Yankees 1, Red Sox 0

 

So New York scored a run, one run, and beat the Red Sox in the first of this weekend's four-game series. Big deal. Doesn't mean shit. Yankees still suck.

Game one was always going to be a hard one for Boston. New York was starting their ace, Adolph Shitler, while the Sox rotation had their fifth starter, Patrick Sandoval, open. Sandoval pitched well - spectacularly for a fifth starter - and pitched a game that statistically was nearly identical to Shitler's. Sandy threw seven K's to Shitler's eight, and gave up three hits, compared to Shitler's two hits. Sandoval stayed in the game for 5⅓ innings, one out less than Shitler's 5⅔ innings, and threw 96 pitches to 23 batters, compared to Shitler's 102 to 24. 

If the very best the Yankees can throw at the Red Sox is almost statistically indistinguishable from the effort of Boston's worst starter, I feel good about the Sox' chances in the rest of this series. 

Both teams loaded the bases in the sixth, and both team's relievers ended the inning without allowing a run. That was a tense inning.

So the Red Sox are now three back from the Yankees in the AL East and the Wild Card standings, with three games left to play in this series and two of them are in a double-header today. Hope you didn't have plans for today.

Big Jake Bennett (8-6, 3.49) will start the first game against the Yankees' Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.15). Back on June 27, Bennett got the win in a 4-1 game in Fenway against the Yankees, a game that arguably kick-started the Sox' amazing mid-season turnaround. Big Jake's numbers weren't spectacular in that game - three K's, three hits, one run - but he lasted 6⅓ innings and benefited from a pair of home runs by Yoshida and Seigler. Neither batter is in the lineup today - Yoshida's on the IL with a hamstring injury and Chad Tracy is starting the right-handed Nick Sogard (.257) at second today instead of the left-handed Tony Seagulls (.250).  

The lefty Rodón gave up a two-run single to the right-handed Caleb Durbin the day after Big Jake's win, as Boston completed the sweep of that series. The Durbinator (.255), who also stole two bases in that game, is most definitely in today's lineup, and we're counting on him for big things today. In fact, Tracy is going all-in with righties today, platooning as many into the lineup as possible, including putting Eli White (.259) into left field instead of the left-handed Jarren Duran (.219). Wilyer Abreu (.255) is the only lefty in this afternoon's starting lineup. 

Max Fried (4-4, 2.81) will return from the injured list to start the second game of today's doubleheader for the Yanks against Raymond Burgos (0-0, 2.70) in his very first career start and opening for Brayan Bello (5-6, 4.68). But who's got time to worry about that now? One game at a time, baby.