Entering Sunday night’s series finale in New York, the Red Sox were 8-12 in series finales, and even one of Brayan Bello’s best starts of his burgeoning career couldn’t make it an easy night.
The first two games of the series had been tight, why should the third be any different?
Tighter, even, as it was Boston’s first extra-inning game since April 29.
From start to finish, it was a night of dominant Red Sox pitching. For the second time in his career, Bello made a 7-inning start, holding the Yankees to two sort-of-earned runs and the only three hits they’d collect all night. They own the fourth-lowest on-base percentage in the majors.
After Bello exited, Nick Pivetta, Kenley Jansen, and Chris Martin combined for three no-hit innings, with Martin slamming the door in the bottom of the 10th for a 3-2 victory.
As has been the case lately, what held the Red Sox back for most of the night was their bats, or lack thereof.
Jarren Duran led off with a 110 mph double on the first pitch of the game, but hopes for a different outcome than their recent stranding struggles would have to wait. Clarke Schmidt got the next three batters in order, and Duran became the 71st batter left on base by the Red Sox over their last nine games (including Sunday).
No one on base? No problem for Justin Turner, who led off the second inning by skying his eighth home run of the season into the right-field stands for a 1-0 lead. At 373 feet, it wouldn’t have been a home run at any of the other 29 ballparks, but the Red Sox will take an early lead any way they can get it; they’re now 26-16 when they hit at least one home run, and 21-6 when scoring first, in general.
Unfortunately, their first lead was short-lived. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Bello began the second by walking Josh Donaldson, and as usual, a free pass came back to bite. After getting the next two batters out, the Red Sox righty gave up a ground-rule double to Billy McKinney, then allowed the Yankees to take the lead on a single by Jose Trevino. Trevino’s hit looked like a routine grounder until it took a peculiar bounce off second base, vaulting over Kiké Hernández’s head into centerfield.
Need further proof that the Red Sox just can’t catch a break lately? Look no further than the top of the third, when Duran walloped a one-out single, only to get tagged out by Alex Verdugo.
You read that right.
Verdugo’s single hit Duran as he ran to second, essentially the baseball equivalent of being hoisted with one’s own petard. It was a moment so unusual and outlandish that, standing in the dugout, Alex Cora couldn’t help but laugh.
Following that madcap moment, however, the Boston bats disappeared. The Red Sox went 1-2-3 in innings four through seven. They had no answers for Schmidt, who went 5 1/3 innings, and held the Red Sox to four hits, Turner’s home run, struck out four, and didn’t issue a walk; 60 of his 82 pitches were for strikes, and he got seven swings-and-misses.
Meanwhile, a lackadaisical throwing error by Rafael Devers allowed one of the game’s slowest runners to reach first. Leading off the bottom of the fifth, Trevino was able to get on base when the third baseman air-mailed one to Triston Casas. Casas made an impressive leaping catch but was unable to get his foot back down to the bag in time, and the catcher, who ranks in the 4th MLB percentile in Sprint Speed, was safe.
On the whole, Devers is showing much improvement defensively this season, which makes the gaffe all the more surprising.
Finally, in the eighth inning, the Boston bats showed some life. Hernández led off with a single and advanced to second on a fielding error, and Reese McGuire joined him on the bases with a walk. Pablo Reyes moved things along with a sacrifice bunt, and Duran drove in Hernández, tying things up with a sacrifice grounder.
The Yankees kept quiet, so game went into extras, when Hernández again came through. Singling on a sharp grounder to left, he drove in Adam Duvall, who entered as the pinch-ghost runner. It was the only run they’d get, but it was enough, as Martin pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the tenth for the win.
Over the three-game series, the Red Sox only scored seven runs, but it was enough to win the weekend. They need more from their bats, in general, but it’s quite a vote of confidence for the pitching staff.
