With the offense in apparent hibernation, the Red Sox mustered just three hits and were shut out by the Yankees, 2-0. completing a sweep of a day-night doubleheader for New York.
The sweep enabled the Yankees to catch the Red Sox in the standings for second place in the A.L. East and for the top wild card spot.
Nathan Eovladi pitched well, but allowed two solo homers -- the only runs of the night for either team -- over five innings.
GAME 2 LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez 2B
Verdugo LF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Martinez RF
Schwarber DH
Plawecki C
Duran CF
Shaw 1B
YANKEES
LeMahieu 2B
Gardner CF
Judge DH
Gallo LF
Stanton RF
Odor 3B
Voit 1B
Wade SS
Higashioka SS
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
T6: Some bad luck for the Red Sox as pinch-hitter Bobby Dalbec lines a hard comebacker at Peralta, who knocks it down, recovers and manages to throw Dalbec out at first, stranding two.
T5: Sox can't cash in, as Wandy Peralta gets Rafael Devers to hit into an inning-ending forceout, leaving the bases loaded.
T5: Time for the Red Sox to get something started. Through the first four innings, they have just one hit -- an infield single against the shift.
B4: Not a bad slider at the bottom of the zone from Eovaldi, but Giancarlo Stanton gives it a ride over the visitor's bullpen for a 2-0 Yankee lead.
B3: Yankees start the inning with consecutive hits and have runners at first and second, but Nathan Eovaldi works around the threat with an infield pop-up, a flyout and a strikeout.
B2: Luke Voit was late on a fastball on the outer half, but got enough of it to drive it out to right for a 1-0 New York lead.
T2: Like Michael Chavis before him, Jarren Duran is having a hard time layoff the fastball up in the zone -- and teams are going to continue to exploit him until he does
GAME 1
Ahead with nine outs to go, the Red Sox saw a bullpen implosion take place, blowing a one-run lead with a series of walks, ending Boston's three-game winning streak with a 5-3 loss to the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader.
Garrett Whitlock and Josh Taylor combined to issue three walks in the fifth and all three came around to score.
In the top of the inning, Christian Vazquez's first homer since the end of June had put the Sox ahead by a run.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with no out in the ninth, but couldn't produce a hit as Jonathan Loaisiga fanned Kike Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe to close out the game.
WHO: Red Sox (69-51) vs New York Yankees ( )
WHEN: 1:05 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 10-3
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Tanner Houck (0-3, 2.90) vs. LHP Jordan Montgomery (4-5, 3.69)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez 2B
Renfroe CF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Martinez RF
Schwarber DH
Vazquez C
Verdugo LF
Dalbec 1B
YANKEES
LeMahieu 2B
Gardner CF
Judge RF
Gallo DH
Voit 1B
Odor 3B
Sanchez C
Wade LF
Velazquez SS
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B5: Complete bullpen implosion by the Red Sox in the fifth as the Yankees score three runs after the Whitlock walks two and Taylor another before allowing a bloop single to center and a line drive single to center.
B5: Can't say that I understand limiting Houck to such short outings. He's out after four innings and just 58 pitches. Garrett Whitlock on for bottom of fifth.
T5: Christian Vazquez goes deep for the first time in more than a month and a half and gives the Red Sox their first lead of the afternoon. It had been 11 at-bats since Vazquez hit the last one, also against the Yankees.
B4: Houck successfully works out of a bit of a two-out jam, getting Velazquez to fly out harmlessly to center, stranding two.
T3: Xander Bogaerts, who has owned Montgomery in the past, comes through by lining a single to left, scoring two and tying the game. Bogaerts, however, takes too wide a turn at first base and is picked off by catcher Gary Sanchez..
B2: Andrew Velazquez gets a single up over the middle of the plate from Tanner Houck and lines it to CF, scoring two runs.
T1: Hunter Renfroe got a little too aggressive there, seeing that third base was unoccupied because of the shift as he approached second. Made the turn and headed for third, but caught just before reaching the bag.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are 4-1 in their last five games, 14-15 since the All-Star break, and 69-51 (.575) overall. ...Beginning Friday, each of their next nine games will be against teams outside of the division...The Sox have been in either first or second place every day since April 8. ..The Red Sox are 11-3 in their last 14 games against the Yankees (10-3 in 2021)...With only six meetings remaining, the Sox have won the season series. Sox pitchers have a 2.82 ERA against the Yankees this season, allowing four earned runs or fewer in 12 of 13 meetings...They have given up a total of one HR in their last four games vs. NYY. The Sox and Yankees last played a doubleheader on Aug. 3, 2019 in the Bronx (NYY won both games)...The Sox last swept the Yankees in a doubleheader on Sept. 17, 2006....The Red Sox had a +29 run differential through 115 games; they have a +30 run differential in their last five games (51-21). Prior to this stretch, the last time the Sox scored 50+ runs in any 5-game span was May 2016 ...In four of their last five games, Sox hitters have recorded more walks than strikeouts (27 BB, 29 SO total).....Int their last seven games from Aug 8--15, the Red Sox scored 63 runs (9.0 per game) and hit .329 with 12 HR, a .412 OBP, a .579 SLG, and a .991 OPS. Overall, the Sox rank sixth in the majors in runs scored per game (5.05) and rank in the top four in AVG (third, .260), SLG (second, .444), OPS (fourth, .769), doubles (first, 253), and XBH (first, 423). The Red Sox own MLB’s best records when scoring four or more runs (.847, 61-11) and five or more runs (.897, 52-6). The Sox scored five runs or fewer in 15 consecutive games from July 24--Aug. 7 , but they have scored at least six runs in five of their seven games since then. The Sox have scored 10 or more runs in a game 15 times, third most in the majors behind CIN (18) and TOR (16). The Sox are the only AL team to score 15+ runs in a game as many as three times this season.....The Red Sox have hit nine HR in their last three games, after ranking tied for last in the AL with 16 HR in their previous 21 games from 7/22-8/12....The Sox lead the majors in games with four or more HR (11). The Sox have hit 26 three-run homers, most in the majors (no other AL team has hit more than 20)...The Red Sox have three off days in a span of eight days from 8/16-23...After this stretch, they will play a game on 16 consecutive days from 8/24-9/8, with 7 of those against the 1st-place Rays. The Sox have 42 games left in the regular season...21 of those are vs. teams with a losing record (BAL-6, CLE-6, MIN-3, TEX-3, WSH-3) and 21 are vs. teams with a .500+ record (TB-7, NYY-6, CWS-3, SEA-3, NYM-2)....The Red Sox entered today with MLB’s largest increase in win % from 2020 (.400) to 2021 (.575). In Red Sox history, this is currently the third-largest increase in winning percentage from one year to the next, trailing only 1945-46 (.214) and 1911-12 (.181). In their last nine games, Red Sox starters have allowed 13 ER in 49.0 IP (2.39 ERA)...That is the Sox’ lowest starting pitcher ERA over any nine-game span this season. In those nine games, Sox starters have struck out 61 batters and walked only 11...They allowed 3 ER or fewer in each of the nine games and have thrown at least 5.0 innings in each of the last seven. Only seven pitchers have started a game for the Red Sox this season, the fewest in the majors....Since June 27, Kiké Hernández leads the AL in OBP (.408)...In 42 games during that time, he has hit .297 with a .978 OPS while leading the Red Sox in hits (47), runs (29), walks (27), XBH (23, tied), and total bases (90). The Red Sox feature three of the top 20 MLB leaders in FanGraphs’ WAR: Rafael Devers (10th, 4.6), Xander Bogaerts (11th, 4.5), and Nathan Eovaldi (T16th, 4.2)...They each lead the AL in WAR at their position. Devers leads the majors in RBI (89) and has hit 29 HR...With one more HR, he would join Ted Williams and Nomar Garciaparra as the only Red Sox to record multiple 30-HR seasons before turning 25.....In their last five games, the Red Sox are 25-for-58 (.431) with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox lead the majors in runs scored with two outs (253)...With RISP & two outs, they rank 2nd in MLB in AVG (.270), SLG (.488), and OPS (.848). With two strikes, the Sox lead the majors in RBI (239) and lead the AL in XBH (145, tied for most in MLB).
NOTES:
* The Red Sox made a series of roster moves, optioning C Connor Wong and 1B Franchy Cordero to Worcester, releasing INF Marwin Gonzalez, and adding INF Travis Shaw. They also activated Josh Taylor from the IL/COVID list, added Tanner Houck as the 27th man for the doubleheader and designated Matt Andriese for assignment.
* Shaw will start against "certain righties,'' according to Alex Cora. "He also controls the strike zone.''
* The Sox had Hunter Renfroe in center field for the first time this season, with J.D. Martinez in right field. Renfroe played some center in spring training and has played the position in the past. Meanwhile, with the shorter field in right in Yankee Stadium, it made sense to move Martinez from left to right.
* First base coach Tom Goodwin has rejoined the club and is set to coach at first base. Goodwin and bench coach Will Venable had been quarantines in Toronto after Venable tested positive for COVID while Goodwin was deemed a close contact. Venable remains in Toronto, but could rejoin the team either tonight, Wednesday or Friday.
* Christian Arroyo is set to serve as the DH for Worcester while Danny Santana could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment in a matter of days. Ryan Brasier is lined up for consecutive appearances Wednesday and Thursday.