The New York Yankees will try to salvage a game in their four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox on Sunday night, August 24, as they host one of baseball’s most relentless lineups in prime time at Yankee Stadium and hand the ball to Carlos Rodón, who will be tasked with reversing a trend of poor performances both personally and team-wide in this lopsided season series. The Yankees enter the contest 1-6 against Boston this season and fresh off a demoralizing 12-1 loss on Saturday that underscored their recent inconsistencies despite having one of the more star-studded lineups in baseball, with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham all trying to spark a comeback in the face of a potent Red Sox attack that has taken control of this rivalry in 2025. Rodón, who owns a walk rate over 13% since the All-Star break and has struggled to pitch deep into games, will need to correct his command issues and find a rhythm early to prevent Boston from jumping ahead like they have in previous matchups; he’s allowed eight earned runs in just ten innings across two earlier starts against the Sox, which makes his margin for error razor thin in this pivotal outing. Despite having a 57-72 ATS record on the season, New York has covered in four of their last five, showing that they can still offer betting value when the offense clicks, but their lack of consistency in both run prevention and timely hitting has left them vulnerable to teams like Boston that capitalize on mistakes.

Their bullpen has also shown signs of wear, as frequent short outings by starters have taxed the middle relief corps and left the late innings vulnerable, a weakness Boston has attacked multiple times this year with key late-inning rallies that have flipped games and put pressure on the Yankees’ offense to play catch-up. Still, the Yankees are 34-29 at home and remain a dangerous threat with Judge and Bellinger both capable of changing the game with one swing, though both have been relatively quiet in this series and need to produce early to shift the momentum back in New York’s favor. The betting line has the Yankees around -163 favorites with the run line at -1.5, but public confidence remains cautious given the Red Sox’s six wins in seven tries and their ability to hit left-handers, which puts additional focus on whether Rodón can finally deliver a quality start. Offensively, New York has hit the Over in 23 of their last 39 games and continues to lean on power and patience, but they’ll need more than just long balls to crack Boston’s improving bullpen and overcome a Red Sox team that’s sharper on defense and more disciplined at the plate. Manager Aaron Boone may look to shake up the lineup or lean into small ball if needed, though that’s not the Yankees’ typical approach, and the real X-factor could be whether Rodón can keep his pitch count manageable through the first five innings. If not, the bullpen will be in for another long night, and Yankee fans may once again be left frustrated as the Red Sox try to complete a humiliating sweep in the Bronx and extend their stranglehold on one of MLB’s most historic rivalries.