NEW YORK - The champagne remains on ice for another day.
With an opportunity to clinch the A.L. East title, the Red Sox instead failed to add on to a one-run lead, then watched their bullpen collapse in the seventh, allowing three runs in a 3-2 defeat to the New York Yankees. The Red Sox magic number remains at two.
The Yankees twice committed errors on double-play chances while handing the Sox a run in the ninth before, finally, on the third try, getting a game-ending double play.
Brandon Workman walked two of the three hitters he faced and, on a 3-and-2 pitch to Neil Walker, Ryan Brasier hung a slider and paid for it with a three-run homer.
The Sox had gotten six strong innings from Nathan Eovaldi, who has blanked the Yankees in 14 innings and two starts since joining the Red Sox.
The Sox nicked starter J.A. Happ for a run in the third on a single, balk, walk and sacrifice fly. But in both the sixth and eighth, the Sox got a baserunner at third with one out and failed to deliver a run.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
9:52 The Sox have had three innings in which they had a baserunner at third base with one out -- and failed to score.
9:39 Ryan Brasier had done a good all season keeping the ball in the ballpark, allowing one in his first 29 appearances. But talk about a bad spot in which to give up a second: a hanging slider to Neil Walker, who drives it into the right field seats and what had been a 1-0 lead turns quickly to a 3-1 deficit.
9:34 In tonight's installment of Community Auditions, Brandon Workman faced three batters and walked two of them. That's five walks in his last six appearances, which won't help his bid to stake a claim to the one of the bullpen jobs on the post-season roster.
9:18 Regardless of whether the Sox clinch tonight, they have to love what they've seen from Eovaldi tonight -- six scoreless innings, culminating with a strong finish in the sixth to strike out Giancarlo Stanton and leaving the potential tying run on third base. With 15 scoreless innings against them in his last two starts, does this make them think about starting him against the Yanks should they meet in a Division Series?
8:28 Eovaldi has now strung together 12 consecutive scoreless innings against his former team.
8:14 There would seem to be, understandably, some over-aggressiveness on the part of Aaron Judge. In his first game back, he's seen a total of three pitches in his two at-bats. In this at-bat, he came up with first-and-second and hit the first pitch he saw -- right at SS Xander Bogaerts for an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.
8:07 Nathan Eovaldi is working verrry slowly here, especially with a baserunner on. Not good for his tempo and rhythm.
7:57 Red Sox break through against J.A. Happ in the third, taking advantage of a walk, a balk and a passed ball to produce a run on a sacrifice fly by J.D. Martinez. Martinez adds to his MLB-leading RBI total (123) and is within two of tying Manny Ramirez for third on the all-time list of most RBI for first-year Red Sox player.
WHO: Red Sox (103-47) vs. New York Yankees (91-58)
WHEN: 7:10 (rescheduled from 1:05 p.m.)
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
WHAT'S UP: This game was pushed back from a scheduled afternoon start because of a forecast for heavy rain throughout the afternoon. The Red Sox can clinch their third straight division title tonight with a win, as their magic number has dipped to two. The last time the two teams met, the Red Sox swept a four-game series and pulled away in the American League East standings. The Red Sox are 6-1 in their last seven games and 13-5 over their last 18. Their current lead over second-place New York is at 11.5 games, the largest of the season. The Sox are two games away from tying a franchise mark for most wins in a season. Also, they can make history with a win this evening, becoming the first Red Sox team to ever win 50 or more games both at home and away in a single season. Nathan Eovaldi will be making his third career start against the Yankees, having gone 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA against them previously...Mookie Betts needs one homer and two steals to become a 30-30 man. Only Jacoby Ellsbury has done that in Red Sox' history...Andrew Benintendi has hit safely in his last 12 games against the Yankees...Xander Bogaerts went 12-for-30 (.400) on the last homestand...Meanwhile, J.A. Happ hasn't lost since being acquired from Toronto back in July. He's on a 6-0 roll with a 2.70 ERA in eight starts for New York...Steve Pearce hits Happ well (10-for-28, five homers) over his career...So, too, does Brandon Phillips (8-for-20, three homers)...The Yankees are 1-2 on this, their final homestand of the season. They're just 1-4 in their last five games overall and 7-10 in their last 17...The Yankees lead Oakland for the top wild-card spot by a game and a half...New York starters have pitched well, allowing two runs or fewer in eight of their last nine outings.
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.22) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (16-6, 3.75)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Kinsler 2B
Pearce 1B
Martinez RF
Bogaerts SS
Nunez DH
Phillips 3B
Holt LF
Vazquez C
Bradley CF
YANKEES
McCutchen LF
Judge RF
Gregorius SS
Stanton DH
Hicks CF
Andujar 3B
Sanchez C
Walker 1B
Torres 2B
NEWS AND NOTES:
- Alex Cora had planned to start Mookie Betts in center and Jackie Bradley Jr. in left Tuesday afternoon, but when rain forced the teams to play six hours later and on wet grounds, Cora decided it was best to hold Betts out for another day as a precaution. Betts felt some soreness in his left side Sunday afternoon and came out mid-game. "I'm ready to play,'' he said before the game. "I want to go out there and help the team win. But I'll be ready when my name's in there.'' Betts planned to take some swings and make some throws before the game. Betts said this soreness is "night and day'' from his DL stint earlier this season. "I couldn't really swing or do anything really, back then,'' said Betts. "(Now), hitting is absolutely fine and throwing is fine, too. It was just that max effort throw (he made Sunday). It's about the same area.'' Betts said he expects to play Wednesday, but that may be on hold if the Sox clinch tonight and Cora gives the regulars a day or two of rest.
- Chris Sale responded well to his three-inning, 42-pitch effort Sunday and will throw as many as 65 pitches in his next outing as he continues to ramp up his workload after missing almost a month with mild inflammation in his shoulder. Sale's next start was originally going to pitch again Friday, but Cora hinted that it might be Saturday instead -- not for any issue with Sale, but more to do with setting up pitching plans for the entire staff.
- Cora sat Andrew Benintendi, who was 0-for-15 in his career against Happ.
- A handful of coaches and members of the training staff were at Yankee Stadium shortly after 9 a.m. when the game was pushed back for six hours.
- Cora said he intends to keep a low profile in any clinching celebration in the clubhouse. "(The players) will come up to you and give you a hug,'' he said. "But in the end, the players are the ones that decide everything on the field.''