BOSTON -- Rick Porcello continues to pitch like a candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.

Rookie Andrew Benintendi had three hits for the second straight game and Dustin Pedroia broke out of a slump with a pair of doubles and three RBIs to back Porcello in the Boston Red Sox's 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Porcello, winning his 100th major league game, became the second AL pitcher to throw at least eight innings in three straight starts (Boston's David Price is the other), tied for the major league lead with his 15th win and moved to 11-0 at home with eight strong innings.

He has won eight of his last nine starts overall and is the first Red Sox pitcher since 1946 to start a season 11-0 at home.

"He was very strong once again," manager John Farrell said after Porcello walked one (three in the last four starts) and struck out six to improve to 15-3.

"Like many of his starts this season, he gets to that middle portion of the ballgame (and) really begins to settle in ... eight strong innings. Just an outstanding job on his part."

Porcello matched Toronto's J.A. Happ and Washington's Stephen Strasburg with the 15 victories and goes again at Fenway in Sunday's finale of the six-game homestand. He is the fourth active pitcher to win 100 games before age 28.

Benintendi became the first Red Sox player since 1913 to record back-to-back three-hit games in the first six games in his major league career.

"He plays at a very even pulse," manager John Farrell said after Benintendi, 8-for-16 so far, stroked two singles and a double that was called a home run at one point before being overturned, driving in his first big league run and scoring twice.

"He obviously shows and displays power against a good arm in (Luis) Severino, who was throwing the ball very well. He gets a fastball out over the plate and drives it to the biggest part of the ballpark.

Pedroia was 6-for-31 on the team's 5-6 west coast trip and hit a long fly ball to right field in the first inning before ripping two straight doubles.

Things got hairy for Boston in the ninth inning. Closer Craig Kimbrel began the ninth with a three-run lead, but he walked four, including the last three batters he faced. He was gone after 37 pitches and Matt Barnes came on and caught Mark Teixeira looking at a 2-2 pitch for his first save.

After the game, Farrell said there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with Kimbrel, who returned from the disabled list on the west coast after missing just three weeks with knee surgery.

David Ortiz, coming off a 4-for-30 trip, was hitless his first two times up before an contributing an RBI single and a walk.

Severino (1-7) gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

"I thought he battled," said New York manager Joe Girardi. "I mean, this is a tough lineup. If you don't make your pitches, they're going to make you pay."

In a flashback to Red Sox-Yankees battles of the past, the benches and bullpens emptied after Jackie Bradley Jr. threw out Chase Headley after the New York third baseman doubled and tried to take third with his team down three runs. Porcello said something to Headley, words were exchanged but nothing came of it.

"The way I understand it is Porcello accused him of peaking at the catcher," said Girardi. "Chase has never been accused of that, so I don't know. It's an emotional game and sometimes emotions get the best of players."

Said Porcello: "Joe can think whatever he wants to think, but again that's between me and Chase."

Brett Gardner had three hits, two of them doubles, and a walk, and Headley doubled twice and drove in a run in the loss that dropped the Yankees back to .500, 56-56.

Alex Rodriguez, in his final road series as a Yankee, did not appear in the game. He is scheduled to start Thursday night. Fenway fans chanted for him in the late innings.

NOTES: Red Sox manager John Farrell said LF Blake Swihart will have season-ending ankle surgery this week, while LF Chris Young (hamstring) is ready to start a rehab assignment. ... The Yankees claimed LHP Tommy Layne (Boston) and RHP Blake Parker (Seattle) off waivers and optioned LHP Richard Bleier to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Layne relieved on Tuesday. ... Tuesday was supposed to be David Ortiz's "Bobblehead Night" but the distribution was canceled because the giveaway was deemed "racially insensitive" by club president Sam Kennedy. Vouchers were distributed. ... Boston SS Xander Bogaerts, who went 5-for-46 on the just-completed road trip, didn't play for only the third time this season -- the first time since June 28. ... LHP Drew Pomeranz makes his fifth attempt at his first Red Sox win on Wednesday night when he faces Yankees RHP Nathan Eovaldi.