Red Sox vs. Yankees: Jon Lester vs. Masahiro Tanaka

The pitchers take top billing Tuesday night as the Red Sox send Jon Lester to the mound to take on Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees.

So how good is this pitching matchup? Between the two of them, Lester and Tanaka have pitched 51 innings, allowing just 12 earned runs, racking up 57 strikeouts while allowing just six walks.

Unfortunately, the lineup the Red Sox have provided for this matchup is pretty blah. Playing Jonny Gomes over Daniel Nava against a right-handed pitcher seems reactionary at best. Really this is a lineup that dies out in a hurry, and doesn't even start that strong given that Grady Sizemore is currently rocking a .654 OPS. Even if you don't put much stock in Yangervis Solarte's start, it's hard to look at these two batting orders as being all that even when you've got Brian McCann and A.J. Pierzynski batting opposite eachother.

Still, if Lester is on top of his game, it might just take the one run.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN+, the MLB Network, and WEEI.