All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 3-2 win over the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Garrett Whitlock was brilliant against the Yankees in the series opener keeping the Yankees lineup off-balanced and limiting them to just seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Whitlock (3-2) produced 47 swings and 18 whiffs, the majority of them (23) coming off his sinker which he threw 43 times. The Sox righty allowed only five hits through five innings, all were singles. His only blemish in the game was the solo blast he allowed to Josh Donaldson. Prior to that blast, Whitlock had retired 13 of his previous 15 batters, mixing up his sinker, sweeper and changeup.
Rafael Devers came into Friday night’s game with a career .233 average (7-for-30) against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The Sox third baseman collected two more hits off Cole, a ground double that jumped started the Sox offense. He also seventh career homer off Cole (14th of the season) in the sixth inning. Devers sent the first pitch of the at-bat to left-center field.
Raffy doing Raffy things. pic.twitter.com/N2YHpPNZ3j
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 10, 2023
Kike Hernández made two nice plays in the field and also crushed his sixth home run this year. After the Sox lineup chased Cole from the game, the Yanks brought in Albert Abreu to face Hernández who launched a solo blast to left, it gave the Sox a much-needed 3-1 lead.
Kiké into the New York night! pic.twitter.com/3ZDEfmCbGk
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 10, 2023
TURNING POINT
Cole looked just as good as Whitlock, he began the game tossing three scoreless frames. Devers’ one-out ground-rule double gave the Sox lineup the jolt it needed. Triston Casas (2-for-3) sent a base hit into right field that scored Devers. The hit was Casas' second of the game off Cole.
The third inning gave the Sox offense the confidence it needed to continue to wear down the Yankees ace. Devers' homer in the sixth put the Sox up 2-0 and Hernández added his blast in the seventh. That proved to be all the offense Boston would need and they chased Cole from the game and subsequently handed him his first loss this year.
TWO UP
Triston Casas' bat coming alive: Casas was solid at the plate for the Red Sox knocking in the first run of the game and going 2-for-3 with two singles and a walk. He is now 8-for-20 (.400) in his last seven games and has also raised his average to .209.
Bullpen comes up big: The Sox' bullpen was impressive outside the shaky ninth inning from Kenley Jansen. Nick Pivetta came into the game in the sixth and tossed 2/3rds scoreless inning of work. It was Pivetta’s seventh appearance out of the bullpen. Since being utilized in the ‘pen, he’s only allowed four runs in 11 2/3 and has struck out 14 batters.
TWO DOWN
Kenley Jansen shaky in the ninth: Jansen certainly made it interesting in the ninth. In a game the Red Sox had to absolutely win, Alex Cora turned to his closer who earned his 14th save of the season.
Jansen quickly recorded two outs to begin the ninth inning, striking out Jake Bauers and forcing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to fly out to right field. Then it started to get dicey, Jansen gave up two hits and with the tying run in scoring position, he would face rookie Anthony Volpe. The young shortstop gave the Sox a scare when he sent a foul ball screaming into the left field seats to the left of the foul pole. Jansen would settle in and get Volpe to pop out and end the game.
Adam Duvall hitless in return: Duval returned to the Sox lineup after missing 50-plus games with a left wrist fracture. In his return, he went hitless with three strikeouts.
“Obviously with hitting, there's some rhythm and timing, you know, issues that you got to kind of work out. There's the getting your legs back underneath you out in center field and, you know, getting the body ready to play back-to-back games, and then back-to-back-to-back games,” said Duvall to BostonSportsJournal.com following his last rehab game with the WooSox.
Prior to his injury, Duvall had been white hot at the plate, he went 15-for-33 (.455) with a .514 on-base percentage, 1.030 slugging percentage, four homers, five doubles, one triple, 14 RBIs and 11 runs.
“I’ve had quite a few white-hot stretches. But I did some things well, at the beginning of the year that I feel like I've never done before, which was controlling the zone and, you know, swinging at pitches that I wanted to swing at. So hopefully, work on that, continue doing that,” said Duvall.
SERIES PITCHING MATCHUPS
Saturday: RHP Tanner Houck (3-5, 5.46 ERA) vs. RHP Domingo Germán (3-3, 3.69 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.97 ERA) vs. RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.96 ERA)