The set-up: It's a big American League East series going in Boston Thursday night and for a number of different reasons, I think this one favors the visiting side. The Yanks hand the ball to CC Sabathia, while the Red Sox go with Brian Johnson.

The pitchers: Sabathia is so far 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA. He most recently gave up two runs with eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings in a no-decision to Kansas City on Saturday. Sabathia had been off for two weeks, so he had to work though a little rust. The veteran though looked sharp overall and he'll now look to improve upon his respectable 5-3, 3.66 ERA night record.

Johnson is so far 1-3 with a 3.45 ERA. He most recently struck out five over 5.2 scoreless in a no-decision to Minnesota on Thursday. Johnson remains in the rotation with the injury to ace Chris Sale, but note that he's still 0-1 with a 4.79 ERA at home this year.

The pick: Slugger Aaron Judge is out for the Yankees, but New York features a ton of depth at the plate, so expect zero regression in that department. Note as well that the Yanks are 24-6 (+14.6 units) this season against southpaws. I like Sabathia to get the better of Johnson and for the "Evil Empire" to strike first.