All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Pivetta shelled again: For a period of two months, Nick Pivetta was the Red Sox' best starting pitcher -- filling the zone with strikes, going deep in starts and emerging as the team's No. 1 starter. But Pivetta has now given up a staggering 20 earned runs in his last three starts, and Saturday's outing may have been his worse. He gave up two homers, walked three and allowed seven hits in just 4.1 innings. "Lack of command....got behind in a lot of counts, and the rest is history,'' said Pivetta by way of explanation. Pivetta has always been somewhat streaky on the mound, and we're seeing that pattern again this season. He was lousy in April, figured some things out and was dominant for two months, and now is struggling mightily again. It's safe to say that, in addition to needing to make some adjustments, nobody needs the four-day All-Star break more than Pivetta.
Offense non-existent: The night began promisingly enough for the Sox. After Jarren Duran flew out to right, Rafael Devers clubbed a homer and Xander Bogaerts followed with a hard-hit single to left. Then....nothing. The Red Sox would go on to make 22 consecutive outs, and went from Bogaerts' single in the first until Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two-out walk in the eighth without getting a single baserunner. The stretch in between hits was even longer -- after Bogaerts, the next hitter to collect a hit was Kevin Plawecki, who stroked a two-out double in the ninth. In all, the Sox had three hits and just four baserunners, an embarrassing display, especially coming off a night in which they scored five runs in an extra-inning victory.
Story sent to IL: Just as the Red Sox start to get some players back from injuries -- Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Nathan Eovaldi have returned this week alone -- they were forced into placing second baseman Trevor Story on the IL. The Sox had been holding out hope that Story could play tonight, or, at the very least, Sunday in the first-half finale. But after being struck on the hand by a pitch earlier in the week against Tampa Bay, Story wasn't making the kind of progress the Sox had hoped and he was placed on the IL, retroactive to Thursday. That will make him eligible to return on July 24 -- the third game coming out of the All-Star break. The break itself will help give Story some additional recovery time. In the meantime, Jeter Downs will get the lion's share of playing time at second.
TURNING POINT
After five runs were scored in the first inning by the two teams, things settled down somewhat and Pivetta appeared to have made some necessary adjustments, blanking the Yankees over the next three frames. But in the fifth, New York teed off on him again. After a leadoff homer by Aaron Judge and two more singles, Pivetta was lifted. In came Darwinzon Hernandez, who surrendered yet another three-run bomb to Matt Carpenter and the Yankees were officially off in a romp.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers, homering for the third straight game, accounted for the only Red Sox run with his first-inning blast off Jameson Taillon.
Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley didn't have a hit on the night, but he did make two fabulous catches in center -- one, an over-the-shoulder basket catch to take extra bases away from the D.J. LeMahieu in the first, and another to rob Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the fourth, saving a run.
TWO DOWN
Franchy Cordero: Cordero was a no-show at the plate, with all three of his plate appearances ending with a strikeout.
Kaleb Ort: The game was already well in-hand for the Yankees by the time Ort was called upon, but he didn't help, allowing two runs while also issuing two walks and allowing a homer to the first three batters he faced.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He wasn't sharp. When you do that against a team like that, that's what going to happen.'' Alex Cora on Nick Pivetta.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The loss was the most lopsided for the Red Sox to the Yankees since June 19, 2000 — when the Yankees won 22-1.
* The first-inning homer for Rafael Devers was his fifth against the Yankees this season.
* Catcher Connor Wong made his major league debut as an infielder, taking over at second base in the late innings.
* Xander Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to four games with a first-inning single. It was the last Red Sox hit until the ninth.
* The Sox dropped to 12-25 within their own division.
UP NEXT: The teams finish the series -- and wrap up the first half of their seasons -- with a 1:35 p.m. matchup that will have LHP Chris Sale (0-0, 0.00) facing off against RHP Gerrit Cole (8-2 3.05)