Yankees 9, Red Sox 2

 

Absolutely disgusting. 

The loss was made all the worse because the Sox managed to get New York starter Max Fried off the mound after only 3⅔ innings, after Sogard had managed a solo home run off him in the third. Brayan Bello, on the mound replacing opener Alec Gamboa after 1⅓ innings, was wild in the third, giving up three runs with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a handful of singles, but after that he settled down, pitching two innings of three-up/three-down baseball. But the Yankees apparently rattled his cage with a double steal of second and third in the sixth inning and he wound up giving up a fourth run to New York before betting relieved.  

The wheels came completely off the wagon in the eighth, when the Yankees added five more runs and the Sox left reliever Raymond Burgos in the game despite the cavalcade of runs because why burn through another reliever on a lost cause?

Worse, the Boston offense was totally lifeless, getting only six hits all game. Two of those were in the top of the eighth, so up to that point the Sox were 4-29 at bat (.138). The two eighth inning hits - an Abreu double followed by a Contreras triple - resulted in a second Boston run, but the bottom of the eighth saw the five-run disaster.

Ugly loss, but like whatever. Can't win 'em all, especially on doubleheaders. The Yankees lead the series 2-1 for now, but there's another game today. 

This afternoon, Ranger Suarez (5-3, 3.35) takes the mound opposed by the Yankees' Will Warren (8-6, 4.39). In Ranger's last game in the Bronx, back on June 7 before the turnaround began, he struck out six and gave up only one run in 6⅓ innings (his turn in the rotation didn't come up during the late June sweep of the Yankees in Fenway). Boston lost the game after Slaten gave up five runs in the bottom of the eighth (sound familiar?), but Ranger was solid.  

The Red Sox knocked the snot out of Warren in Fenway back on June 26, scoring five runs off him on seven hits. Warren walked three and didn't get a single K on the Sox. That's the kind of performance we can use today.

A win by Boston today would result in a split of the road series and give Boston the tie-breaker in the event that the season ends with the Sox and the Yankees tied in the standings. A win today will also help wash the disgusting taste of last night's loss out of the mouths of the Sox and their fans. 

This is history, man. Series like these are the things that fans will talk about for generations. One last game in the Bronx for this season, one last time facing the pinstriped motherfuckers (at least in the regular season). Let's play some long ball!