Final: Yankees 12, Red Sox 5

For the second straight night, the Red Sox took it on the chin -- and assorted other body parts -- from the Yankees, drubbed in a 12-5 loss. The defeat was the fourth in a row for the Red Sox. They've allowed 18 runs in the first two games of this four-game series.

Starter Connor Seabold was rocked for four runs just five batters into the game, and it was downhill from there. Seabold was charged seven runs before leaving in the third inning with a forearm injury.

The loss dropped the Sox 16 games behind the Yankees in the A.L. East standings. They're now 9-20 vs. teams from their own division this year.

The Sox banged out 13 hits of their own -- one fewer than the Yankees -- but twice left the bases loaded and were 2-for-9 with RISP.

The Sox, out of pitchers, turned to Jackie Bradley Jr., who made his major league pitching debut in the ninth.

WHO: Red Sox (45-38) vs. New York Yankees (60-23)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: NY 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: NY 3-1
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Connor Seabold (0-1, 8.31) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (7-3, 2.44)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Refsnyder CF
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Vazquez C
Verdugo LF
Story 2B
Arroyo RF
Dalbec 1B

YANKEES

LeMaheiu 1B
Judge DH
Carpenter DH
Torres 2B
Donaldson 3B
Hicks CF
Trevino C
Gonzalez SS
Gallo RF

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have lost each of their last 3 games, their first time losing more than 2 consecutive games since dropping 5 straight from 5/4-8. The Sox are 2-5 in their last 7 games and 10-9 in their last 19 games, beginning 6/19. The Sox lost each of their 3 series prior to the current one (at TOR, at CHC, vs. TB) after going 11-1-2 in their previous 14 series. ....The Red Sox are closing the season’s 1st half with a stretch of 17 consecutive days with a game (2-5 so far), matching their longest streak of the season...They will also open the 2nd half with a stretch of 17 consecutive days with a game from 7/22-8/7. ....The Red Sox are 9-5 in their last 14 games at Fenway Park (began the season 12-14 at home). The Sox are in a stretch during which 28 of their 29 home games from 7/4-8/28 are against teams that entered today with at least a .500 record...The only game during that stretch against a team with a record below .500 is 8/11 vs. BAL (40-44), who the Sox are 3-5 against this season. ...The Sox are in a stretch during which each of their 27 games from 7/4-8/3 will be against a team that entered today with at least a .500 record (1-3 so far): NYY (7), TB (7), CLE (4), HOU (3), MIL (3), and TOR (3). The Sox are 2-5 in their last 7 games against teams that currently have at least a .500 record after going 14-4 in their previous 18: ATL (1-1), HOU (2-1), SEA (6-1), STL (2-1), CLE (3-0), TOR (1-2), TB (1-2), and NYY (0-1). Overall, their 22-20 (.524) record vs. teams with at least a .500 record ranks T-3rd in the AL. ...The Red Sox are in a stretch during which each of their 17 games from 7/4-24 will be against AL East teams (3 vs. TB, 4 vs. NYY, 4 at TB, 3 at NYY, 3 vs. TOR). The Sox are 0-8-0 in series against AL East opponents, compared to 12-3-3 against all other teams. ..Tonight continues the Red Sox and Yankees’ 2nd series of the year, their 1st at Fenway Park. 7 of the Red Sox’ final 11 games prior to the All-Star Game will be against NYY...In addition to this 4-game series, they will face off in the Bronx next weekend for a 3-game series (7/15-17) before the break. 16 of the Red Sox’ final 80 games this season are against the Yankees (20.0%). The Yankees only visit to Fenway in 2020 was in September (9/18-20, 3 G) and their 1st in 2019 was in July (7/25-28, 4 G) following 2 games in London which were Sox home games...Prior to that, the last time the Yankees visited Fenway for the 1st time in a season this late into the year was 2013 (7/19-21, 3 G). ...Rafael Devers hit 2 HR last night, his 12th career multi-HR game and 2nd this season (also 5/21 vs. SEA). Devers has hit 131 HR in his career and is just 25 years old...The only Red Sox to hit more HR at age 25 or younger are Tony Conigliaro (160) and Jim Rice (133). ....The Red Sox have won 14 of their last 15 games in which their starting pitcher has thrown at least 6.0 innings (19-2 in their last 21). Since 5/31, Sox starting pitchers rank 4th in the AL in ERA (3.40, 70 ER/185.1 IP). The Red Sox starting pitcher has been a rookie in 4 of the club’s last 6 games, including each of the last 2 (Winckowski-2, Seabold-1, Bello-1)...Kutter Crawford also tossed 5.1 scoreless innings in relief on 7/4 vs. TB. ...17 of the Red Sox’ last 29 games have been decided by 1 or 2 runs...They are 11-6 in those 17 games, after beginning the season 8-15. ...The Red Sox lead the AL in AVG (.260), doubles (192), and XBH (277), 3rd in runs (388) and OBP (.324), and 5th in SLG (.413) and OPS (.737). The Red Sox have scored 5+ runs in a game 41 times, tied for most in the AL...They are 28-5 in such games since 5/10, after starting the season 4-4. ...The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 11 games in which their opponent starts a LHP (14-5 in 2022). The Sox own the AL’s highest OBP vs. LHP (.343) and rank 2nd in OPS (.781), and 3rd in AVG (.267) and SLG (.438). J.D. Martinez (.492) and Xander Bogaerts (.478) rank 1st and 2nd in the AL in OBP against LHP...Martinez also owns the AL’s highest AVG vs. LHP (.389). ..The Red Sox were 10-19 after getting swept at home by the White Sox from 5/6-8...Since 5/10, they are 35-19 (.648) and lead MLB in AVG (.276), OBP (.346), and OPS (.796), and rank 2nd runs per game (5.4). The Red Sox could become the 1st team in the Wild Card era (since 2012) to lose as many as 19 of their first 30 games and still make the Postseason. 

NOTES: 

* The Red Sox made it official, placing RHP Michael Wacha on the IL with a sore shoulder. He'll be eligible to return after the All-Star break. To take his spot on the roster, the Sox added RHP Connor Seabold, Friday's starter.

* Both Kike Hernandez and Garrett Whitlock were set to begin rehab assignments for Worcester Friday night. Nathan Eovaldi will begin his Sunday.