Boston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2015 ) NY Yankees 13, Boston 8

The New York Yankees are on the verge of being eliminated from contention in the American League East race and the rival Boston Red Sox are waiting to push them over the edge. The Red Sox will try to post their fourth straight shutout win when they visit the Yankees in the opener of a four-game series on Monday.

New York sits four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East with seven games left in the regular season, but remains a comfortable five games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels, who sit third in the AL wild-card standings. The Yankees put together two solid pitching performances of their own to earn a series win over Chicago this weekend, outscoring the White Sox 8-2 on Saturday and Sunday to inch closer to clinching the top wild-card. Boston clawed its way out of last place in the East by outscoring Baltimore 17-0 in a three-game sweep. The Red Sox will try to keep the line moving behind rookie left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez while New York sends Ivan Nova to the hill.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (9-6, 3.97 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Ivan Nova (6-9, 4.87)

Rodriguez allowed three runs on six hits and a pair of walks in six innings against Tampa Bay last Monday without factoring in the decision. That snapped a string of three straight outings of surrendering exactly one earned run, but marked the 16th time in 20 outings that the opposition failed to reach the 22-year-old Venezuelan for more than three earned runs. Rodriguez has limited New York to two or fewer runs in each of his three starts against the division rivals.

Nova is 1-5 in his last six starts, but held the mighty Blue Jays to one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-0 loss on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Dominican has completed seven innings only once in his 15 starts this season. Nova was reached for three runs in six innings at Boston on Aug. 31 to suffer a loss to fall to 3-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 11 career games – 10 starts – against the Red Sox.

WALK-OFFS

1. New York’s magic number to clinch a postseason spot is three.

2. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts added two more hits on Sunday and needs 10 over the final seven games to reach 200.

3. New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury has recorded multiple hits in five of his last eight games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4