his five outings since the All-Star break, Severino is 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA, and he's won each of his last four starts.

Severino's lone no-decision since the All-Star break came against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 15, when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball. The Yankees ended up winning the game, 4-1, in 16 innings.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Pomeranz is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in seven games (six starts) lifetime against the Yankees. He's faced the Bombers twice this season, going 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA.

• Severino is 1-3 with a 3.45 ERA in six career games (five starts) vs. the Red Sox. This season, he's 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two starts.

• Eduardo Nunez, who was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees in 2004, is batting .407 with four homers and 12 RBIs in his first 12 games with the Red Sox.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170812247799530/yanks-aim-to-gain-more-ground-behind-severino/?game_pk=491835