New York @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 11, 2012 ) NY Yankees 3, Boston 4

The Boston Red Sox have one thing left to play for this season - keeping the rival New York Yankees out of the playoffs. With 17 of their final 20 games against the Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, the last-place Red Sox are determined to be a factor in September. That begins with wins over the Yankees, who dropped back into a tie for first place in the American League East with the Orioles.

Boston had dropped four straight and 11 of 12 going into Tuesday’s series opener against New York but played hard until the end, pushing the winning run across on Jacoby Ellsbury’s walk-off single in the ninth. The Yankees have lost 13 of their last 20 games and again struggled to get the big hit on Monday, scoring only three runs despite putting runners in scoring position in nearly every inning. The team got Alex Rodriguez back from injury but has lost Mark Teixeira for at least the next 10 days. Only Derek Jeter has hit consistently over the last few weeks.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), NESN (Boston), ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH David Phelps (3-4, 3.55 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.17)

Phelps has failed to make it through five innings in either of his last two outings and has not won since Aug. 13. The rookie right-hander was battered around for five runs on six hits in four innings in a no-decision at Baltimore last weekend. Phelps pitched well in a loss to Boston on Aug. 18, yielding three runs on seven hits and striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings.

Cook has lost his last four decisions but put forth a good effort at Seattle last week, when he was charged with two runs in six innings in a game the Red Sox lost 2-1. The veteran sinkerball specialist did not have that pitch working in a start at Yankee Stadium on July 27, when he was pounded for six runs on seven hits - two homers - in four innings to absorb the loss. Cook has yielded only two home runs over his last six outings combined.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 3B Pedro Ciriaco had two more hits on Tuesday and is batting .486 (17-for-35) with 11 runs in nine games against New York.

2. Yankees RF Nick Swisher entered the series in an 0-for-28 slump but recorded a pair of hits on Tuesday. He is 3-for-8 with a home run in his career against Cook.

3. Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia has multiple hits in six of his last 10 games to lift his batting average to .293 - its highest point since May 28.