The Yankees' bats were held in check, and some sloppy defense cost them, as they fell to the Boston Red Sox 6-0 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader in The Bronx.
New York, with just two runs in its last 27 innings of baseball, fell to 76-59 on the season (35-31 at home) as Boston continued to keep pace in the AL East race, improving to 74-61 (40-29 away from home).
Here are the takeaways...
- Carlos Rodon got the first two batters he faced with ease, but left a 2-2 sinker on the inside corner and Wilyer Abreu turned on it and hit a laser to the right-field seats (387 feet, 108.5 mph off the bat). Rodon was having issues with the pitch com in the inning and was seen speaking with catcher Ali Sanchez, saying, “It’s not working,” after the homer. But he did manage a pair of strikeouts around the dinger.
The name of the game for Rodon entering the start was efficiency, as he is still on a pitch count and it was the start of the day-night doubleheader, and it was 10 in a row retired since the home run to get him through four frames on 61 pitches with five strikeouts.
Adley Rutschman ended the run with a one-out single in the fifth, and that’s when things went sideways on Rodon as sloppy defense did him in. Amed Rosario put the runner on second base as he double-clutched the throw back on what should have been an inning-ending double-play on a soft liner.
After an infield hit to third covered the corners, a 2-2 slider up in the zone wasn’t handled by Sanchez and the ball got just far enough away to allow Rutschman to score just ahead of Rodon's tag on the passed ball. After a walk and a hit batter, the starter’s day was done, but Yerry De Los Santos entered and left ‘em loaded.
Rodon’s final line: 4.2 innings, two runs (both earned) on two hits, a walk and five strikeouts on 88 pitches (59 strikes).
- Jose Caballero got the Yanks’ first hit to start the third inning, dropping a ball down the left-field line for a single and getting to second as Eli White mishandled the ball. But with their first RBI chance, Spencer Jones struck out looking, Sanchez struck out swinging, and Paul Goldschmidt popped out to first.
- Rosario reached on third baseman Caleb Durbin's throwing error one out in the fourth. A passed ball by Rutschman gave the Yanks another scoring chance, and this time Heliot Ramos got the big hit, with a liner to center that turned around Ceddanne Rafaela. But Rosario was next to second when the ball landed on the track, and a well-executed relay got him at the plate to keep the Yanks off the board. (Rosario finished 0-for-4.)
With Ramos on second, Cody Bellinger had a two-out chance but went down looking on three pitches. That was the last chance the Yanks had with a runner in scoring position on the day, finishing 1-for-5, but with no runs to show for it.
- Ben Rice was hitless in three times up against the Red Sox’ lefty starter Jake Bennett, with a strikeout swinging, and finished 0-for-4 after striking out looking against lefty Jovani Morán to start the ninth.
- George Lombard Jr., who struck out looking and struck out swinging, did make a few good plays heading back into the outfield to make grabs. He finished 0-for-3.
- Jones dropped a first-pitch single into left his second time up. Finished 1-for-3 with a strikeout, but made a nice running grab in the left-center gap for the second out in the seventh.
- Bellinger grounded a one-out single up the middle in the seventh to finish 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Sánchez struck out swinging and struck out looking before Austin Wells came on as pinch-hitter with one out in the eighth and struck out looking.
- Caballero finished 1-for-2 before being lifted for pinch-hitter Luis Garcia Jr., who grounded out to end he seventh.
- Goldschmidt went hitless in three times up against the left-handed starter and finished 0-for-4.
- Trent Grisham bounced out to second on the first pitch as a pinch-hitter for Ramos in the seventh. And flied out to center to end the game.
- Ramos, who was credited with a double on the misplay in center, really needed that hit, as it has been a slog for him at the plate since putting on the pinstripes. After his 1-for-2 day, he’s now 7-for-57 (.123) with 20 strikeouts in 19 games.
- Justin Topa was the second man out of the ‘pen to start the sixth and, after two quick outs, allowed back-to-back singles to cover the corners. But a liner to center stranded the runners. Ryan Yarbrough got the Sox in order in the seventh and eighth on just 21 pitches.
But after a leadoff walk in the ninth, Rutchman dropped a bloop single into center and, with good base running, Boston put two in scoring position. Andruw Monasterio made Yarbrough pay, delivering the big add-on runs with a two-RBI single to right to double the deficit for the Yanks. Nick Sogard then doubled into the left-field corner, and as he started to throw the ball in, Bellinger slipped on the warning track, allowing another run to score. Yarbrough was forced to suffer as he tired in the ninth, finally getting out of things by going strikeout, walk, RBI single, strikeout, groundout.
What's next
Game 2 of Saturday's twin-bill is set for 7:15 p.m.
Max Fried (2.81 ERA, 0.996 WHIP in 86.1 innings) is set to make his return from the IL. Boston has yet to announce a starter.
