Red Sox vs. Yankees lineups: Here we go again

It's Red Sox - Yankees time in Fenway Park! Which guarantees at least one thing: we're in for a long one.

On the one hand, we're in for a long one because oh man, do these teams ever play anything else? On the other, this night in particular might seem long for Red Sox fans thanks to the pitching matchup.

Henry Owens, thankfully, is not without hope compared to, say, a Joe Kelly, and probably by this point a 2016 Clay Buchholz. Yes, he's had control problems throughout his career that have been worse than ever in 2016. But if he can reign those in even just to career levels, he could be a legitimate major league pitcher.

But he's up against Masahiro Tanaka tonight, and that's one very hard ask. Tanaka has been excellent this year, and as we know with the Yankees, there's perhaps no bullpen less likely to give up a lead turned over to it by the starting pitcher. Maybe the difference in the quality of the lineups wins out--by wRC+ the Red Sox have a top-two lienup in the AL while the Yankees fall in the bottom five--but if there's a game the Red Sox really aren't likely to win this series, this one's it.

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