Final: Yankees 13, Red Sox 2 - Sale exits with broken finger

The Red Sox finished the first half of the season with a thud, blasted for the second straight day by the New York Yankees in a 13-2 drubbing. Worse, the Red Sox lost starting pitcher Chris Sale, who left the game in the first inning after being struck by a 107 mph line drive which broke his left pinkie finger.

The loss dropped the Sox to 13-26 against the East while resulting in their sixth straight series loss.

The Yanks erupted for eight runs in the fourth as the powered 14 hits. The Sox were limited to six, with the only one of consequence being the first major league homer for Jeter Downs, accounting for both Boston runs.

WHO: Red Sox (48-44) vs. New York Yankees (63-28)
WHEN: 1:35 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium, New York NY
SERIES TO DATE: 1-1
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: NY 5-4
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Chris Sale (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (8-2, 3.05)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Duran RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Verdugo LF
Vazquez C
Cordero 1B
Bradley Jr. CF
Downs 2B

YANKEES

LeMahieu 3B
Judge CF
Rizzo 1B
Torres 2B
Carpenter DH
Hicks LF
Kiner-Falefa SS
Locastro RF
Higashioka C

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have lost 5 of their last 6 games and 9 of their last 12. The Sox are 6-13 in their last 19 games, since 6/27...They posted an MLB-best 19-4 (.826) record from 6/1-26. A win today would snap a 5-series winless streak (0-4-1 record)...Prior to that streak, they went 11-1-2 over their previous 14 series. ...Today marks the 10th matchup this season between the Red Sox and Yankees...The Sox currently trail the season series, 4-5. 6 of their 9 matchups this season have been decided by 1 or 2 runs, including 3 extra-inning games (4/8, 7/9, 7/16). The Sox are the only team this year to win 3 consecutive games vs. NYY. 16 of the Red Sox’ final 80 games this season are against the Yankees (20.0%), including 7 of their final 11 games prior to the All-Star break. ....The Red Sox have come from behind in each of their last 3 wins, all against NYY (7/9, 7/10, 7/16). Friday, 7/15, the Sox trailed 3-2 after 3 innings and won, 5-4, in 11 innings. Last Sunday, 7/10, the Sox trailed 6-2 entering the bottom of the 3rd inning before outscoring the Yankees 9-0 through the final 6 innings for their 11-6 win. Last Saturday, 7/9, the Sox overcame deficits of 3-1 and 5-3 in their 6-5 walk-off win in 10 innings.... 21 of the Red Sox last 38 games have been decided by 1 or 2 runs, with the Red Sox going 13-8 in those 21 games. The Sox have won each of their last 6 extra-inning games after beginning the season 0-6 in extras. ....The Red Sox are closing the season’s 1st half with a stretch of 17 consecutive days with a game (5-11 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 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 (4-9 so far): NYY (7), TB (7), CLE (4), HOU (3), MIL (3), and TOR (3). 53 of their remaining 70 games are against teams who entered today with at least a .500 record (75.7%). ....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 seeking their 1st series win against an AL East opponent (0-9-1 record)....They’re 12-3-3 in series play against all other teams. 39 of the Red Sox’ remaining 70 games are against AL East opponents (55.7%). ....The Red Sox are currently 1.0 game behind TOR for the AL’s 3rd Wild Card position (see below). The Red Sox began the season by going 10-19 through their first 29 games...They could become the 1st team to lose as many as 19 of their first 29 games and still make the Postseason since the 1989 Blue Jays (10-19).  .Three Red Sox players have been selected to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game: Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and J.D. Martinez... The Sox lead MLB in doubles (209), rank 2nd in XBH (306) and 3rd in hits (817), and 3rd in AVG (.257). They rank 2nd in the AL in runs (428), 4th in OBP (.319), and 5th in SLG (.411) and OPS (.730). The Red Sox have scored 5+ runs in a game 46 times, 3rd most in MLB (LAD-48, NYY-47)...They are 31-8 in such games since 5/10, after starting the season 4-4. ...The Red Sox are 32-for-37 (86.5%) in stolen base attempts in their last 59 games (beginning 5/14), after going 4-for-9 (44.4%) in their first 32 games. Overall, the Sox are 36-for-46 (78.3%) in stolen base attempts, the 3rd-best stolen base % in the AL and 8th best in MLB...In 2021, they ranked 29th in the majors (last in AL) in both steals (40) and stolen base % (65.6). ...The Red Sox were 10-19 after getting swept at home by the White Sox from 5/6-8...Since 5/10, they are 38-25 (.603) and rank 2nd in MLB in AVG (.269) and runs per game (5.3)....: Today marks the final game of the Red Sox’ 7-game road trip at TB (0-4) and NYY (1-1), before the All-Star break takes place from 7/18-21. The Sox are 3-9 in their last 12 road games but 19-14 in their last 33, beginning 5/10. The Sox’ 3.68 ERA on the road this season ranks 4th in the AL and 6th in the majors (176 ER/430.1 IP). .... 9 Red Sox pitchers are on the Injured List: Rich Hill, James Paxton, Michael Wacha, Josh Winckowski, Connor Seabold, Tyler Danish, Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor, and Matt Strahm. Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock were reinstated from the IL Friday...Chris Sale was reinstated on Tuesday.