G112: Red Sox 4, Yankees 1

Yankees - 000 000 001 - 1  5  0
Red Sox - 200 100 10x - 4  6  0

The Red Sox increased their lead to 8.5 games as Nathan Eovaldi pulled off an extremely convincing impression of Rick Porcello. Mitch Moreland welcomed Yankee starter Chance Adams to the major leagues with a two-run homer in the first inning. J.D. Martinez cracked his 33rd dong of the year in the fourth and a Boston challenge in the seventh ended up overturning a correct call and giving the Red Sox a fourth run.

Things got a decidedly dicey in the ninth when Craig Kimbrel, working for the first time since last Sunday and having thrown only 11 pitches over the last eight days, relieved Eovaldi. Things came in pairs. Kimbrel struck out the first two batters before giving up back-to-back doubles and back-to-back walks.

That meant New York had the potential tying run on first base, in a game where they had never been like a factor. Greg Bird took a 1-1 pitch up and away that looked like it was in the zone, but plate umpire Phil Cuzzi called it ball two. Fortunately, Bird hit the next pitch in the air to medium left-center and Jackie Bradley made the game-ending catch.

The Red Sox have won 22 of their last 27 games (.815) and 48 of their last 67 (.716). They have won 17 of their last 20 games at Fenway Park, where they have the best home record in baseball, at 41-15.

Piling up the runs on Thursday was a hell of a lot of fun, but watching Porcello and Eovaldi mow down the Yankees was more thrilling. Over 17 innings, they allowed one run, four hits, and one walk, while striking out 13. That's against the team with the second-best record in baseball (though, admittedly, with two of their regular hitters on the DL).

Porcelo and Eovaldi allowed a grand total of seven runners in 17 innings and only two of them advanced past first base. They faced only three batters over the minimum. The Yankees sent only three men to the plate in 14 of the 17 innings. In the other three frames, a fourth man came up.

Eovaldi (8-3-0-1-4, 93) breezed through the first inning with two popups and a strikeout. He watched from the bench as Andrew Benintendi singled with one out and went to second on a passed ball (speaking of impressions, catcher Austin Romine mimiced Sanchez). On 2-0 to Moreland, Adams (5-3-3-1-2, 83) snapped off a curve at 76 which broke in and caught the lower outside corner of the strike zone. Romine and Adams decided to throw another curve. It came in at 82 and at about the same height, but right over the plate. Moreland sent it into (or over?) the Red Sox bullpen for his 13th dong of the season.

Eovaldi walked the first man in the second, but Gleyber Torres grounded into a double play on the first pitch. After the Yankees went in order in the third, Brett Gardner singled to start the fourth. Eovaldi needed only two pitches to end the inning. Giancarlo Stanton flied to center (on the first pitch) and Didi Gregorius grounded into another double play (also on the first pitch). Stanton doubled to open the seventh, but he stayed rooted to the bag as Gregorius fouled to first, Aaron Hicks flied to center and Torres fanned.

Eovaldi was at 93 pitches and it would have been great to see him go the distance. But the recently underused Kimbrel got the call. Pinch-hitter Neil Walker saw seven pitches and struck out looking. Gardner was called out on three called strikes. (Both batters whined to Cuzzi about the calls.) Stanton fell behind 0-2 before lining a double to left-center. Gregorius doubled into the right field corner for a run. Kimbrel walked Hicks on 3-1 and Torres on 3-2 before Bird skied to center.

Boston scored their final run with some assistance from the people "in New York". With two outs, Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt both singled off A.J. Cole. Sandy Leon lined the first pitch down the left field line. The ball landed where the stands jut out near the line. The ball landed extremely close to the line and third base umpire Adam Hamari called it foul. The Red Sox challenged and while two umpires stood silently with headphones on, NESN showed a few replays. There seemed to be no question that the ball had landed foul, though it was not even an inch off the line.

The ball bounces near the line and you can see where it had hit.

The ball left a clear mark in the dirt. If the umpires waiting for clarification of the play had taken 10-15 steps down the line, they could have seen that mark and perhaps wrapped things up a little quicker.

Dennis Eckersley, on the above: "If you go by that, it's foul". Jerry Remy thought the ball might have hit some chalk, but he was sure the foul call would not be overturned.

One replay, from the high first base camera, was shown in a box covering maybe 40% of the screen. "We can't see this!", Eck moaned. ... No shit, Eck. We deal with mindless crap like that during every game.

It took 3:10 from the time Cora signaled for a review to the final decision - and they called it FAIR! They awarded Nunez the plate, put Holt on third, and gave Leon a double. WTF? I was dumbfounded that an obvious correct call was overturned. Many replays are inconclusive, but this one was not.

Alex Cora cheered the decision and tipped his cap down the runway to the people behind the scenes for the suggestion to challenge.

It was one more reason to cheer in a series that has had dozens of such moments.

Chance Adams / Nathan Eovaldi

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Moreland, 1B
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Nunez, 3B
Holt, 2B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Ian Kinsler is now on the disabled list after straining his left hamstring while running the bases in the first inning last night. Alex Cora said: "It's a little bit tight. ... We don't feel it's that bad."

Kinsler is the fourth Red Sox player (and third position player) to be placed on the DL this week. There were reports last night that the Red Sox would call up infielder Tony Renda (Tzu-Wei Lin is dealing with an injury of his own). Adding Renda to the 40-man roster meant transferring Dustin Pedroia to the 60-day DL. (I have also seen one tweet reporting that catcher Dan Butler was called up.)

Bench coach Ron Roenicke:

He takes ground balls every third or fourth day. ... I was comfortable with it. We talked about it in spring training. ... He played a few years there, and was basically moved out because of Pedroia.

Mookie Betts:

I don't know if he told me (to play second); I kind of asked. He asked, "Are you sure?" I went and got an infield glove. But before I ran out on the field, I asked, "So you want me to go second?" At that point, I wasn't really sure he wanted me to go to second, but I ran out there. I didn't want to run out there and look dumb. ... It was like a dream come true. That's why I take some ground balls and some early work (in the infield), just in case.

Last night's game took only 2:15 to play, the shortest game between the Red Sox and Yankees since May 6, 1994 (2:13). Boston's outfield that day was Mike Greenwell-Lee Tinsley-Billy Hatcher. Andre Dawson was the DH.

MFY manager Aaron Boone said this afternoon that he also wanted to protest the warnings given to both benches last night. "As I started out there Alex is already getting held back and stuff, so I just kind of let it run its course."

In his appreciation of Dave Dombrowski, OTM's Matt Collins begins:

Contrary to what some segments of the Boston media would tell you, there’s basically no reason not to like this Red Sox team. They are a big ball of fun on almost a nightly basis and are having (to this point in the year) perhaps the best season in franchise history. They have the best record in baseball, and it’s not particularly close, and are cruising through every section of their schedule.

These mediots say this team is not fun. They say this team is dull. They say this team isn't really as good as it appears to be. If you are still looking for an example of how insane some members of the Boston media are and why you should completely ignore them - and I don't think you are - these last two nights are it.

CHB, July 9: Meaningless game after meaningless game as the Red Sox put up cartoonish numbers while we wait for the real games to start in October. So much winning. Whoop dee do. ... The 2018 Red Sox are ... studiously bland [and] rarely interesting ...

Rick Porcello, July 11: You come to a ballgame it’s up to you what you want to appreciate ... You can be the guy who boos. You can be the guy who cheers. ... I don't know of any other way you can keep the crowd entertained. ... There are two ways to go from here: One, keep coming if you enjoy it. The other is if you don't like it, then don't come.

"Porcello" (last night?): "Did you know in the last 110 years - or, more likely, ever - there have been two games in which any pitcher threw a complete game against the Yankees with only one hit, no walks and at least nine strikeouts? Pedro in 1999 and me tonight. Buy that media bullshit if you think you have to, but you are missing some great fucking baseball."

Schadenfreude 232 (A Continuing Series)

Coley Harvey, ESPN:

A harsh reality is beginning to set in for the New York Yankees: This might not be their year to win the American League East.

As they continue to trudge through a second half that so far has been defined by mediocrity -- they are 6-8 since the All-Star break -- the odds of them winning the division and locking up a postseason spot that won't require a one-game playoff are looking slimmer and slimmer. ...

Completely outclassed by the Boston Red Sox in the first two games ... a pair of similar showings Saturday and Sunday could all but solidify a second-place AL East finish and a second straight wild-card berth. ...

The stakes will be high [on Saturday]. [Chance] Adams will [make his major league debut] when the Yankees are in must-win mode. ...

If he doesn't [pitch well], suddenly that division deficit could swell to 8.5 games, and the Yankees would be confronted with the possibility of a sweep -- and a mountainous 9.5-game Boston lead -- heading into Sunday Night Baseball ...

"I think it -- I know, it'll turn around," Boone said. "We're going to end up having a really great season." ...

[T]he AL East clock is ticking.

George A. King III, Post:

[Luis] Severino gave up three runs in the home first to put the Yankees in a shallow grave they couldn't dig out of against Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello, who gave up one hit ... in a complete-game effort.

Those three first-inning runs, two supplied by Steve Pearce's fourth homer in two nights, led to a 4-1 Red Sox win witnessed by a sold-out Fenway Park crowd of 37,231 thirsty for Yankees blood and anticipating a four-game sweep.

It was the ... Yankees' third consecutive loss and dropped them 7.5 games back of the division-leading Red Sox, who are 77-34. ...

[Severino] settled down after the rocky first frame, but the dead bats didn't give him a chance ...

Andujar's 14th homer in the third and Porcello hitting Brett Gardner to start the game accounted for the Yankees' only base runners. The one hit was a season low for the Yankees.

Kristie Ackert, Daily News:

Chance Adams will be called up from Triple-A to make his major league debut Saturday at Fenway.

That's a lot to put in the hands of a 23-year-old who has not exactly been dominating in the minors ...

After undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow last offseason, Adams has suffered through a drop in velocity and endurance.

According to a scout who watched three of Adams' starts this season, he consistently loses velocity, starting out around 95 miles an hour and then working mostly between 89-92 mph on his fastball. ...

[The Yankees'] plans for the postseason are now on shaky ground ...

Joel Sherman, Post:

Luis Severino was strafed for three runs and dispensed 33 pitches in the first inning and was still around in the bottom of the sixth.

This is what the Yankees are reduced to now — moral victories. Because actual victories are going to be downright difficult to produce this weekend at Fenway Park. ...

Austin Romine said of Severino: "Other than the [home run, a two-run shot by Steve Pearce in the first], I thought this was his best outing of the last three or four." But by those old baseball rules, that two-run homer actually counted.

And, yeah, Rick Porcello held the Yankees to one hit, but Boone mentioned the Yankees had "a lot of good at-bats against" the righty. Of the five hardest-hit balls in Friday night's game, the Yankees had four — so they won in top-end exit velocity 4-1.

But, you know, the Red Sox won the game 4-1, which tends to count for a lot more. ...

Boston leads the division by 7.5 games, having won 21-of-26 overall. The Red Sox are on pace for 112 wins. ...

[T]he Yankees ... do not seem to belong on the same field with the rampaging Red Sox ... who are having one of those seasons tinged by deep talent and inexplicable baseball magic.

G111: Red Sox 4, Yankees 1

Yankees - 001 000 000 - 1  1  0
Red Sox - 300 010 00x - 4  7  0

Rick Porcello dominated the Yankees lineup about as well as a pitcher can dominate a lineup. He allowed two baserunners in nine innings. He allowed one hit and one run. He struck out nine. He retired the last 21 batters he faced. And he threw only 86 pitches. 9-1-1-0-9, 86.

This was the Red Sox's first one-hitter against the Yankees since September 10, 1999, when Pedro Martinez pitched the game of his life, striking out 17 Yankees and not allowing a fair ball to be hit on his final 52 pitches. (Since 1908, the Red Sox have limited the Yankees to one hit or no hits over nine innings eight times, though only three times in the last 50 years.)

The Red Sox lead the American League East by 7.5 games. Their magic number is now 46.

One night after the Red Sox lineup put on a spectacular show, Porcello stole the spotlight. (However, before we knew what Porcello was going to do, Steve Pearce hit another home run, a line-drive missile into the Monster Seats, giving Boston a 2-0 lead after only three Boston batters had come up.)

Porcello threw 10 or fewer pitches in seven of his nine innings, including the final six:

13-10-11  9-8-10  8-9-8

By contrast, Yankee starter Luis Severino (5.2-7-4-3-2, 115) threw two fewer pitches in four innings than Porcello did all night. Porcello also had a stretch of 11 batters - from the second to the end of the fifth inning - in which he threw only four balls. And he threw only five non-strikes over the final five innings! 79% of Porcello's pitches were strikes (68 of 86).

It was Porcello's third pitch of the night that began a truly bizarre series of events, including Mookie Betts playing second base in the second inning. After throwing two strikes past Brett Gardner, Porcello hit the Yankees leadoff man in the upper right arm. Porcello got a double play and a popup and walked back to the dugout.

Betts stepped in against Severino in the home half and immediately had to hit the deck when Severino's first pitch was a 96-mph fastball near his head. Plate umpire Adam Hamari issued warnings to both teams - a move perhaps suggested by crew chief Phil Cuzzi - and that infuriated Alex Cora.

It is unlikely that Gardner's HBP was intentional, but Severino was clearly trying to bean Betts. If Hamari felt he had to act, he should have ejected Severino on the spot. As Cora walked toward the plate, Hamari put up his hand like a traffic cop - "Don't come over here." Cora came over there. ... And was immediately tossed. Which made him livid.

CORA UNCHAINED pic.twitter.com/PhqelJCZLY

— Red (@SurvivingGrady) August 3, 2018

Betts eventually grounded to third. Andrew Benintendi knocked a ground-rule double into the right-field corner. Pearce then punished an 1-0 pitch, sending it over the Wall on a line and also sending a hearty "FU" to Severino. Ian Kinsler walked with two outs and stole second on the first pitch to Eduardo Nunez. Severino completely ignored Kinsler - the guy he had walked less than 45 seconds earlier - and Kinsler took a huge walking lead. The play at second was not close. Three pitches later, Nunez popped a ball into short center. Second baseman Gleyber Torres went out, craning his neck skyward and twisting around. The ball fell and Kinsler scored.

Kinsler felt tightness in his left hamstring, perhaps after running home on the two-out single, and did not come out for the second inning. Instead, Mitch Moreland came in to play first, Pearce went to right field, and Betts took over at second, which had been his original position in the minor leagues. (Betts also played 14 games at second at the end of the 2014 season.) Naturally, the first New York batter hit a grounder to Mookie, who moved to his right and made the play. He ended up fielding two ground balls in six innings before going back to right field in the eighth.

Severino settled down after the first inning, but his pitch count was high. With two outs in the fifth, J.D. Martinez doubled down the right-field line and scored on Moreland's second single of the game. (In Moreland's first at-bat, he lined a single to center on the first pitch, clearly fearing for his job and wanting to remind people that he still exists.)

There is a school of thought that says Severino's shitty performances in July are the result of an increased workload. So what does Aaron Boone do with his extremely talented young starter at 101 pitches through five innings and trailing by three runs? Why, send him out for another inning, of course! Maybe Boone does not fully trust his bullpen, but he decided to let Severino throw a season-high 115 pitches. That is only one pitch shy of his career-high!

Of the 28 batters Porcello, 19 of them saw three or fewer pitches. Severino threw 5+ pitches to as many batters in 1.2 innings (five) than Porcello did in the entire game.

1 pitch   - 4 batters
2 pitches - 7 batters (including HR)
3 pitches - 8 batters (including HBP)
4 pitches - 4 batters
5 pitches - 3 batters
6 pitches - 1 batter
7 pitches - 1 batter

Porcello was the third (and is now also the fourth!) Red Sox pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a nine-inning complete game with fewer than 90 pitches:

Roger Clemens - September 10, 1988 - 86 pitches - 9-1-0-1-5 - Red Sox beat Cleveland 6-0
Aaron Cook    - June 29, 2012      - 81 pitches - 9-2-0-0-2 - Red Sox beat Mariners 5-0
Rick Porcello - September 19, 2016 - 89 pitches - 9-4-2-0-7 - Red Sox beat Orioles 5-2
Rick Porcello - August 3, 2018     - 86 pitches - 9-1-1-0-9 - Red Sox beat Yankees 4-1

Pitch-by-pitch data back to 1988 is "essentially complete", but before that, there is not much.

Porcello's 86 pitches are the fewest thrown in a complete game against the Yankees since Steve Sparks of the Tigers needed only 84 to beat them on June 19, 2001.

Out of curiosity, I searched for the fewest innings with a pitch count of roughly 86 pitches. It looks like Charlie Hough of the Rangers is the winner, for throwing 101 pitches in 2.2 innings against the Yankees on July 4, 1988. His pitches: 49-41-31. Randy Johnson threw 90 pitches in 2.1 innings on April 10, 1994. Also: Brad Penny of the Red Sox threw 89 pitches in 2.2 innings on April 28, 2009 against Cleveland.

During Porcello's on-field interview, there were some excellent angles of the pitcher getting absolutely soaked:

In the (second?) inning, Dennis Eckersley said something you definitely were not expecting:

Dennis Eckersley tells all the children of New England about how his friend stole his wife. #ClassicEck #LoveIt pic.twitter.com/CndHOVJbjl

— JPS (@rsfpt) August 3, 2018

Luis Severino / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Pearce, 1B
Martinez, DH
Kinsler, 2B
Nunez, 3B
Holt, SS
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Blake Swihart was placed on the DL with a hamstring strain and Dan Butler was called up. ... Drew Pomeranz will be available in the bullpen tonight and is "most likely" starting on Tuesday.

Last 30 Games

Red Sox   23- 7
Yankees   16-14

Marc Carig, The Athletic:

[A]fter another stinker his team could not afford, Boone insisted that his team's recent sloppiness was an aberration. It's a position that's getting harder to buy, especially now that the Yankees have established a tendency to play at a level far below their actual talent.

"I see it as a bump," Boone said ...

Whether it's a bump in the road or a flaw buried deep within this team's DNA, the timing of this latest bout of self-destruction has proven costly. It reflects poorly on the coaching staff. And adding to it all, trades leading up to the deadline cost the Yankees some valuable pitching depth in the short-term, which makes the task of enduring this weekend even more difficult. ...

[Boone:] "[W]e get the ball to one of the best in the game [tonight] in Sevy and he goes out and does his thing, we're right back reset and good to go."

What Boone omitted was Severino's 8.84 ERA over his last four starts, fueling speculation that last year's workload may be taxing the right-hander's arm this year.

In addition to Severino's bloated ERA, opposing batters are hitting .384/.418/.698 for an OPS of 1.115 against him.

The Post reports that the Yankees will call up "struggling Triple-A right-hander Chance Adams to make his major league debut on Saturday". Adams, 23, has a 4.50 ERA this season and has (according to mlb.com) dropped from being the team's #2 prospect a year ago to #13. ... The Daily News says there is no pressure: "With the gap behind Boston growing and a potential do-or-die Wild Card game looming, the Yankees need Adams to come through in his first big league start."

My Scorecard From The Red Sox's 15-7 Rout Of the Yankees

The Athletic: An Oral History Of The Best Inning Of The Red Sox Season

Chad Jennings, The Athletic:

Is it​ considered history if it happened​ last​ night? ...

Dennis Eckersley (NESN broadcaster): "They can't get CC out of here fast enough, I think." ...

Paul O'Neil (YES Network broadcaster): "A lot of times you hear that old remark that it's the whole war. It's the whole battle. And tonight is the battle. I mean, you've got to win this game. You scored early, you've got to win this game. If you have to empty your bullpen to win it, that's what you have to do." ...

[Jonathan] Holder: "When I caught the ball and I looked, [Jackie Bradley's] back was [to] home. He was taking steps toward third. I tried to get rid of it as quick as possible and go back up the play."

Bradley: "I took maybe one, two steps by the time he turned around. ... I didn't know what the third baseman was going to do. I didn't turn around and find out." ...

Jerry Remy (NESN broadcaster): "How in the world did Jackie Bradley end up safe on this play?" ...

Steve Pearce (Red Sox first baseman): "The slide that Jackie made kind of turned everything around and we felt the crowd sort of get into it." ...

Remy: "See if Benintendi keeps pressure on by stealing second base." ...

[Aaron] Boone: "When [Holder] comes set, he's one of those guys who's blind to what he's seeing [at first base], so he's listening. Loud building. Just that much [noise], too late reacting." ...

Eckersley: "[Holder] was frozen on the mound. He couldn't get his foot off the rubber."

Michael Kay (YES Network broadcaster): "Holder completely napping on the mound." ...

[Eduardo] Nunez: "We tried to put some pressure on them. ... We trust each other. If you don't pitch to me, the guy behind me, I trust him."

Holder: "I didn't have my stuff." ...

David Cone (YES Network broadcaster): "Chad Green, in my opinion, a little late to get this call [from the bullpen] as six runs have scored without an out." ...

O'Brien: "Because of this onslaught by Boston, this drubbing by Boston, Cessa has to come into the ballgame. They were hoping to hold him to start on Saturday against [Nathan] Eovaldi, but that's not going to happen." ...

Cone: "If you're in that [Yankees] dugout, you're not happy."

Schadenfreude 231 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

Compared to the way the night unfolded, sending J.A. Happ to the disabled list and dispatching Sonny Gray to the bullpen before the sun set qualified as good news.

In the first of four crucial games against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Yankees were overmatched Thursday night on the way to a 15-7 loss that was witnessed by 37,317 who were treated to a three-homer game by Steve Pearce.

The Yankees flushed an early four-run lead, watched CC Sabathia issue four walks in three innings and make a throwing error, Jonathan Holder give up seven runs without registering an out and help botch a rundown play in an eight-run fourth inning. ...

The blowout loss followed a dismal effort Wednesday when the Yankees were beaten by the putrid Orioles and dropped the Yankees 6.5 lengths back of the AL East-leading Red Sox. ...

The 15 runs given up by the Yankees are the most they've yielded this season. The previous high was the 14 scored by the Red Sox on April 10 at Fenway. ...

Holder ... has developed into a solid reliever this year, but seven runs and five hits without getting an out was miserable. ...

"I didn't have my stuff."

Joel Sherman, Post:

Third-base coach Phil Nevin ripped into the Yankees during a matinee sleepwalk Wednesday against the Orioles. ...

[T]here were no excuses Thursday night. The competition rose and the Yankees fell even farther. They did not look as if they belonged on the same field as the Red Sox — much less in discussion to win the AL East. The Red Sox beat the Yankees and the Yankees beat the Yankees, and together that resulted in a 15-7 Boston triumph. ...

The Red Sox opened a 6.5-game lead in the AL East — their largest since Sept. 29, 2013. The Red Sox won their last World Series that year.

They are on pace to win 112 games this year and prior to this series Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had said, "You wonder what [the Red Sox] record would be if they weren't playing us. Because when we go head-to-head, we do some damage against them and it doesn't seem like anybody else is capable."

That quote did not age well. The Yankees opened a series more critical to them than the Red Sox by playing like the Mets — clearly inferior to an opponent, and worsening matters with inattentive, inept play. ...

Jonathan Holder made three bonehead defensive plays, allowed Boston to run at will and faced seven batters without retiring one in a pitching performance from the Jose Reyes collection — just worse because, you know, Holder's an actual pitcher.

Miguel Andujar cost the Yankees by delivering two throws lethargically and Gleyber Torres did not run hard out of the box on a ball that probably is a hit if he does.

And what was not self-inflicted was inflicted by the Red Sox. They had 10 extra-base hits, including three homers by Steve Pearce, who along with Ian Kinsler are minor acquisitions playing major roles. A big Yankee acquisition, Zach Britton, was slow to cover first base in the eighth inning — humiliation on top of embarrassment. ...

Luis Severino, who has not gone beyond the fifth and has an 8.84 ERA in his last four starts, goes Friday.

Dan Martin, Post:

Suddenly, Jose Reyes is only the second-worst New York reliever this week.

At least the Mets shortstop got some outs in his pitching debut against the Nationals on Tuesday night. Jonathan Holder's Thursday night was worse. He faced seven batters in the third inning of a 15-7 loss to the Red Sox and all seven reached base and scored.

According to baseball-reference.com, Holder became the first Yankee to face seven batters and not record an out since Bob Kammeyer in 1979. Kammeyer surrendered eight runs in an appearance and never pitched in the majors again.

Dan Martin, Post:

CC Sabathia ... had nothing on a hot night at Fenway Park ...

The Yankees' rotation already is in a bit of disarray thanks to the demotion of Sonny Gray to the bullpen and the loss of J.A. Happ for at least a start when the lefty was placed on the disabled list with hand, foot and mouth disease, so Sabathia's rough night only added to their woes. ...

It was Sabathia's shortest outing of the season ...

And it was also Sabathia's fourth consecutive shaky start.

In those starts, the 38-year-old has gone just 18.1 innings, given up 13 earned runs, walked 11 and struck out 16.

Ken Davidoff, Post:

After witnessing this Back Bay shellacking, does there seem a more ludicrous notion right now than that of the Yankees having gained ground on the Red Sox at the non-waiver trade deadline?

The Yankees won the headlines and the plaudits in the past week with their imports. Then, their biggest game of the season to date went sideways because of a guy the Red Sox acquired ... in June.

Remember Steve Pearce? If you didn't recall his layover with the 2012 Yankees, you surely will remember him now. ...

Second baseman Ian Kinsler, who joined Boston this week, added three singles, two runs scored, two RBIs, a stolen base and strong defense. At this rate, the Red Sox's other in-season import, former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi, will throw a perfect game against his old pals when he takes the mound Saturday afternoon.

Yet in a Red Sox season replete with excellence ... they're on pace to finish 112-50 ... this stood out. For the eight-run, eight-hit fourth inning that wiped out a 4-2 Yankees advantage (that began as 4-0), prompting rookie manager Alex Cora to call it "probably our best offensive inning of the season." ...

The Red Sox remain in their zone of doing little wrong. They were proactive in getting Pearce ... more than a month ahead of the deadline, and he has rewarded them with a .318/.389/.583 slash line and eight homers in 132 at-bats. ...

He fits great on this Red Sox team, and at 35, he hit a new peak on Thursday. He made the Red Sox look smart and the Yankees silly. ...

Validation for Pearce, vindication for the Red Sox. Only humiliation for the Yankees.

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

It took 107 games, but we are about to find out precisely what the rookie manager of the Yankees is made of [after this preposterous meltdown Thursday]. ...

The Sox were crisper, more confident, and by the time they hit their stride they looked every bit like a team on pace to win 111 games.

Coupled with the unforgivable effort the Yankees turned in the day before — a performance so poor that during a brief rain delay third-base coach Phil Nevin decided to go all Andy Sipowicz bad cop on the team in the dugout — it's fair to say the Yankees are certainly at a crossroads, though not yet bad enough for the dreaded closed-door meeting. ...

Can they muster a second wind to get after the Sox? Can they rediscover the swagger they had for so much of the first three and a half months of the season? Can they make any kind of statement with the three games they have left in this city this weekend? ...

Now it's Boone's time.

Coley Harvey, ESPN:

Like an out-of-control snowball tumbling wildly down a mountain, the New York Yankees cascaded toward a 15-7 blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday thanks to an avalanche of mental errors and moments of uninspired, lackluster play.

The Yankees' starting pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, wasn't very good. Their bullpen was even worse. Their defense was, at times, questionable. And oh, by the way, they still have three more games this weekend against the best team in baseball. ...

Friday's game at Fenway Park could show a lot about where the Yankees are headed.

After back-to-back stinkers Wednesday against the last-place Baltimore Orioles and Thursday against the league-leading Red Sox, the Yankees need to snap out of it if they want to stay within sight of their longtime rival. ...

But no matter the deficit, the Yankees have to turn the page on all that has gone wrong in this recent downturn. Manager Aaron Boone believes that will happen ...

Through July 24, [Holder] had been a steady bullpen piece, owning a 1.76 ERA across 41 innings. Across his 2.2 innings since, he has a 30.38 ERA, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

G110: Red Sox 15, Yankees 7

Yankees - 310 010 101 -  7  8  1
Red Sox - 011 813 01x - 15 19  1

In October 1981, one of my all-time favourite writers - Robert Palmer - watched the Rolling Stones play a concert in a small theater in Atlanta. Palmer was a veteran music writer and he was completely blown away by what he saw and heard. His review remains a joy to read, even 37 years later.

He had a rare gift for conveying both complex ideas and visceral emotion in an intelligent, direct, and almost conversational, style. More than halfway through the review, Palmer realizes his review is devolving into simply praising the hell out of every single song.

I could go on, but I don't think anyone would be that interested in a list of song titles and a series of notebook jottings that runs increasingly to rows of exclamation points and brilliant musicological analyses on the order of "great guitar solo," "rocks like crazy," "fuckin' A!"

That's how I felt after Steve Pearce's third home run of the game hit halfway up the light tower in left field and Ian Kinsler made a jaw-dropping throw from the left side of the infield in the following half-inning. How in the hell do you summarize a game like this? I have no idea.

All I know is I'm grateful I am not a beat writer on deadline when a game like this comes along. I'm more than content to sit in my chair and just shake my head and laugh and question if what I am seeing is really happening and filling every available blank space on my scorecard with chicken scratches of descriptions of various plays, statistical factoids, shitty umpire calls, bizarre things said by Dave O'Brien, and yes, rows of exclamation points.

Some details, then. As mentioned, Pearce hit three home runs, each one more prodigious than its predecessor. Mookie Betts had four hits and was on base six times. Brian Johnson (5-6-5-2-11, 104) set a career-high with 11 strikeouts in five innings. Four of the Red Sox's seven doubles came during a 13-batter fourth inning that was probably the most entertaining 30-35 minutes of the season.

The first seven batters reached base against Jonathan Holder who did not record an out. And all seven scored, as the Red Sox showcased an awe-inspiring diversity of talents that NESN's Dennis Eckersley rightly called "frightening". As the Red Sox were doing everything right, the Yankees made mistakes, and the Red Sox pounced on those mistakes, taking advantage like a pack of wolves singling out a disoriented straggler from a group of prey.

The Red Sox had 21 at-bats with runners in so-called "scoring position" in the first five innings. It was fucking glorious.

The fact that the Yankees led 4-0 in the second inning only makes what happened thereafter so much sweeter. The score was 4-2 when the Red Sox came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Manager Aaron Boone had pulled CC Sabathia (3-3-2-4-2, 77) despite having a two-run lead. Sabathia had walked four, including Betts with the bases loaded in the second. As things turned out, Boone probably would have liked to have given CC another inning.

Holder walked Bradley on five pitches. Betts doubled high off the Wall, with Bradley stopping at third. Andrew Benintendi grounded back to Holder. Instead of running Bradley back to the base, Holder threw the ball to third baseman Miguel Andujar. Bradley broke for the plate. Andujar knew he had to avoid hitting Bradley with his throw, so he threw to the first base side of the plate. Catcher Austin Romine went to tag JBJ and somehow Bradley, with a head-first slide, was safe. NESN viewers never saw how he did it because all three replays were horrible. The first one was from about 100 feet away. In the second one, the critical moment at the plate was wholly blocked by the umpire. Because the third replay was at ground level, we had no idea where the plate was. It was one of the most amazing plays of the year - and it was completely botched by NESN. (Maybe a YES replay will be posted online.)

Benintendi stole second, the third of four steals in the first four innings (Betts stole second in the first inning and J.D. Martinez stole second in the third). But Benintendi's theft was more than a simple steal. Holder was more concerned with Betts on third and so Benintendi simply ran to second. Holder had no clue. By the time someone yelled at him and he stepped off the rubber, Benintendi was 80% of the way to the base and Holder still had the ball in his hand!

Holder was likely rattled because Pearce sent his next pitch completely out of Fenway Park for a three-run dong, turning New York's 4-3 lead into a 6-4 Red Sox advantage. Martinez doubled to the wall in left-center and scored on Kinsler's single near the right field line. Then Kinsler stole second. Eduardo Nunez poked a double into the left field corner, to make it 8-4. That was it for Holder (0-5-7-1-0, 25). His ERA rose from 2.06 to 3.50.

Chad Green took over and got two outs, but the Red Sox were not done. Bradley doubled to left-center, scoring Nunez. Betts and Benintendi both singled, bringing in another run. The Yankees brought in their third pitcher of the inning, Luis Cessa, who had been listed as Saturday's starter. He ended up pitching 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs.

The Red Sox's 15 runs tied a season-high (Royals, July 7) and the 19 hits was one fewer than their total against the Mariners on June 22. In addition to the eight-run explosion tonight, the Red Sox scored nine runs in the sixth inning against the Yankees back on April 10.

Pearce became the third Red Sox batter to hit three home runs in a game against the MFY, joining Mo Vaughn (May 30, 1997) and Kevin Millar (July 23, 2004). Both Vaughn and Cabin Mirror hit three solo shots, however.

The top five hitters in the Red Sox's lineup all had at least three hits and at least two runs scored. The last time any top five of a lineup did that was on September 19, 1943, when the Red Sox did it in a 14-0 win over the Philadelphia A's. (And tonight's impressive display came only two games after Boston's top five hitters went 0-for-24 with one walk on Monday.)

Betts is one of five Red Sox players who have reached base six times in one game against the Yankees. The others are Dom DiMaggio, Vern Stephens, Carl Yastrzemski, and Cecil Cooper. Only DiMaggio, Cooper, and Betts did it in nine innings, though.

The Red Sox lead the AL East by 6.5 games, their largest lead of the season and the biggest division lead they have enjoyed since 2013.

When Ian Kinsler batted in the third inning, Dave O'Brien blurted out "The son of a prison warden ..." (which was not the name of a Dusty Springfield tune (I checked)). When Kinsler came to the plate in the fifth, OB insisted "Kinsler does have World Series experience." It was unrelated to anything that was going on and I promptly replied: "I never said he didn't."

The entire fourth inning was great. In the top half, Jerry Remy talked at length about berating umpires for strike calls that he knew were correct. He was extremely adamant that he never apologized to an umpire, and seemed mildly annoyed that anyone would even suggest such a thing. He also talked about how he was sometimes apprehensive about coming back to Fenway after a bad road trip, knowing the fans were going to boo the hell out of all the players. Eckersley said he was never booed at Fenway, though he could not keep a straight face for very long. (I do wish Remy would stop referring to runs as "points" because they are not points.)

Here are the less-than-revealing replays of Bradley's amazing slide:

Too far away.

Blocked.

Where is the plate?

CC Sabathia / Brian Johnson

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Pearce, 1B
Martinez, DH
Kinsler, 2B
Nunez, 3B
Swihart, C
Holt, SS
Bradley, CF

The Yankees are in Boston for a four-game series. They are 5.5 games behind the Red Sox, who have the best record in baseball, at 75-34.

Friday: Luis Severino / Rick Porcello, 7 PM
Saturday: J.A. Happ / Nathan Eovaldi, 4 PM
Sunday: Masahiro Tanaka / David Price, 8 PM

Since May 18, the Red Sox are 45-19 (.703). They have won 19 of their last 24 games.

The Yankees put J.A. Happ on the disabled list (hand, foot, and mouth disease) this afternoon.

Chad Jennings, The Athletic:

"I keep telling y'all to get me some clips, and I'll put some numbers beside them for you."

Sounded good to us.

For 45 minutes on Tuesday, [Jackie] Bradley sat at his locker and watched video clips of 10 plays from throughout his career. He broke down each one in terms of its inherent difficulty and his own approach. He stood up, moved chairs, and gave a full demonstration of proper outfield defense.

And when it was over, he pulled out his phone to show us the one play we'd left off the list.

The New York Post Claims Red Sox And Yankees Have Been "Playing Ping-Pong" With MLB's Best Record "For Most Of The Year"? Is That True?

In a preview article for the four-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox that begins tonight at Fenway Park, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that the long-time rivals have been

playing ping-pong with the sport's best record for most of the year until lately, with the Sox edging out a little farther ahead.

One online definition of "ping-pong" as a verb is "to move back and forth or transfer rapidly from one locale, job, etc., to another; switch".

Has baseball's best record has been moving back and forth between the Red Sox and Yankees for most of the season?

You can probably guess that Vaccaro is full of shit for two reasons:

1.  I would not be posting if his statement was correct.
2.  You have followed baseball this year.

So with that in mind, I will give you a spoiler. When it comes to days spent in (or tied for) first place in the AL East, the Red Sox lead the Yankees 112-28.

This calendar shows the days on which the Red Sox or Yankees had MLB's best record. I went by winning percentage and used Baseball Reference's definition of a day, i.e., the standings after that day's games have been played. Purple squares are days on which the Red Sox and Yankees were tied for baseball's best record. A blank square means some other team held the best record.

The only time all season that could be considered ping-ponging was a small four-day stretch from June 29 to July 2.

The number of days that the best record "ping-ponged" completely from one team to the other? Eight. But not before May 22 and not after July 2.

March  - 0
April  - 0
May    - 1
June   - 5
July   - 2
August - 0

Schadenfreude 230 (A Continuing Series)

Dan Martin, Post:

Instead of taking advantage of a downtrodden team that sold off most of its remaining assets at the trade deadline, the Yankees instead looked lost in an ugly 7-5 defeat to the Orioles [on Wednesday] ...

This one featured another atrocious clunker from Sonny Gray, some shoddy infield play and a lineup that was shut down by Alex Cobb, perhaps the worst pitcher in the majors. ...

Trying to win a fourth straight for the first time since June 18-21, the Yankees instead watched Gray get booed off the mound in the third inning.

Gray's outing ... proved again that any thoughts of the right-hander being consistently reliable should be put aside. ...

[Lance] Lynn, who was an option to start against the Red Sox Saturday if J.A. Happ is unable to recover from hand, foot and mouth disease in time, won't be available [after pitching 4.1 innings out of the bullpen] and the Yankees might have to turn to Luis Cessa.

Kevin Kernan, Post:

Smilin' Sonny Gray showed the Yankees once again why he cannot be trusted in a big game or even a small game. Here is the Yankees forecast: Not so Sonny. ...

A year ago the Yankees acquired Gray at the trade deadline thinking he could step up to the challenge of being a force in the Yankees rotation. So much for that.

Gray has failed miserably, and Wednesday was another extension of his losing ways as he surrendered seven runs over 2.2 innings to the minor league Orioles in an embarrassing 7-5 loss ...

[Gray] was hammered by fans for how he walked off the mound smiling in the third inning. ... 47,206 fans cheered Boone for coming to get Gray and then unloaded on Gray as he walked off the mound. ...

"That's kind of how I handle situations. How I tell myself to move on and not let it get to you."

It got to the fans.

Bottom line, being a Yankee is not working out for Gray as he is becoming a modern-day Ed Whitson. ...

Newly acquired [Lance] Lynn was asked how he would describe his personality on the mound and Lynn, who did not allow a run over 4.1 innings, said: "Not very nice. I'm in attack mode all the time. ..."

That style fits New York. ...

Some guys can pitch in New York. Some can't. Gray can't.

Eric Barrow, Daily News:

This is no laughing matter, Sonny

Sonny Gray was chased in the third inning by the team with the worst record in the majors, and the struggling starter was caught smiling when he walked off the mound as boos rained down ...

The loss puts Gray's tenuous hold on his spot in the rotation in serious jeopardy. ...

On an afternoon that began with a partly sunny sky, Gray left under dark clouds just before a 39-minute rain delay. ... [H]is ERA [rose] to 5.56. ...

[In the second inning] Giancarlo Stanton came to the plate as the tying run. But [Alex] Cobb struck out Stanton, leaving the Yankees 0 for 15 with four sacrifice flies in their last 19 plate appearances with the bases full.

Mollie Walker, Post:

When sudden rain showers put the brakes on the Orioles stacking runs in the Bronx, Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin seemed to have some choice words about the team's uncharacteristic performance Wednesday. [Twitter]

Just three innings in, Baltimore led 7-1 on eight hits and two walks off Sonny Gray. As the Yankees flooded into the dugout to escape the rain, Nevin unleashed his frustrations.

Fred Kerber, Post:

Third-base coach Phil Nevin had watched the Yankees fall far behind the Orioles on Wednesday afternoon with pitching and defense as crisp as a wet piece of uncooked pasta.

Sonny Gray's pitching, in what became a 7-5 loss, was awful. Gleyber Torres' handling of second base was nearly as bad and the Orioles, who are on pace to win their 100th game sometime in 2021, led 7-1 in the third inning. So Nevin spoke up in the dugout. Loudly. Forcefully. ...

In Baltimore's five-run second inning, the Yankees anticipated a bunt from Caleb Joseph who, not shockingly, bunted. Third baseman Miguel Andujar fielded the ball. But Torres was slow getting over to cover first. Joseph had an infield hit, loading the bases. ...

With runners on first and third and two out [in the third], switch-hitter Breyvic Valera, batting lefty, hit a shot to Didi Gregorius at short. With a shift on, Torres was well off the bag, but didn't break. Gregorius looked to second, then threw to first. Too late. A run scored.

Dan Martin, Post:

Sonny Gray's rotten Wednesday extended off the field when he was left to defend himself against anonymous Twitter trolls.

The right-hander became the latest high-profile person to have to answer for questionable comments on Twitter from their past, as a tweet surfaced during Wednesday's game from six years ago in which Gray responded to an unseen message to Sir_Peanut with "1. You didn't go to college. 2. You are black. #followdaleaderleaderleader clap clap clap." ...

Gray defended himself and said Sir_Peanut was a close friend, former minor league teammate Rashun Dixon, who also played in the A's organization.

Gray said it was an inside joke between the two, calling the controversy "ridiculous."

"I'm comfortable with who I am," Gray said. "You can ask anyone in this clubhouse who I am and what I'm about. ... If people are trying to dig stuff up, then ask [Dixon]. ... I'm not scared of my past."

Kristie Ackert, Daily News:

Recently acquired Yankees starter J.A. Happ has contracted hand, foot and mouth disease — also known as coxsackie — Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday ... The lefthander will "probably" be able to start in Boston.

Cashman said he does not know how Happ ... contracted the disease. The Yankees were bringing in extra hand sanitizer to try and prevent it from spreading through the clubhouse.

Sale, On DL With Mild Shoulder Inflammation, Says "I'm Not Worried About It At All"

Chris Sale was put on the 10-day disabled list yesterday with mild inflammation in his left shoulder.

Obviously, this is disconcerting, even though the Red Sox have a better record this year when Sale is not pitching.

Red Sox With Sale:     14- 8, .636
Red Sox Without Sale:  61-26, .701

I am confident that the Red Sox are exercising an extraordinary amount of caution in this case. Sure, there could be something wrong, but we have seen or heard no indication of troubles - and Sale has been remarkable over his last six starts: 0.23 ERA, allowing only one run in 39 innings.

Brian Johnson will start in Sale's place tomorrow night against the Yankees. Sale expects to start against the Blue Jays on August 7.

I was pretty upset when the final decision was made. At the end of the day though, I've got to do what's best for not only the team but myself. I don't think me going out there not at 100 percent is going to help us. I think if I did go out there, I'd probably risk something more severe that wouldn't do any good, either. ... I don't like it at all. I'm a pitcher that pitches. I don't like sitting on the sidelines watching somebody else do my job for me. ...

Over the last couple starts, just kind of normal soreness, then in the same general areas it was just a little bit more than I'm used to after a start. It just kind of built up over the last couple outings. I said something and they, you know, said they wanted to give it a little bit more time. ...

I'm not too worried about this. ... I'm very optimistic that this is going to be a very short stint on the DL. But, you know, with it being the DL, people get kind of antsy. But I'm not worried about it at all.

Buzzkill Pauley's take at SoSH seems highly plausible:

The Sox are gaming the system to give Sale a break. I am 100% sure that every MLB pitcher's throwing shoulder has some measurable chronic inflammation at this time of year. As Sale and DDski said, if the standings were different he’s be taking the ball.

IMO, the opponent being the MFYs has much less to do with the timing of this DL trip than does the presence of two off-days within the ten days of Sale's DL-minimum.

Essentially, the Sox can give Sale a week off from throwing and still give all the other starters an extra day of rest.

I wholeheartedly approve this approach to saving key pitchers for the offseason, and hope they take the same approach with Porcello later on this month after the damn double-header with the O's, quite frankly. Price could probably use one, too, but he already got a short breather due to the rainout.

Nationals' 25-4 Rout Of Mets Links Them To The Hartford Dark Blues of 1876

Mets      - 000 000 104 -  4  9  0
Nationals - 733 330 06x - 25 26  1

Factoids! From Elias, MLB, and ESPN:

The 25 runs set a new record for the Washington/Montreal franchise.

It was the most-lopsided loss in the Mets' 57-season history, topping the 26-7 pounding the Phillies gave them on June 11, 1985.

The 25 runs are the most by a non-DH team since the Cubs scored 26 against Colorado on August 18, 1995.

The Nationals became the first non-DH team with all nine starters scoring at least two runs since the Yankees did it against the Philadelphia A's on May 24, 1936 (25-2). ... It had also happened three times before that: Cardinals, April 16, 1912; Reds, August 11, 1926; Yankees, July 26, 1931 (G1).

The only team to do it with a DH is the Angels, in a 24-2 win against the Blue Jays on August 25, 1979.

Runs Per Game In July: The Nationals began the day #16 among all teams at 4.8. They ended the day at 5.6, tied for #2!

The Nationals became only the second team in history to score at least 19 runs through five innings while not allowing a run. The first team was the Hartford Dark Blues, who led the New York Mutuals 21-0 on May 13, 1876.

After four innings, Washington led 16-0 and had only three zeroes in the traditional AB-R-H-RBI box score. (Those zeroes all remained in the final box score.)

Turner, SS       4 1 2 0
Rendon, 3B       3 2 2 1
Harper, RF       3 3 2 2
Zimmerman, 1B    4 2 2 3
Soto, LF         4 2 2 0
Murphy, 2B       3 3 3 6
Taylor, CF       3 1 2 0
Wieters, C       2 1 1 1
Roark, P         3 1 1 3

The Nationals are the 17th team to score at least 25 runs in a game since 1908. The number of runs allowed by those teams ranged from two to eight ... with the remarkable exception of the August 25, 1922 game in which the Cubs led the Phillies 26-9 after seven innings and ended up winning 26-23.

PHI - 0  3 2   1 3 0  0 8 6 - 23  26  4
CHC - 1 10 0  14 0 1  0 0 x - 26  25  5

The Phillies used only two pitchers.

Mets infielder Jose Reyes took the mound in the eighth inning, throwing 48 pitches and allowing six runs. He hit his 10th batter of the inning, Ryan Zimmerman, in the leg with a 54-mph curveball. Zimmerman faked a charge toward the mound, drawing a laugh from Reyes.

The Mets were down 19-1 to the Nationals when shortstop Jose Reyes came in to pitch.

That didn't go so well either. pic.twitter.com/4gJrMx607e

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 1, 2018

Reyes said he always wanted to pitch in a game before he retired.

"Before you throw a pitch, it's fun," Reyes said. "But when you start to see people hit homers, you get more serious. Even though I'm not a pitcher, I don't want to see that."

And there you have it, the perfect motto for Mets baseball in 2018.

Before you throw a pitch, it's fun.

[The game] got so out of hand, Mets television announcers Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen took turns reading verbatim from the team's media guide in the late innings — the SNY network played the theme from "Masterpiece Theatre" in the background.