All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 6-3 loss to the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Perez couldn't finish inning: Red Sox starter Martin Perez retired the first two hitters he faced in the first....then walked the next three hitters, loading the bases before getting out of the jam with a flyout to the warning track in left. In the next inning, he again retired the first two hitters...then hit the No. 9 hitter, Tyler Wade followed by a run-scoring double by Aaron Hicks and a two-run homer to Luke Voit. Perez blamed his tempo for the issues, saying he was too eager to get out of the first two innings and ran into trouble. He finally settled down in the third, retiring the Yanks in order, but when a rain delay hit in the top of the fourth, it caused an 83-minute delay, too long to allow him to return.
Rain got in the way: Trailing 3-0 after three, the Red Sox showed signs of life against starter Jordan Montgomery in the fourth thanks to three straight singles, producing a run. The Sox had baserunners at the corners when the rain intensified and a tarp was placed on the field. The long delay forced Montgomery out of the game, which may have been a good thing for the Sox, who didn't have a hit to show for themselves through the first three innings. But it also interrupted any momentum they had been building. When play resumed, Yankee lefty Luis Avilan walked Michael Chavis to fill the bases, but Alex Verdugo got tied up on a curveball inside and swung through it, stranding three. "We still need to play better without a doubt, but hopefully when we start playing better, we'll get a few breaks our way,'' said Ron Roenicke.
Sox can't connect for big hit: While the Yankees were very efficient with four of their five hits belted for homers, the Sox couldn't capitalize when they needed to. In addition to leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, they had first-and-second in the fifth and got nothing. In the sixth, they pushed another run across with an RBI-double from Verdugo, but they also ended the inning with two runners in scoring position. Even in the ninth, after scoring their third run, the Sox had Jonathan Arauz on second with one out, but couldn't put the ball in play over the next two plate appearances against Aroldis Chapman.
TURNING POINT: In the sixth, as if to illustrate their bad luck, Alex Verdugo shot a ball to the gap in left-center. The ball was going to score Christian Vazquez from second either way, but when it one-hopped the wall for a ground rule double, it forced Chavis to stop at third when he otherwise would have scored easily. That would have made it 5-3 and made things interesting.
ONE UP
Josh Taylor: Making his 2020 debut after missing most of summer camp after testing positive for COVID-19, the lefty reliever made his debut and pitched a perfect sixth inning, recording a strikeout. He gives Roenicke one more trustworthy option in the bullpen.
ONE DOWN
J.D. Martinez: He did have a single and scored a run in the fourth, but twice, Martinez came to the plate with runners on base and ended the inning -- hitting into a double play in the first and lining out to the warning track in the seventh with a man on first.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox have dropped eight in a row.
- They've lost all seven meetings with the Yankees this season and since the start of last year are 1-14 in New York.
- Jonathan Arauz is now 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
- Alex Verdugo extended his hitting streak to eight games.