Then there is the 3-4-5-6 part of the batting order, one that Girardi hopes will produce some runs for an inconsistent pitching staff. Combined, Beltran, the Yankees run producer, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez had two of the four Yankees hits. In 11 career at-bats A-Rod is 5-for-11 against Rodriguez.
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Price (9-6, 4.34) pitches for Boston in a night game at Yankee Stadium coming off three straight games with exactly 10 strikeouts and one walk. Boston believed Rodriguez was tipping his pitches and had him adjust his delivery during two starts in the minors. “I thought he threw the ball well today, I really did, ” he said. “They aren’t right now, and that’s just been what’s killing me so far”. Rodriguez, leaning heavily on his slider and letting his changeup take a backseat for a change, started getting pop-ups and ground balls, and New York’s trips to the plate just stopped being all that scary.
“I felt good”, Sabathia said. Sabathia did surrender a fair amount of soft-contact hits Saturday, but in his last five outings, he has allowed 27 runs (25 earned) and 39 hits in 28 1⁄3 innings. Koji Uehara closed it out. The estimated 412-foot drive prompted Boston television play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien to say “Sandy Leon is absolutely fantastic”.
Leon’s hot hitting has been timely for Boston, which has had catchers Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list this season. Sabathia is seeing Boston for the first time in 2016 but was solid in three starts against the rival Red Sox last season, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.12 ERA. It still left the Red Sox up 5-1 in the game they were least likely to win in this series.
“The difference between us and potentially some other teams is the production we get out of that bottom third”, Farrell said. Rodriguez made the necessary adjustments in two starts at Triple-A, allowing a total of two runs and five hits in 10 innings. That’s 18 home run balls in 18 starts for Pineda, and not resembling anything that can keep momentum going for the Yankees.
Headley hit a solo homer in the eighth for the Yankees against Matt Barnes.
Clay Buchholz has been moved to the Boston bullpen to clear space in the rotation for newly acquired All-Star Drew Pomeranz.
After a throwing error by Didi Gregorius, the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the third inning of a scoreless game. Buchholz is 3-9 with a 5.91 ERA in 19 starts but has a 2.89 ERA in his six relief appearances.
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The Red Sox also expect to activate Junichi Tazawa from the disabled list Tuesday and bring Joe Kelly up from Triple-A Pawtucket soon. The Yankees appeared to turn an inning-ending double play but after a challenge from Boston manager John Farrell, Bogaerts was ruled safe at first and the Red Sox had a 1-0 lead.
