NEW YORK YANKEES

at BOSTON RED SOX

First pitch: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

Nathan Eovaldi and the Yankees square off against David Price and the Red Sox in the series finale on Sunday night.

The finale of the first series of the season between the Yankees and Red Sox will come, fittingly, on Sunday Night Baseball in front of a nationally-televised audience. The pitching matchup between these storied franchises and hated rivals is a fascinating one. On the mound for the Bronx Bombers will be RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.38 ERA, 28 SO, 5 BB in 24 2/3 IP), an incredibly hard-throwing but inconsistent right-hander. Eovaldi was brilliant in his last start against the Rangers, taking a no-hitter into the seventh and earning his first win of the season. He didn’t allow a run in seven innings of work and gave up just two hits. On the mound for the Red Sox will be LHP David Price (3-0, 5.76 ERA, 46 SO, 8 BB, 3 HR in 29 2/3 IP), whose 3-0 record doesn’t tell the whole story. The former American League Cy Young Award winner hasn’t been very ace-like for manager John Farrell. He is coming off his best start of the season, however. This past Tuesday, against a dreadful Braves lineup, Price surrendered two earned runs on six hits in eight innings pitched to earn the victory. What was most encouraging was his explosiveness and command, as he struck out 14 and walked just two in a dominant effort.

The Yankees have seen a ton of David Price—he pitched in the AL East as a member of the Rays from 2008-14, and then with the Blue Jays last year—but New York’s roster has turned over a lot over the past few years. CF Jacoby Ellsbury has had incredible numbers against Price, going 21-for-63 with a home run, four doubles, two triples, four RBIs and three walks. 1B Mark Teixeira and DH Alex Rodriguez also have large sample sizes against the 30-year-old, but they haven’t fared as well. Teixeira is 13-for-64 lifetime against Price with three homers, three doubles and eight RBIs, and A-Rod is 14-for-59 against the five-time All-Star with a home run, four doubles, a triple and four RBIs. Price has fanned Rodriguez an incredible 24 times. 3B Chase Headley had about as bad an April as a player can have, but this might be an opportunity for him to break out. He’s had his way with Price in the past, going 8-for-19 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs. RF Carlos Beltran is 6-for-24 with a triple and two RBIs against Price and C Brian McCann is 10-for-29 with three home runs and seven RBIs against him.

Can Eovaldi build off of his remarkable start in Arlington and get his season on track? Not if the Red Sox have something to say about it. Boston has been hitting very well of late, and Eovaldi will have his hands full with 2B Dustin Pedroia, 3B Travis Shaw, DH David Ortiz, 1B Hanley Ramirez and SS Xander Bogaerts. Ramirez will be looking forward to this game, as he’s 5-for-13 lifetime against Eovaldi with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Pedroia is 2-for-6 against him with a dinger and Ortiz is 3-for-6. It’s unfortunate for Boston that 3B Pablo Sandoval is on the disabled list, because if he were healthy he’d almost certainly be in the lineup on Sunday night. In 20 career at-bats against the 26-year-old, The Panda has 13 hits—including a homer and three doubles—and 11 RBIs.