G88: Red Sox 5, Yankees 3

Red Sox - 001 022 000 - 5  8  0
Yankees - 000 003 000 - 3  4  0

The Red Sox hit three home runs:

Ryan Hanigan - solo shot in the third (#1)
Travis Shaw - 2-run bomb in the fifth (#10)
Xander Bogaerts - 2-run dong in the sixth (#11)

Steven Wright (6-3-3-1-4, 77) retired the first 14 Yankees before allowing a baserunner. The trio of Brad Ziegler, Robbie Ross, and Koji Uehara allowed only one baserunner over the final three innings.

Every Red Sox batter had one hit, except for Jackie Bradley (though he did draw a walk and score on Shaw's homer).

Boston remained 2 GB the Orioles, who beat Tampa Bay 4-3. The Yankees dropped to 8.5 GB.

Steven Wright / Michael Pineda

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 1B
Bradley, CF
Shaw, 3B
Holt, LF
Hanigan, C

The rest of this series:

Saturday: Eduardo Rodriguez / CC Sabathia, 4 PM
Sunday: David Price / Masahiro Tanaka, 8 PM

After they dismantle the Yankees, the Red Sox play a nine-game homestand against the Giants, Twins, and Tigers. Then it's off to the west coast as July turns to August.

The Red Sox have acquired Drew Pomeranz, a 27-year-old left-hander, from the Padres. In 17 starts this season, Pomeranz has a 2.47 ERA and a 1.059 WHIP. Boston gave up Anderson Espinoza, an 18-year-old pitcher ranked as Baseball America's 15th-best prospect. Dave Dombrowski discusses the deal.

Roster Stuff: Junichi Tazawa was placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder impingement. The Red Sox called up William Cuevas from Pawtucket.

Alex Speier, 108 Stitches:

What [David] Ortiz continues to do is not merely impressive but outlandish. He is hitting .332, behind only Jose Altuve (.341) in the American League, while topping the league in on-base percentage (.426) and lapping the field in slugging percentage (.682 in a year where no one else in the AL is above .600). He leads the majors in OPS (1.107) and OPS+ (184 — 84 percent better than a league average mark, or nearly twice the production of an average player).

He now has 22 homers and is on pace for 41, which would be his highest total since his 54-homer campaign in 2006. He is on pace for 106 extra-base hits; no player has reached triple digits in extra-base hits since 2001. He is on pace for 63 doubles; no player has had as many as 60 since 1936.

As hitters age, their declining bat speed is supposed to render them more vulnerable to strikeouts, with a corresponding decrease in walk rates. Ortiz has more walks (48) than strikeouts (43), and he's striking out in a career-low 12.5 percent of plate appearances. By several measures, he is amidst what has been the best season of his career.

SABR member Cyril Morong shared the following:

All those doubles have helped him get to 57 extra base hits (34 2Bs, 1 3B, 22 HRs). The record for most XB hits in a season by a guy 40 years old or older is 62, by Dave Winfield in 1992 at age 40. Ortiz has a chance to greatly eclipse that mark. He is having one of the best 40+ seasons ever. His 182 OPS+ is higher than the 158 of Willie Mays in 1971, which is the current high for guys aged 40+ with 400+ PAs.

Paul Hembekides, ESPN:

No player in history has led the majors in slugging percentage or OPS in his final season (minimum 400 plate appearances), according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Ortiz is on pace to do both.

Ortiz is on pace to become the first player in major league history with 40 home runs and 60 doubles in one season. He is on pace for 63 doubles; no player has hit 60 doubles in a season since 1936 (Joe Medwick and Charlie Gehringer).

Ortiz leads the majors in extra-base hits (57), the oldest player to do so at the break, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. No player has led the majors in extra-base hits in his final season.

He is on pace for 106 extra-base hits. The only players in MLB history with more in one season are Babe Ruth (1921), Lou Gehrig (1927), Chuck Klein (1930) and Barry Bonds (2001).