All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-3 loss to the Yankees, complete with BSJ insight and analysis:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES:
Offense can't deliver: The good news? The Red Sox managed three runs against the Yankees Saturday night, more than they had in any one game against New York this season and nearly as many as they had in the first three meetings combined (four). The bad news? It wasn't nearly enough. Not that the Sox didn't have their chances. They matched the Yankees in hits with 11, but, in a familiar tale, couldn't produce a hit when they needed it most. Only in the third and seventh innings did the Sox fail to produce a baserunner, but on the occasions when they had chances, hits were tough to find. Sandy Leon had two hits in such situations; otherwise, the Red Sox were 0-for-12 in those spots. And the only home run they hit -- from Xander Bogaerts -- happened to come with the bases empty. Overall, the Sox stranded 10 baserunners.
Porcello fails: For the second straight night, the Red Sox had to feel good about who they sent to the mound, but for the second straight night, the performance of that starter fell short of expectations. After the Red Sox gave Rick Porcello a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the second, Porcello handed it back and more in the bottom of the inning when he allowed three runs. And then, after the Sox got two more back in the top of the fourth to tie it at 3-3, Porcello gave up a tiebreaking, two-run homer to Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the next inning and couldn't get through the fifth. It was Porcello's first loss against New York since July 16, 2017, and came after a stretch in which the Red Sox had won seven of his previous eight starts. For a time, it appeared as though Porcello had gotten locked in, as he retired nine in a row from the second through the fifth. But four of the next five Yankees reached against him that inning, and he was then lifted.
Yankee bullpen locks it down: The Red Sox spent their money this offseason on their rotation, re-signing Nathan Eovaldi and extending Chris Sale. The Yankees, meanwhile, put more of an emphasis on their bullpen, and in this series so far, New York's investments have been far more fruitful. In the series opener Friday, four New York relievers each turned in a scoreless inning. On Saturday, they were even more valuable, especially when starter Domingo German's pitch count reached 87 in the fourth inning. From there, manager Aaron Boone called on six different relievers, who provided him with 5.1 scoreless innings. In those 5.1 innings, the Sox had just five hits.
TURNING POINT
In the sixth inning, the Sox got a one-out single from Sandy Leon -- his third hit of the night -- and a single to right from Mookie Betts, giving them first-and-second with the team's 2-3-4 due. But Andrew Benintendi flew to center, and reliever Adam Ottavino came in and got J.D Martinez to swing and miss at a slider by a half-foot for a strikeout, ending the threat.
ONE UP
Sandy Leon: Ordinarily, the Sox don't turn to Leon for offense, but on this night, he had two run-scoring singles and was the only one to deliver with runners in scoring position.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Martinez managed a leadoff single in the fifth, but twice came up with two men on and struck out the first time and hit into a double play in the ninth.
Michael Chavis: Chavis was overmatched in a number of at-bats, fanning three times in his four plate appearances and is now hitless in his last 11 at-bats.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"We’re not closing the gap; we’re making it bigger.” — Porcello.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Rafael Devers saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end.
- The Sox dropped to 0-4 against the Yankees this season.
- The Red Sox have a four-game losing streak, tied for their longest this season.
- For the first time since May 9, the Sox are back at .500.