The historic rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is set to resume Thursday night at Fenway Park, but the stakes look very different than in years past. New York enters the four-game series with the best record in the American League at 48-31, while the Red Sox find themselves languishing in last place at 32-46, a staggering 15.5 games behind their division rivals .

Boston's struggles have been particularly pronounced at home, where the team has managed just 12 wins against 25 losses this season . The Red Sox are returning from a disappointing series against the Colorado Rockies, having dropped two of three games, including a painful 8-6 defeat where five of the runs allowed were unearned . This defeat came on the heels of late-inning collapses that prevented a potential sweep .

For the Yankees, the absence of Aaron Judge due to a right rib injury has not derailed their offensive production. New York leads the American League with 400 runs scored and 119 home runs . Ben Rice has emerged as the team's offensive leader, batting .286 with 22 home runs and 53 RBIs . Paul Goldschmidt has been scorching hot recently, going 14-for-41 with five homers over his last 10 games .

The Red Sox offense has been anemic by comparison, ranking last in Major League Baseball with just 307 runs scored. Willson Contreras has been the team's most productive bat, hitting .280 with 16 home runs and a .895 OPS . Ceddanne Rafaela has provided a bright spot, hitting .313 in June and collecting hits in seven of his last eight games .

The pitching matchups for the series feature a compelling mix of Cy Young contenders and promising young arms. Thursday's opener pits Cam Schlittler against Connelly Early in a rematch of last year's American League Wild Card Game 3 . Schlittler, a Massachusetts native who grew up a Red Sox fan, has become Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston after eliminating them from the playoffs . He has dominated the Red Sox, posting a 0.83 ERA with 22 strikeouts in three career starts against them and is currently a frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award with an 8-3 record and 1.71 ERA .

Friday's matchup features Will Warren against Payton Tolle. Warren has struggled historically against Boston with a 9.42 ERA in three career starts, though he has been effective on the road this season . Tolle, who struck out 11 Yankees in his first start against them this season, has lost his last three outings . Saturday's afternoon tilt, which will be broadcast nationally on ABC, presents Gerrit Cole versus Jake Bennett . Cole has struggled since returning from injury, posting a 5.95 ERA in June, while Bennett is coming off the best start of his career, shutting out the Rockies over six innings .

Sunday's finale features Carlos Rodón against Sonny Gray. Gray has been one of the AL's best pitchers this season, leading the league with nine wins and a 2.95 ERA . He defeated the Yankees earlier this month at Yankee Stadium, and the Red Sox will hope for a similar performance as they try to salvage a series victory .

The Yankees have won four of five meetings between the teams this season, including a three-game sweep at Fenway Park in April . Boston's interim manager Chad Tracy's club is missing key players like Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, and the organization has faced significant scrutiny for its inability to develop homegrown talent and retain star players in recent years .

As the two rivals prepare to face off, all signs point to another difficult series for the Red Sox. However, with four games scheduled over the next few days, the opportunity for a turnaround remains. Sunday's nationally televised game on NBC and Peacock will offer the Red Sox a chance to end the series on a high note and potentially begin to turn around a season that has spiraled well before the All-Star break .