BOSTON — Rick Porcello continued to dominate at Fenway Park, and fans had to settle for a Red Sox victory without an appearance by Alex Rodriguez.

Porcello pitched eight solid innings, Matt Barnes cleaned up a mess created by closer Craig Kimbrel and Boston held on to beat the New York Yankees 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Kimbrel walked in a run with the bases loaded in the ninth before handing off to Barnes, who struck out Mark Teixeira for his first save. Boston returned home after going 5-6 on a West Coast trip.

"It was a big win for us. It came off a long, tough road trip," Porcello said. "So we started the homestand off the right way and it's a good way to start the series."

After falling behind early, the Red Sox scored three runs in the fifth to lead 5-2. Boston has won 10 of the last 14 meetings between the rivals. Dustin Pedroia had three RBIs.

Porcello (15-3) allowed two runs and struck out six. He improved to 11-0 in 12 starts at home this season.

Luis Severino (1-7) allowed five runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings. It was his first start since being demoted to the minors in May.

Rodriguez did not play after announcing that this week's four games would be his last with the Yankees. Manager Joe Girardi said the plan is for Rodriguez to start the final game of the series on Thursday night. A-Rod will play his final game in pinstripes Friday night at home against Tampa Bay.

With the Red Sox leading in the ninth, a "We want A-Rod!" chant briefly broke out among sellout crowd.

Rodriguez made his major league debut for Seattle at Fenway in 1994.

Things got tense for a moment in the seventh after Chase Headley was thrown out trying to stretch his double off the Green Monster into a triple. Benches cleared after Headley had words with Porcello, and the two briefly came face-to-face. Umpires quickly stepped in and were able to calm things.

Porcello declined to say what the specific issue was about.

"It was one of those moments where I felt like I needed to say something and I did," he said. "So it's between me and him. He knows what I said, and I'll leave it at that."

Headley also was mum about the incident.

"He said what he had to say and I responded," Headley said. "I'm competing, too, so I actually kind of enjoyed it, to be honest. We haven't had one of those dustups with the Red Sox in a while. It got me going a little bit."

The Red Sox played catch up until putting things together in the fifth.

Andrew Benintendi nearly had his first career homer after hitting a shot next to the yellow line that separates the Green Monster and the wall in centre. The umpires conferred briefly before signalling a home run. Benintendi rounded the bases and had a few minutes in the dugout before the call was overturned on a review and ruled a double.

It still drove in Sandy Leon, who led off with a triple to the corner in right, and put Boston up 3-2.

Benintendi scored on a double by Pedroia, and the second baseman came around to put Boston up 5-2 when David Ortiz hit a line drive off the Green Monster.

BOBBLEHEAD CANCELED

The Red Sox cancelled an Ortiz bobblehead promotion when the figurine turned out to be "racially insensitive," said team president Sam Kennedy. The bobblehead depicts Ortiz addressing fans at Fenway Park following the Boston Marathon bombings, but Kennedy says it didn't much resemble the retiring slugger and was not fit for distribution. The rejected bobblehead was made by BDA, Inc., and the company will also produce the replacements.

"We value our decades-long relationship with the Red Sox organization and its decision to postpone Tuesday's David Ortiz bobblehead giveaway," BDA said in a statement. "We're currently working closely with the Red Sox to ensure the team and its fans receive a quality product."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: New York claimed LHP Tommy Layne off waivers and placed him on the active roster Tuesday, one week after the Red Sox designated him for assignment. Layne made his Yankees debut when he came out of the bullpen in the fifth and replaced Severino.

Red Sox: Manager John Farrell said after the game that LF/C Blake Swihart will have surgery sometime in the coming days on his injured left ankle sprain. He is likely done for the season.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-8, 4.80) leads the club in wins despite losing his last two starts, allowing a pair of home runs in each.

Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-2, 6.20 in AL) is still looking for his first win since coming to Boston in a trade with San Diego on July 14. Pomeranz was 8-7 with the Padres and made the NL All-Star team with an ERA of 2.47.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower