Yanks go deep twice off Sale in 4-3 win

Chris Sale came to the Red Sox with the reputation of being a Yankee killer, and in his first season in Boston, he’s done nothing to dispel that reputation.

Entering Saturday night, Sale had a 1.19 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season, and had a career ERA of 1.18.

But something is getting lost in translation.  In the four starts Sale has made against the Yankees this season, the Red Sox are now 1-3 against the Yankees, including Saturday’s 4-3 setback that saw the Yanks move back to within four games in the A.L. East standings.

"It's a big win for us and it's kind of a big loss for them,'' said CC Sabathia, who outdueled Sale, "because they need to win the games when he's out there.''

Sale wasn’t bad Saturday, allowing four runs in seven innings. But he wasn’t good enough, yielding a three-run homer to Tyler Austin in the second and a solo shot to former teammate Todd Frazier in the seventh.

“Those were just bad pitches,’’ lamented Sale. “I got bit by the home run bug again. Any time you give up two homers in a game, it’s not going to work out so much. Solo shot’s not that big a deal. But when guys get on base, I’ve got to be better than that. ‘’

In Sale’s first start against the Yankees, he gave up three runs in eight innings and the Sox didn’t manage a run in a 3-0 loss.  The next time, he shut them out for seven innings, only to see the Yanks tie the game in the ninth off Craig Kimbrel, then win a marathon in 16 innings. And finally, there was last Sunday, when Sale allowed only a run in seven innings, but got a no-decision when the Sox won in 10 at Yankee Stadium.

On Saturday, Sale had the worst of his four starts this year against the Yanks, and trouble began early when he tried to fire a 95 mph fastball at the top of the zone past Austin. Instead, Austin cleared it out and sent it over the Wall with two runners aboard.

That was all until two were out in the seventh and Frazier had to golf a 1-2 slider a few inches off the ground, and did so, hitting a glorified fly ball into the first row of the Monster Seats.

“I’ve never seen a good pitch go over the fence,’’ said Sale, who’s known for taking accountability.

True to recent form, the Sox seemed on the verge of another late-inning comeback. But after loading the bases in the eighth, David Robertson fanned Xander Bogaerts on three straight curveballs. And when the Sox put the potential tying run on first with one out, pinch-runner Brock Holt was thrown out attempting to steal second base.

Still, the Sox believed right to the end.

“It’s hard not to think like that,’’ said Sale. “Obviously, tonight didn’t go the way we wanted -- we lost the game. But even when we lose, we don’t go down easy. They throw some tough arms out there and we were putting some good at-bats together. Fighting late. We just couldn’t squeeze it out.

“I take the blame for that. I put us in a pretty big hole early. Go out for a shutdown inning, give up a homer. I’ve got to be a little bit better than that for the guys.’’