NEW YORK (Interstat) — Cam Schlittler pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, Paul Goldschmidt homered for the game’s only run and David Bednar closed out the New York Yankees’ 1-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Schlittler, the winning pitcher, allowed two hits over 5 2-3 innings and struck out eight with no earned runs. He improved to 12-7. The Yankees improved to 77-60, while the Red Sox fell to 76-61.

Goldschmidt put New York ahead in the third inning with his 17th home run of the season, a fly ball to left-center field. The Yankees managed only three hits in the game, but the solo shot stood up as Boston’s offense stalled in a frustrating sequence of missed opportunities.

Patrick Sandoval took the loss despite a strong outing. He allowed three hits and one earned run over 5 1-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three. Sandoval dropped to 1-3.

Boston put a runner on second with two outs in the third when Wilyer Abreu doubled, but Willson Contreras struck out to end the inning. In the fourth, Mickey Gasper walked with two outs, but Jarren Duran grounded out to first.

The Red Sox threatened more seriously in the fifth. Anthony Seigler walked and Ceddanne Rafaela singled, putting runners on first and second with one out. Abreu, though, lined into a double play, with center fielder Trent Grisham throwing to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who then doubled off Rafaela at first.

New York’s best offensive moment beyond the homer came in the first when Ben Rice doubled, but he was left stranded. The Yankees also put runners on base in the sixth, but Sandoval and the Boston bullpen worked out of it. Heliot Ramos and Trent Grisham walked to load the bases after Rice singled, but George Lombard Jr. lined out to right fielder Wilyer Abreu and Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out to end the inning.

Boston’s biggest scoring chance arrived in the sixth against Schlittler. Caleb Durbin walked and Jahmai Jones walked, and Eli White singled on a soft ground ball to pitcher Brent Headrick to load the bases with one out. Andruw Monasterio lined out to right fielder Heliot Ramos, and Nick Sogard struck out swinging to end the threat.

In the seventh, the Red Sox again put pressure on the Yankees. Rafaela singled and Abreu hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line, sending Rafaela to third with no outs. Contreras then flew into a double play, with left fielder Cody Bellinger’s throw to catcher Austin Wells cutting down Rafaela at home.

The Yankees’ bullpen held firm after Schlittler exited. Paul Blackburn pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Brent Headrick recorded two outs in the sixth and gave up one hit. Bednar, the closer, pitched a perfect ninth inning with no hits and no walks, recording his 31st save in the process.

Boston’s relief corps also kept the game close. Wyatt Olds pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Greg Weissert recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning with one strikeout. The Red Sox relief pitchers combined to hold the Yankees scoreless after Sandoval left.

The Red Sox finished with five hits to three for the Yankees. Abreu went 2 for 3 with two doubles. Rafaela also had two hits. Goldschmidt went 1 for 4 with the home run and the lone RBI.

The game was played in front of an announced crowd of 43,476 and lasted 2 hours, 47 minutes.

Boston had won four of its previous five games entering the matchup, including a series victory at Miami. The Yankees had split their previous two games against Houston, losing Thursday before winning Wednesday. The two teams met for the first time since late June, when the Red Sox took three of four games in Boston. The Yankees won the season series between the clubs four games to three heading into the weekend.

The Yankees moved one game ahead of the Red Sox in the American League East standings with the victory. Boston remained 2 1-2 games behind New York for the division lead, though both teams were in contention for playoff position as August drew to a close.

Schlittler’s performance continued a strong recent stretch. In his previous start on Sept. 2 against the Los Angeles Angels, he pitched eight innings, allowed two hits and one earned run and struck out nine in a 6-3 Yankees win. Against Boston, he mixed his pitches effectively, keeping the Red Sox off balance and stranding six runners on base over his 5 2-3 innings.

Sandoval, making his start for Boston, matched Schlittler through the early innings. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter until the fourth inning, when he issued a free pass to Heliot Ramos. He also stranded two runners in the first and left the bases loaded in the sixth before being lifted.

Goldschmidt’s homer came off a pitch from Sandoval with one out in the third. Austin Wells struck out before the at-bat, and Ben Rice struck out after it, giving Sandoval a clean inning aside from the home run. The Yankees added no further offense, but it proved sufficient.

Boston’s final chance came in the ninth inning against Bednar. Eli White popped out to third baseman José Caballero in foul territory. Andruw Monasterio popped out to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. Nick Sogard popped out to shortstop George Lombard Jr. to end the game.

The Red Sox entered the night having scored 7, 4 and 2 runs in their previous three games, but they could not push a run across Friday. Their best opportunity without a double-play was the sixth inning, when they loaded the bases with one out, but the lineout by Monasterio and strikeout by Sogard thwarted the rally.

The Yankees’ defense contributed throughout. Grisham’s relay in the fifth inning prevented a Boston run. Bellinger’s throw to the plate in the seventh inning cut down Rafaela and preserved the shutout. Bednar’s ninth inning was clean, with no balls hit out of the infield.

The game also marked the beginning of a critical four-game series between the rivals. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday in a doubleheader, with three total games over the weekend. After that, the Yankees travel to Los Angeles to face the Angels, while Boston returns home to host Seattle.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston Red Sox 7, New York Yankees 6. Interstat’s ELO system projected the Yankees with a 52.40 percent probability to win. The Yankees were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 1 went over the over-under line of 8.