Boston Red Sox 10 – New York Yankees 4
Score early and score often in tonight’s matchup with the Boston Red Sox.
Michael Pineda got the start for tonight’s game and he certainly wishes he could restart the game. Mookie Betts opened the game with a double and Dustin Pedroia put runners on the corners when he hit a single. On a ground ball to the hole, Didi Gregorius was only able to get one out at second as the first run scored. David Ortiz followed with a double that put runners on second and third with one out. On a ground ball to Michael Pineda, Xander Bogaerts beat the tag at home, scoring the second run of the inning. After a run-scoring double by Brock Holt extended the lead to three and catcher Blake Swihart hit a line drive into the short porch seats for a deflating three-run home run, extending the Red Sox early lead to six.
The Yankees found themselves in an early hole and needed a response against Rick Porcello and the Red Sox.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner followed the Red Sox lead, hitting a double and single to get the Yankees started off right. Alex Rodriguez struck out for the first out. Brett Gardner stole second base to stay out of a potential double play and this proved important as Brian McCann grounded out to second for the Yankees’ first run. Carlos Beltran got another Yankees run on the board with a double to reduce the Yankees deficit to four. Dustin Ackley brought the Yankee Stadium faithful to life with a two-run home run into the short porch seats. The home run brought the Yankees within two and changed the six-run hole into a two-run deficit.
Following the horrendous first inning, Michael Pineda turned the page remarkably. He retired eight in a row following the Swihart home run. Unfortunately, Rick Porcello was matching him zero for zero too. The two-run deficit stood until the fifth inning when the Red Sox attacked early against Pineda.
On the first pitch slider to open the fifth inning, Mookie Betts lined it into the first row in left field for a solo home run, extending the Red Sox lead to three. Pineda gave up a single following the home run but a double play and a ground out ended the inning. He finished an otherwise dreadful start by striking out the side in the sixth inning.
In six innings, Michael Pineda allowed seven runs on seven hits without a walk and four strikeouts. Six of the seven runs came in the first inning as he recovered and gave the Yankees innings in a game that could have drained the bullpen early.
Despite the Yankees’ first run outburst, they could not get more than one runner on base following the fourth inning. Like Pineda bouncing back, Rick Porcello bounced back and flew high, going eight innings and striking out eight. He gave up two hits after the first inning.
Bryan Mitchell gave up a two-out walk and he came around to score on a two-run home run to Blake Swihart, his second home run of the night and it gave him five runs batted in.
The Red Sox scored a run in the ninth inning against Chris Martin to give the Red Sox 10 runs for the evening.
The Yankees got a base hit in the ninth inning from Greg Bird but the Yankees could not rally back from the six-run deficit in a game that was lost early.
Win – Rick Porcello (9-14)
Loss – Michael Pineda (12-9)
Notables
Red Sox
*Blake Swihart – 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 HR (5; Three-run & two-run) in the 1st & 8th, 5 RBI (31)
*Mookie Betts – 2 for 4, 2 R, BB, 2B, RBI (73)
Yankees
*Dustin Ackley – 1 for 4, R, Two-run home run (10) in the 1st, 2 RBI (28)
*Carlos Beltran – 1 for 4, R, 2B, RBI (64)
Current Yankees Record: 86-71
