The Yankees want to continue scoring decisive hits against the Red Sox

The New York Yankees have not been able to rely on a superior offense lately, but are doing just enough to pick up wins and extend their lead in the American League East.

After game-winning hits from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Juan Soto, the Yankees will seek their third straight win when they host the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

The Yankees (85-62) are 5-2 in their last seven games after losing six of their last nine to the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. Four of those wins were by three runs or fewer, and the Yankees have scored more than four runs just once in those games.

Chisholm hit the game-winning single in the 11th inning of Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, and Soto singled in the 10th inning to give the Yankees a 2-1 win over the Red Sox on Thursday. The Yankees are two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, their largest lead since regaining the division lead on Aug. 21.

“The guys are playing really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We haven't had much offensive power the last couple of nights, but it's enough. I thought we had some good hitting opportunities tonight.”

The Yankees won their last two games despite hitting just 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and leaving 17 runners on the field. Before Soto's decisive point, New York had the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings.

New York is getting these wins despite Aaron Judge being stuck at 51 home runs. Since hitting two home runs against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 25, Judge hasn't hit a home run in 16 straight games, which is a career high, and has a batting average of .207 (12-for-58).

Boston (74-73) has lost three consecutive games to New York and is 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the battle for the third and final AL wild card.

Danny Jansen hit a home run to tie the game in the fifth inning, but the Red Sox managed just four hits and struck out 14 times. The Red Sox have struck out 50 times in their last four games and at least 10 times in 14 games since Aug. 18.

Rafael Devers was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Thursday and has not hit a home run in 14 games. Since his last home run on Aug. 25, Devers is 9-for-54 (.167)

“I'm not having my best moments right now, but that's part of baseball,” Devers said through an interpreter. “Sometimes you have to go through that phase, and that's what's happening to me right now. I'm not perfect, and that's baseball.”

New York's Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.34 ERA) will make his second start since returning from a long injury layoff. Schmidt missed 86 games with a strained right latissimus dorsi and pitched 4 2/3 innings of four hits in Saturday's 2-0 win over the host Chicago Cubs, marking his third scoreless start of the season.

Schmidt is 0-1 with a 4.23 ERA in eight career appearances (four starts) against the Red Sox. He last faced them on Sept. 14 of last season, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision game in Boston.

Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.24), who was withdrawn from his last scheduled start on Sunday due to a shoulder injury, will pitch for the first time since the 8-3 loss to the host New York Mets on Sept. 4, in which he allowed four runs on five hits.

Houck is 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break after allowing two hits in six innings in his last start before the break against the Oakland Athletics on July 11.

Houck is 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 career appearances (nine starts) against the Yankees.

–Field level media