(SportsNetwork.com) – Joe Kelly has had past success versus the New York
Yankees and the Boston Red Sox hope that trend continues on Sunday night when
they try to salvage the finale of a three-game series between these American
League East rivals.
Kelly is a perfect 3-0 in three starts against the Yankees, logging a 3.43
earned run average, after notching an 8-4 victory in the Bronx on April 11. He
struck out eight and gave up one run on one hit and two walks over seven
innings.
The right-handed Kelly has posted three straight no-decisions since and
yielded five runs over six innings versus Toronto on Monday despite striking
out a career-high 10. Boston, though, managed to win 6-5.
“These guys are a very good hitting baseball team. When you don’t make
pitches, they make you pay for it,” said Kelly.
Kelly has fanned 28 batters over 23 2/3 innings this season while pitching to
a 4.94 ERA.
The Yankees turn to righty Adam Warren tonight in hopes of the sweep and he is
1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in four starts this year.
Warren picked up his first victory of the season on April 22, though he gave
up four runs over 5 2/3 frames at Detroit in that one. He was much better five
days later at home against Tampa Bay, yielding a run on five hits over 5 2/3
innings. Warren struck out six without a walk.
“I’m just trying to give the team a chance to win every time I go out there,
and I feel like I’ve done that,” Warren said.
The 27-year-old, who made 69 relief appearances last season, faced the Red Sox
out of the bullpen 17 times before getting a start against them on April 11.
He lost, but yielded only two runs — one earned — over 5 1/3 innings.
The Yankees picked up a 4-2 victory on Saturday at Fenway Park, with Brett
Gardner pacing the offense with two hits and three RBI. Chris Young homered
among his two hits and Chase Headley doubled and scored in New York’s fifth
victory in six games.
“Now that you’ve won the first two, you want to win that third one. You want
to get the sweep,” said Gardner. “It’s hard to do, especially on the road.
They’ve got a really, really good team. These games matter just as much as the
games at the end of September.”
Nathan Eovaldi worked into the seventh, allowing seven hits and a pair of runs
across 6 2/3 innings. Dellin Betances recorded the final four outs to notch
his first save.
Dustin Pedroia homered, Mookie Betts knocked in the other run and David Ortiz
collected a pair of hits for the Red Sox, who have dropped five of seven to
fall back to .500 and 12-12.
Wade Miley was tagged in the loss for three runs on seven hits over seven full
frames.
With catcher Ryan Hanigan out after fracturing his right hand in Friday’s
loss, top catching prospect Blake Swihart made his MLB debut on Saturday.
Batting ninth, Swihart went 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored and two
strikeouts.
“I saw a calm, cool, composed guy with great potential. He was able to
actually understand everything. He was able to retain a lot of stuff we had
talked about,” Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves said about Swihart.
The Red Sox won two of three at Yankee Stadium when these teams met in the
season’s first month.
