Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Picks and Prediction for Friday August 28 2026

The Boston Red Sox travel to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, to face the New York Yankees on Friday, August 28, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET, with coverage on Apple TV. Boston enters the rivalry matchup at 73-60 overall and 39-28 on the road, while New York is 75-57 overall and 34-29 at home. The Yankees sit 3.5 games behind first place in the AL East, while the Red Sox are six games back. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before placing any wagers, check out our free MLB picks for more baseball predictions and analysis.

Starting Pitchers

Boston is expected to start Patrick Sandoval, who enters at 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over 39.2 innings. He has allowed 52 hits while striking out 41 and walking 18. New York counters with Cam Schlittler, who has put together an outstanding season at 11-6 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 158 innings. He has surrendered only 115 hits, struck out 193 and walked 37 while allowing 14 home runs. The numbers give the Yankees a substantial starting-pitching advantage.

Red Sox Bring Strong Road Record Into the Bronx

Boston comes into this series at 73-60 after having its four-game winning streak snapped with a 4-0 loss at Miami on Wednesday. The Red Sox had previously defeated Miami twice and San Francisco twice, giving them a 4-1 record across their last five games. Boston's 39-28 road record is particularly noteworthy entering a difficult rivalry series at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox are batting .250 with 600 runs, 1,115 hits and 136 home runs. They have produced a .324 on-base percentage and .405 slugging percentage. Boston's pitching has been one of its biggest strengths, carrying a 3.47 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while limiting opposing hitters to a .239 batting average.

Boston has also enjoyed success against New York this season. The Red Sox lead the season series 5-4, including victories in four consecutive meetings entering Friday. That makes Boston dangerous despite the disadvantage in the projected starting matchup. The Red Sox have already demonstrated they can win at Yankee Stadium, but they'll need to overcome one of New York's most effective starters to continue that success.

Yankees Have Major Advantage on the Mound

New York enters Friday at 75-57 after beating Houston 9-3 on Wednesday. The Yankees are 3-2 across their last five games, scoring at least eight runs in each of their last three victories. They remain firmly in the AL East race and enter this series holding a two-and-a-half-game advantage over Boston in the standings.

The Yankees are hitting just .231, but their offensive profile is built considerably more around power. New York has hit 183 home runs with a .311 on-base percentage and .409 slugging percentage while scoring 595 runs. The pitching staff has been excellent, producing a 3.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and .225 opponent batting average.

The strongest argument for New York on Friday is its projected starter. The Yankees have the better full-season pitching numbers, and their starter's 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP stand in sharp contrast to Boston's projected starter carrying a 4.54 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. Boston has been the better offensive team in several categories, but New York should have a significant advantage in preventing baserunners during the early and middle innings.

Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Picks and Prediction

Pick: New York Yankees Moneyline

The Yankees are the side pick despite Boston's 5-4 season-series advantage. New York's biggest edge is simply too substantial to ignore: the starting-pitching matchup. The Yankees' projected starter has allowed only 115 hits in 158 innings while striking out 193, whereas Boston's starter has surrendered 52 hits in only 39.2 innings and carries a 1.76 WHIP. New York also owns the superior team ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average. Boston's road success makes this more competitive than the records alone suggest, but take the New York Yankees moneyline.

Pick: Under 8.5

The total hasn't been released at the time of writing, but take the Under if the total is set at 8.5. Boston owns a 3.47 team ERA, while New York is even better at 3.23, and the Yankees' projected starter enters with elite run-prevention numbers. Four of the last five completed meetings between these teams have finished with seven runs or fewer, including scores of 6-1, 6-1, 4-1 and 5-4. Boston's starter creates some risk, but the combination of New York's starting advantage and the strong overall pitching numbers on both sides makes Under 8.5 the preferred total.

This preview was completed before game play on Thursday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.