All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 4-2 loss to the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Rodriguez recovers after first, but it's too late: Eduardo Rodriguez invited trouble in the first inning when he filled the bases (two reached on walks) then made a first-pitch mistake to Gleyber Torres, who hammered it for a grand slam. Rodriguez continued to battle his control for the rest of the night, issuing a season-high six walks, though he was able to overcome them after the first with the help of two double plays. Rodriguez got tougher and better as the game progressed, allowing only just two hits -- one an infield single -- after the first inning. "He just kept working, making pitches and made and some adjustments and give us what he did,'' Alex Cora said of Rodriguez. But the damage had been done. Coming into the game, Rodriguez who had won his last five starts, had received the most run support of any starter in the American League, but the bats weren't there for him tonight.
Offense almost non-existent: If you didn't tune in from the very beginning of the game, it would have been easy to miss any excitement generated by the Red Sox' offense. After two outs, Xander Bogaerts drew a walk and J.D. Martinez took a cutter on the inner half and drove it out for a quick 2-0 lead. But that was it. Over the next eighth innings, the Sox had just two more hits -- a single from Andrew Benintendi in the fourth and a single to center by Christian Vazquez in the seventh. They had just one baserunner in scoring position, mostly handcuffed by James Paxton, the same pitcher they beat up for seven runs on nine hits in just four innings a week ago tonight. When Paxton left after six and the Yankees went to their bullpen, it didn't get any better for the Sox. It's hard to believe that this same lineup scored 44 runs in four games against the Yankees last weekend at Fenway.
Eovaldi looks improved: To get him some work, the Red Sox turned to Nathan Eovaldi in the eighth inning for his fifth appearance out of the bullpen. Pitching with the Sox trailing by two, Eovaldi attacked hitters and consistently got ahead, retiring in order on a groundout, a strikeout and a flyout. He showed good life on his fastball, hitting 99 mph several times, and also demonstrated good command of his secondary pitches. Perhaps most impressively, he also was, for a change, efficient, needing just 12 pitches to record the three outs. In contrast, he had thrown 18 or more pitches in each of his first four outings in relief, including one in which he needed 36 pitches to get through a single inning.
TURNING POINT
After the first inning, the Red Sox had only one inning in which they put multiple runners on base. That came in the fourth, when, with one out, J.D. Martinez drew a walk and Andrew Benintendi followed with a single. But that threat quickly was turned back as James Paxton got a flyout and groundout and the Sox never again threatened.
ONE UP
J.D. Martinez: Just a handful of pitches into the game, Martinez gave the Sox a quick 2-0 lead with a homer his fourth homer in the last seven games.
ONE DOWN
Mookie Betts: Though he hit the ball hard once, driving a ball to the warning track in right-center, Betts was hitless in four plate appearances and unable to generate any offense at the top of the Red Sox' lineup.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"In the first inning, I thought it was going to be 13-12. But both (starting) pitchers did an outstanding job and that big swing (by Torres) put us in a bad spot.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox' five-game losing streak is the longest since July of 2015.
- The Yankees are 5-1 against the Sox at home this season.
- Christian Vazquez has thrown out 39 percent of would-be base-stealers this season.
- Xander Bogaerts saw his seven-game hitting streak come to an end.