The Yankees’ largest deficit has been nine games on two occasions in late June.
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Consistency. That is a word Joe Girardi said is “going to ring loud here” as the Yankees strive to remain in the playoff race and prove to their front office that they shouldn’t be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Red Sox will call upon Eduardo Rodriguez to take on fellow left-hander CC Sabathia and the Yankees on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
The New York Yankees look for consistency after splitting their last 10 games.
Rodriguez opened the season on the disabled list with a knee injury, then posted an 8.59 ERA in six starts before being demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. “If I say tomorrow that I want to play with LeBron James, am I tampering, too?”
Sabathia allowed five runs (four earned) and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings for his third straight loss.
“Now, I’m not thinking about the tipping stuff”, Rodriguez said. “Just the result is not coming”. He has struggled to follow it up, going 0-3 with a 10.03 ERA over his last five starts. The 35-year-old has allowed 27 runs in his past five starts after yielding just 18 over his first 11.
And then the comeback got more hard when Pineda, on a 2-2 pitch, gave up his third homerun of the game when Xander Bogaerts sent one down the left field line that scored two and the Red Sox were up 5-0. “I got 4 1/2”, Ross said of his season total.
“Just consistent starts, consistency in that slider”, Girardi said before the game when asked about Pineda, who threw a fastball on all three homers.
The Yankees quickly tied it up, as Rodriguez allowed the aforementioned home run by Gardner. The backup catcher now has driven in 13 runs in 20 games with Boston while hitting.458 in that stretch.
“He didn’t have much luck today when I look at the way he threw the ball”, Girardi said.
NY closed the gap with a three-run sixth, when Wright hit Chase Headley on the thigh with a pitch and loaded the bases with a walk to Jacoby Ellsbury.
Rodriguez (2-3) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings.
As of this writing, Pineda’s 5.56 ERA this season is the second-worst mark in the majors among qualified starters. Boston believed Rodriguez was telegraphing his pitches and had him adjust his delivery during two starts – one shortened by rain – in the minors.
NOTES: New York DH Alex Rodriguez is expected to get a third straight start Sunday when the Yankees face LHP David Price.
After 2 2/3 ideal innings, Pineda left a fastball over the middle for Ryan Hanigan, who mashed it for his first home run of the season.
Tyler Collins hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning in his first game back since giving the bird to Comerica Park fans out of frustration in April.
“I definitely need to drive the ball a little bit better on a more consistent basis here in the second half”, Gardner said.
Chase Headley had a solo homer, his eighth, to lead off the eighth for the Yankees against Matt Barnes.
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Pineda retired the first eight batters he saw until he left a 3-1 fastball over the inside part of the plate to Ryan Hanigan, who crushed it over the left-center field wall to make it 1-0. He carried that negative play through the All-Star break, as he gave up another five runs to the Red Sox.
