There was a something special about the two-run home run by David Ortiz on Friday night, and not just because it helped the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees, 4-2.
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Sure he snapped the Yankees’ four-game losing skid, but the most impressive aspect of his start was that he handed the ball over to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller to secure a win for NY.
The Yankees have shown no signs of life not only in this series but overall, as the offense struggles to put runs on the board. However, the Yankees’ offense scored a total of 30 runs for him in those contests (12.09 RSA).
Porcello (5-0) allowed five hits and a walk en route to his fifth straight win to open the season as Boston (14-10) has a chance to sweep a three-game series with its bitter rival in Sunday night’s nationally-televised finale. People are starting to demand explanations. “I’m comfortable”, said Bradley, who is 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position this season.
After all, panic is probably preferable to apathy.
“Track record tells you it’s going to turn around”, he said.
As always, you’re entitled to feel however you want about how A-Rod has conducted his business in the past. “So, I mean, enough is enough”. “He was making pitches and he was getting us out”, Bradley said of Tanaka. That led to Friday night in Boston, where Moss, his mother and sister traveled all the way from Mesa, Ariz.to Fenway Park to celebrate his eighth birthday. That would be catastrophic for a team with a payroll in excess of $200 million. It’s the first time NY has been in last place this late in the season since 2008.
Saturday was another example of the futility.
Bradley’s first triple rolled to the center field triangle and Betts’ infield single the next at-bat brought him in as the Red Sox doubled their lead to 4-0 in the sixth. Tanaka gave up a two-out, two-run double to Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr.in the seventh inning that tied the game.
– Robbie Ross Jr. had a couple of baserunners thanks to an error on second baseman Marco Hernandez followed by a forceout for Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner, but the lefty came out of the eighth with no hits and a strikeout over on inning.
It’s supposed to rain in Boston on Sunday night when the Yankees are scheduled to play the Red Sox. Shreve was tagged for two runs in two-thirds of an inning and Johnny Barbato was reached for four runs (three earned) in just one-third of an inning.
The Yankees hope a visit to Fenway Park to take on the hated Red Sox could be just the thing to jumpstart their season, as the high intensity of baseball’s best rivalries could prove to be what the doctor ordered.
With “an accomplished group, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel with these guys”, Cockrell said.
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This run has been so bad that hitting coach Alan Cockrell, besieged by media interview requests, spoke before the game in a coordinated media session. Colby Lewis (1-0, 3.38) starts for the Rangers.
