NEW YORK -- A night after absorbing their most one-sided loss of the season, the Red Sox turned the tables and gave the New York Yankees their own worst shellacking of the year, blanking the Yanks 11-0.
Chris Sale allowed just one hit and one walk over seven dominant innings, registering 11 strikeouts to improve to 8-4.
He got plenty of backing from Rafael Devers, who had his first five-hit game including a first-inning grand slam. Sandy Leon added a two-run, second-deck homer in the seventh. J.D. Martinez added three RBI in 17-hit attack.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS
9:48 That's it for Sale, who gets a hug from Alex Cora as he exits. Probably his best outing of the year, especially given the opponent - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER; 1 BB; 11 K. Only three baserunners allowed all night, none since the second inning.
9:38 You win some, you lose some. Two batters after Rafael Devers missed his second homer of the night by a matter of inches -- settling for a double off the top of the wall in right -- Sandy Leon leaves little doubt, cranking a hanging breaking ball into the second deck in right.
9:24 Sale is on cruise control. The only hit he's allowed was to the third batter of the game and he's had four straight 1-2-3 innings, retiring the last 13 straight and 17 of the last 18.
8:27 Sometimes it seems like Jackie Bradley Jr. is just messing with people in center. Leaping up to take extra bases away from Aaron Hicks, Bradley caught the ball, then seemed to hold it in his glove for a few seconds before reaching in and whipping it back to the infield. Like he wanted to keep people in suspense for a bit before confirming that he had A) made the catch and B) held onto it.
8:23 Strange baserunning by Xander Bogaerts. Third base coach Carlos Febles, stationed a good 30 feet down the base line from third base, very clearly had his arms up, instructing Bogaerts not to try to tag up on that fly ball by Sandy Leon. But Bogaerts ignored the directive and got himself thrown out at home by Aaron Judge, ending the inning on a double play.
7:55 The Yankee Stadium crowd has no patience for starter Sonny Gray. He was showered with boos as he headed to the dugout after the top of the first, having given up the grans slam to Devers, and here in the second, with another run in and two on base, they're letting him have it. All the momentum from Friday's win would seem to be gone, and the Yankees face the prospect of erasing an early five-run deficit against Chris Sale.
7:31 Perhaps not as impressive a piece of hitting as the homer he hit off Aroldis Chapman last year, but a huge display of opposite-field power by Rafael Devers, who takes a 1-and-2 pitch from Sonny Gray and flicks it the other way, reaching the first few rows in left, with the bases loaded.--
WHO: Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
WHEN: 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
WHAT'S UP: This is the second game of a three-game weekend series as the Sox and Yankees battle for first place in the American League East. The Yanks won the opener handily, 8-1, and have won four of the seven meetings between the two clubs this season. The loss was the most lopsided of the season for the Red Sox, who, until Friday night, were the only MLB team to not lose a game by seven or more runs. Still, the Sox have won six of their last eight games. It's also worth noting - as the Red Sox get ready to send Chris Sale and David Price to the mound the next two nights -- that the Yankees have won the last seven games in which they faced lefty starters and, in contrast to the Red Sox' struggles against lefties, are 19-5 against them this season with a MLB-best .820 OPS.
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Chris Sale (7-4, 2.56) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (5-5, 4.93)
TV/RADIO: Fox/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Martinez DH
Moreland 1B
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Nunez 2B
Leon C
Bradley CF
YANKEES
Hicks CF
Judge RF
Stanton DH
Torres 2B
Gregorius SS
Andujar 3B
Drury 1B
Romine C
Gardner LF
NEWS AND NOTES:
- The Red Sox will again go with LHP Brian Johnson for a spot start Tuesday in Washington D.C. Johnson is filling the spot that had been held by RHP Steven Wright, who was placed on the DL last week with inflammation in his surgically-repaired knee. Johnson pitched four innings Friday night at Fenway and allowed just one run, earning himself another opportunity.
- Meanwhile, Wright played catch in the outfield Saturday afternoon but hasn't been cleared to resume throwing off a mound. Along with Dustin Pedroia, he will visit Dr. Riley Williams Monday to be examined. After that, his rehab program will be further detailed.