NEW YORK -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-1 loss to the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Pearce works through jitters: Even after all these years and all these teams, Steve Pearce still battled some butterflies in his first game with the Red Sox. It was a hectic day for the well-traveled hitter, arriving from Toronto for a quick introduction to a new manager, new coaching staff and new teammates. But Pearce made a strong first impression, lining the first pitch he saw in a Red Sox uniform into the left-field corner for a leadoff double in the second. The next time up, he singled sharply to left, and after a strikeout in the sixth, hit a long fly ball to the warning track in center field. "He had good at-bats and played good defense at first,'' noted Alex Cora of his newest player. "That's what we got him for.'' Still, Peace had to overcome a case of the nerves. "I felt comfortable,'' said Pearce. "(The hit in first at-bat) kind of got the monkey off my back. The first (at-bat), I was actually kind of jittery. It was good to get that first one out of the way. You're coming to a different team. No matter what the situation is, you've got to be able to do it.''
Sabathia works his magic: Yankee starter CC Sabathia doesn't throw nearly as hard as he used to, but he has successfully transitioned from power pitcher to finesse guy, careful to change speeds and stay out of the heart of the plate. On Friday night, he limited the Sox to a single run over seven innings. "He's been around the game for a while,'' said Pearce. "He's a great veteran pitcher and he knows how to keep hitters off balance and tonight he showed it.'' Added Mookie Betts: "He was just keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate, using all of his pitches and throwing them all for strikes, keeping the ball down. He did a great job.'' Sabathia uses his experience and guile to work his way through the lineup, careful to stay around the edges of the strike zone. "He's able to outsmart you, pretty much,'' said Betts with admiration.
Red Sox continue running ways: The Red Sox' game plan was to put some pressure on Sabathia, especially on the basepaths to create some disruption. Problem was, the Sox didn't have enough opportunities. Too many times, they had quick innings and were unable to put much together. They did, however, run when they had the chance. Betts swiped second in the third inning after a two-out infield hit, giving him a team-high 30 steals on the season. Two innings later, Andrew Benintendi doubled home Betts, then swiped third, giving him 14 stolen bases and two in the last three games. The Sox have 62 steals as a team, second-most in the American League and third in all of baseball.
TURNING POINT
It seemed rather innocuous at the time, but Eduardo Rodriguez quickly got ahead of Giancarlo Stanton 0-and-2 in the fourth inning before putting him on with a walk to start the inning. Four hitters later, the Yankees had produced a double, a sacrifice fly and two homers and were well on their way.
TWO UP
Mookie Betts: Betts had two hits -- an infield single in the third and a double in the fifth -- and came around to score the only Red Sox run of the game.
Andrew Benintendi: Benintendi has always performed well here in his young career and that continued Friday with a walk, a double, an RBI and a stolen base.
TWO DOWN
Justin Haley: The young righty was brought in two mop-up, but allowed three runs in two innings, with all three runs coming on homers as the Yankees swung away against him.
J.D. Martinez: Even the best hitters have off-nights, and this was one for Martinez, who stranded two baserunners in the third and another in the fifth, all part of a rare 0-for-4 night at the plate.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He stayed on the edges of the strike zone and we swung at the edges of the strike zone. We had our chances, but seems like we didn't have too many good at-bats in a row.''
-- Alex Cora on facing CC Sabathia.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox dropped 2-5 over their last seven road games.
- The Sox are now 10-13 when they fail to hit at least one homer.
- The four homers off Boston pitching tied a single-game season high.
- The game was just the ninth loss this season in which Mookie Betts scored a run.