Yankees 3 - 5 Red Sox
Final
  for this game

Yankees-Red Sox Preview

Jul 11, 2015 - 4:41 AM The New York Yankees continue to feel right at home in Fenway Park.

They'll look to continue that success against the rival Boston Red Sox on Saturday night.

Alex Rodriguez homered and drove in two runs Friday as New York (47-39) won its fifth straight over Boston, 5-1. The Yankees have won all four 2015 meetings at Fenway, where they've taken the last five in a row and eight of nine.

Rodriguez is batting .360 with two of his 17 home runs and eight RBIs in the seven games against the Red Sox (41-46) this season.

Despite batting .230 this month, the Yankees have scored at least five runs in each contest of their three-game winning streak and are 6-2 since totaling three runs while dropping their final three in June.

Boston, meanwhile, averaged 6.8 runs in the previous six games before managing only Mookie Betts' fifth-inning homer as its season-high four-game winning streak ended. More of a concern, is the health of ace Clay Buchholz after he left with elbow tightness with one out in the third.

"There's some tightness in the elbow area," manager John Farrell said. "Until we get any further information, that's all we have right now."

As the Red Sox continue to evaluate Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 3.69 ERA) faces the Yankees for the first time.

The rookie has allowed a run in each of his last two starts over 11 innings to go 1-0 since giving up six in 3 2-3 innings of an 8-6 loss to Baltimore on June 25. He struck out a season-high eight in five innings while not factoring in the decision of a 5-4 win over Houston on Sunday.

Though the left-hander is the first Red Sox pitcher since 1920 to yield one or no runs in six of his first eight career starts, he's 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA at home against the only AL East teams he's faced in Toronto and the Orioles.

New York counters with Ivan Nova (1-2, 2.65), who hopes to receive more run support than he did while losing his last two starts.

After rolling to a 10-2 victory over Philadelphia in Nova's return from Tommy John surgery June 24, the Yankees have scored a run each in his last two. Nova has regressed with each start and allowed four runs, six hits and walked three in five innings of an 8-1 defeat to Tampa Bay on Sunday.

"Obviously, not a good game,'' the right-hander said. ''The stuff was not there (like) the last two times and there's not much to say. Just keep working and hopefully get a good one next time.''

Nova is 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA in eight starts against the Red Sox.

Mike Napoli recorded his third hit in 30 at-bats over his last 10 games Friday, but both of his hits in the last six at-bats against Nova left the park.

David Ortiz, who went hitless in four at-bats in the opener, is 2 for 16 in his last five games.

New York will call up infield prospect Rob Refsnyder to play second base this weekend. He's hitting .290 with seven homers and 37 RBIs for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.






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