Yankees vs. Red Sox: Can Boston Avoid the Sweep on Sunday Night?

The Boston Red Sox are on the brink of being swept by their rivals, the New York Yankees, after dropping the first two games of their weekend series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, currently holding a narrow lead over the Texas Rangers for the final American League wild-card spot, desperately need a win to avoid a further slide in the standings.

Yankees Dominate Early Series

In Saturday's game, the Red Sox tried to counter the Yankees' pitching by loading their lineup with right-handed and switch hitters against lefty Max Fried, but the strategy failed. Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello had a rough outing, allowing four runs on five hits in five innings. The Yankees ultimately secured a 5-3 victory, highlighted by Aaron Judge getting on base four times, Cody Bellinger contributing two RBIs, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting a solo home run.

Sunday Night Showdown: A Chance for Redemption

Boston has one final opportunity to salvage the series on Sunday night in their last regular-season matchup against New York. Manager Alex Cora is urging his team to focus on the immediate task at hand, emphasizing the importance of the remaining 12 games rather than dwelling on postseason aspirations. "I think we should stop talking about October to be honest with you," Cora said. "There’s a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better."

Pitching Matchup: Crochet vs. Warren

Garrett Crochet will take the mound for the Red Sox, who are currently on a three-game losing streak. The Yankees will counter with right-hander Will Warren, who has a 1-1 record with an 8.68 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox this season. The last time these two teams met with Warren pitching, the Red Sox scored five runs on seven hits in four innings.

Key Players and Lineups

Here are the projected lineups for Sunday night's game:

Yankees (83-65)

• Slater RF
• Judge DH
• Bellinger CF
• Stanton LF
• Rosario 3B
• Goldschmidt 1B
• Chisholm Jr. 2B
• Caballero SS
• Rice C

Pitching: RHP Will Warren (8-6, 4.22 ERA)

Red Sox (81-68)

• Duran LF
• Bregman 3B
• Story SS
• Lowe 1B
• Gonzalez 2B
• Yoshida DH
• Refsnyder RF
• Narváez C
• Rafaela CF

Pitching: LHP Garrett Crochet

Will the Red Sox be able to pull out a win and avoid the sweep, or will the Yankees continue their dominance at Fenway Park? Tune in to Sunday Night Baseball to find out!