In the series opener with the Yankees, the Red Sox let a game get away in the late innings. In the series finale Sunday
night, it was the Yankees' turn.
Andrew Benintendi singled home the winning run with a bases-loaded single in the top of the 10th inning, giving
the Sox a 3-2 win and a victory in the weekend showdown with their rivals.
An inning earlier, rookie Rafael Devers had hit a dramatic game-tying homer off Aroldis Chapman in the top of the ninth for his fourth homer in 15 games. It was only the second time in his career that Chapman had allowed a homer to a lefthanded hitter and the first since 2011.
The Yanks had taken a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth as Matt Barnes filled the bases with a single and two walks, then yielded a sacrifice fly to Todd Frazier.
Starter Chris Sale was his usual brilliant self with 12 strikeouts and just one run allowed over seven innings, though he got his sixth no-decision.
The two teams traded solo runs in the fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr. singled home Brock Holt (walk, wild pitch) for the night's first run, but Sale gave the lead right back in the bottom of the inning when Austin Romine hit his first career triple, scoring Chase Headley.
GAME NO.: 117
WHO: Red Sox (66-50) vs New York Yankees (61-54)
WHEN: 8:0
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
TV: ESPN
RADIO: WEEI (93.7 FM)
PITCHERS: Chris Sale (14-4, 2.57) vs. Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 4.05
BOX SCORE: MLB Gameday
SERIES TO DATE: The Red Sox slugged their way past the Yankees Saturday, 10-5, to even this series at 1-1. Sale gives the Red Sox a chance for their first series win of the year against the Yankees, who lead 7-4 in games between the teams this season.
WHERE THINGS STAND: The Sox have won 9-of-10 and are guaranteed a winning road trip on this short, five-game trek away from Fenway. They return home for a six-game homestand starting Monday. The Yankees, meanwhile, have lost six of their last 10. After the Sox leave town tonight, the Yanks host the Mets in an interleague Subway Series.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Sale bounced back nicely from his worst start of the year two outings ago with a strong start in Tampa last Tuesday. He leads all of baseball in strikeouts and innings while leading all A.L. pitchers in ERA, wins, WHIP and opponents’ batting average. Montgomery is taking the spot of injured CC Sabathia in the Yankees’ rotation. He was struck by a batted ball during batting practice Saturday, but wasn’t seriously injured.
STAT OF NOTE: Sale’s career ERA vs. the Yanks (1.17) is the lowest for any active pitcher against a single opponent. (minimum 50 innings).
LINEUPS:
RED SOX
Nunez 3B
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Ramirez 1B
Young DH
Bogaerts SS
Holt 2B
Leon C
Bradley Jr. CF
YANKEES
Gardner LF
Hicks CF
Judge RF
Sanchez DH
Frazier 3B
Gregorius SS
Headley 1B
Torreyes 2B
Romine C
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- For the third straight day, David Price threw from a distance of 90 feet. He'll have tomorrow off, and assuming he doesn't experience any setbacks, the Sox will then evaluate him and map out a throwing program. It's possible that Price could throw off a mound at Fenway this week, though the Sox weren't ready to commit to a specific schedule. "These are positive signs,'' said John Farrell. "We're going to address this as he's capable. I think that's the best way to approach it.''
- Carson Smith made his third rehab appearance Saturday night, pitching an inning for Pawtucket and the reports were positive. "The command was better and there was an uptick in velocity from a few days prior,'' said Farrell. "Talking with Carson, he just feels like, now that he's had three appearances, the recovery time -- both for his arm and his body -- is getting (shorter). These are encouraging things.'' Smith will pitch again Tuesday.
- Rafael Devers was out of the lineup against the lefthanded Montgomery. "What we've done,'' explained Farrell, "is expose him for two, three consecutive days, then give him a day to watch and continue to learn. He's certainly handled himself (well). He's doing everything we could have hoped.'' With Devers getting a night, the Sox had Eduardo Nunez at third and Brock Holt at second.
- The Sox have done a nice job containing Aaron Judge this season. Judge has struggled mightily since the All-Star break -- lending credence to the theory that the Home Run Derby sends hitters into second-half tailspins -- but the Sox have done a nice job all season. After his first three at-bats tonight, he's just 7-for-44 (.159) with a single homer and two RBI.
- It wouldn't have been an easy catch, of course, but it did seem that Austin Romine's triple could have been caught by Mookie Betts in right. It appeared as though Betts was there in time, against the wall, only to have Romine's ball hit the wall and bound away for three bases.
- Here's an incredible note to consider: when the Yankees pushed across a run in the bottom of the fifth, it marked only the third time in his last eight starts that Chris Sale had allowed so much as a single run.
- There was a bizarre occurrence in the bottom of the ninth, when John Farrell seemed to signal for a pitching change with Addison Reed on the mound. Farrell came out of the dugout, signaled to get Laz Diaz's attention and then motioned with his right arm to summon Craig Kimbrel. But Farrell stopped short before the base line, appeared to change his mind and returned to the dugout. As pitching coach Carl Willis had already visited Reed, that second trip should have triggered an automatic change. But the Yankees didn't protest. We'll find out more after the game.