Mitch Moreland slugged a three-run home run on his 34th birthday, and Xander Bogaerts drove in two more with a double as the Boston Red Sox powered past the visiting New York Yankees 6-1 in the opener of a four-game series Friday.

Moreland's blast, his first since Aug. 9, gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. He finished with three hits as Boston won for the sixth time in nine games.

Brett Gardner homered for the Yankees, who were held to three hits by a parade of Red Sox relievers. New York fell for just the third time in 11 contests.

Jhoulys Chacin began the bullpen game for Boston with four strikeouts in two perfect innings. It was the right-hander's team debut and first time pitching in a game since July 24, when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Josh Taylor then struck out two in a perfect third inning, and Marcus Walden (9-2) pitched around a two-out double in the fourth. Gardner's homer off Andrew Cashner in the fifth got the Yankees on the board, down 4-1.

New York nearly added a run against Ryan Weber in the seventh, but Gary Sanchez was thrown out at home by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. while trying to score on a Gardner single.

Darwinzon Hernandez and Bobby Poyner kept the visitors at bay from there, Poyner striking out two in the ninth.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox were held hitless by Domingo German over the first three innings before breaking through in the fourth. Rafael Devers led off the frame with a double and scored on Brock Holt's single ahead of Moreland's three-run shot.

Boston's lead grew to 6-1 when Bogaerts hit a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth, giving the shortstop a career-high 105 RBIs on the season.

German (17-4) was tagged for five runs on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He took a loss for just the second time in his past 12 outings.

--Field Level Media