Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees

When Max Fried’s left elbow began barking again two weeks ago, the Yankees left-hander said he was willing to take the ball and pitch through the discomfort. Those in charge of such decisions opted against the idea, believing that rest and recovery would serve him better. Reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Saturday, the Yankees weren’t expecting Fried to go deep into the game. Simply having him back on the mound for their 9-2 victory over the Red Sox offered encouragement, a sign that their rotation could be whole when they need it most. “I was definitely a lot sharper earlier than late, but it was nice to get back out there and get the competitive juices flowing,” Fried said. “At the end of the day, just us being able to win the game was really big. I’m happy we were able to do that.” Fried tossed 63 pitches over 3 2/3 innings, and the Yankees stroked 13 singles to fuel their early rally and late surge, securing a split of Saturday’s separate-admission doubleheader. New York dropped the first game, 6-0. The division rivals have split a dozen games this season, setting up Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. ET contest to determine a potential playoff tiebreaker. The Yankees are three games ahead of the Red Sox for the American League’s top Wild Card spot. “It’s very important,” Luis García Jr. said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “We’re battling. We have a clear objective. So every victory is going to be very important for us. We’re very excited about it.” Each spot in the Yankees’ lineup scored one run on Saturday. Powered by a five-run eighth, their nine runs were their most in a game without an extra-base hit since Sept. 16, 1956, vs. Cleveland, when they scored 10. “There were a lot of contributions, up and down,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It was a good night for us to salvage one of these two today. We have an opportunity to have a really good series.” At least initially, the Yankees’ enthusiasm was tempered by the early departure of rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., who underwent imaging at New York-Presbyterian after experiencing right knee discomfort. Boone said Lombard could be considered day to day. Lombard sustained the injury during a second-inning at-bat, appearing to tweak his right knee on a checked swing. He remained in the game and stroked a single, but was lifted after the third inning. “It was kind of a weird thing,” José Caballero said. “Maybe the cleat got stuck and he tried to rotate, and the cleat didn’t let him. That’s my guess.”