G106: Red Sox 9, Yankees 5

Yankees - 010 110 020 - 5 11  1
Red Sox - 010 313 10x - 9 15  0

The Red Sox battered the Yankees for the third consecutive day, as once again, as regular as a morning sunrise, a Yankees starting pitcher got lit up.

Andrew Benintendi (3-for-4) led the way with two doubles and a home run. Rafael Devers (3-for-5) doubled twice and scored two runs, Sam Travis went 3-for-4, and J.D. Martinez launched his 22nd home run of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez ((5.2-7-3-3-5, 108) dealt with enemy baserunnrers in every inning, but minimized the damage.

CC Sabathia (4.1-9-5-0-3, 65) allowed only two hits through the first three innings, but of the last 11 Red Sox hitters he faced, seven got hits. (However, manager Aaron Boone can point to CC's zero walks as proof he had a good outing.)

Over the last seven games, New York's starters have a 16.61 ERA, and have allowed 18 home runs in 26 innings. The Yankees have also allowed seven runs for the seventh consecutive game, a franchise record.

The Daily News:

The Rays blew a 9-2 lead in Toronto, as the Blue Jays scored one in the sixth, two in the eighth, and four in the ninth, and won 10-9 in 12 innings. The Red Sox are now in second place, 8 GB. The Rays are 8.5 GB.

The Yankees actually led twice in this game. Gio Urshela homered in the second inning, the first of his four hits. With two singles, a double, and a homer, it was his first career four-hit game. Benintendi tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second with a fly that bounced off a front row seat about six feet beyond the Pesky Pole. It was originally ruled a double until Alex Cora asked for a review.

Sabathia threw only 34 pitches to ten batters over the first three innings, but (with a 2-1 lead) he faced eight Red Sox in the fourth as his command deserted him. Devers lined an opposite-field single to left. Xander Bogaerts flies to center (on a 2-0 count courtesy of two very high and outside pitches). JDM crushed CC's first pitch 432 feet to left field. Christian Vázquez lined a single off the base of the wall in left. Benintendi was called out on a questionable full-count pitch that appeared to be above the strike zone. Travis singled to left (and failed to take second when the throw went directly to third base). Michael Chavis blooped a single to short left for a run and Jackie Bradley flied to the track in left.

Mookie Betts (0-for-4 with a sac fly after his big night on Friday) flied to the warning track in center to start the fifth. Devers hit a ground-rule double to right and Bogaerts doubled high off the Wall to make it 5-2 Boston, and end CC's day. Chad Green worked out of trouble in the fifth, but was not so lucky in the sixth. Benintendi doubled off the center field wall and went to third on Travis's single to right. Brock Holt hit for Chavis and hit a sac fly to left, scoring Benintendi. Bradley's fly to left was misplaced off the Wall by Mike Tauchman and JBJ motored into third with a stand-up triple. Betts's fly to center scored Bradley, making it 8-3.

During the sixth inning, as Green gave up a single, two doubles, a triple, a stolen base, three runs, and two of his three outs were caught on the warning track - and the score went from 5-3 to 8-3, effectively erasing any chance of a Yankees' comeback - Aaron Boone's bullpen was completely (and strangely) silent.

Matt Barnes got the final out of the sixth (with the potential tying runs on base) and struck out three in the seventh. Nathan Eovaldi allowed a two-run single to Kyle Higashioka (whose average and OBP were both below .200), after the MFY catcher battled for 12 pitches (and six consecutive foul balls).

Sam Travis knocked in Benintendi with Boston's final run and Brandon Workman set down the Yankees' 2-3-4 hitters in order in the ninth. Aaron Judge grounded to second, and Edwin Encarnacion and Luke Voit both were frozen by strike three.

Listened to the radio today: Joe Castiglione still misrepresents the location of 35-40% of all pitches, Will Flemming refuses to allow even a quarter-second of quiet time pass before filling it with more and more words, and Lou Merloni had the best comment of the day (and by "best", I mean the worst):

Higashioka made the first out in the top of the fifth and Aaron Hicks was batting. Merloni said the Red Sox had caught a break in this series because Gary Sanchez was on the IL. Merloni admitted that Sanchez was hitting only .102 in July (with a .358 OPS!), "but that presence ... there's always that threat". But Merloni also said that every batter can go yard at any time these days, which makes me wonder what's so special about Mr. Maniloaf?

My partner says that Merloni is the embodiment of every idiot from Jersey who ever sat behind her at a game, jabbering away in a too-loud voice inning after inning, "explaining" the game to his girlfriend, with all of his information either wrong or cliched. Merloni is not always that bad, but I understand exactly what she means and I never need to hear his voice again (in any context).

AL East: Blue Jays 10, Rays 9 (12). ... MFY –, BOS 8.0, TBR 8.5.

CC Sabathia / Eduardo Rodriguez

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Vázquez, C
Benintendi, LF
Travis, 1B
Chavis, 2B
Bradley, CF

Since Rafael Devers moved to the #2 spot in the lineup on June 25, the Red Sox lead the majors in runs per game (7.17), batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.365), slugging percentage (.532), OPS (.897), doubles (tied, 65), and extra-base hits (111).

Also, since June 25, Devers leads all of baseball in RBI (33) and is tied in hits (38).

The Yankees have allowed 55 runs in their last five games, the most in any five-game span in franchise history.

AL East: Rays/Blue Jays, 3 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 8.5, BOS 9.0.