Tanaka bad again: Yankees sit only one game ahead of Red Sox

BRONX, N.Y. – The New York Yankees were back home in the first game of their three game set against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. Yankees’ starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka proved to be the demise of his team as he turned in another poor start in a 5-4 loss. Tanaka’s struggles continued on Tuesday as he lost his fifth straight start and lasted only five innings against a strong, Red Sox offense. In Tanaka’s five innings, he allowed five earned runs, five hits and three home runs. The right-handed pitcher’s earned run average is now 6.55 for the season. The game was tied entering the top of the fourth inning until the Red Sox hit two home runs off of Tanaka, putting them up 4-1 at the end of four. Then, Andrew Benintendi hit a solo home run in the top half of the fifth inning to put the Sox up, 5-1. Chad Green pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief and kept the Yankees in the game after Tanaka’s poor outing. Green struck out five and did not allow a single person to reach base safely. The Yankees fought all the way back to bring it to 5-4, but Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel proved to be too much as the Bronx Bombers could not bring home the game-tying run. Kimbrel struck out five Yankees in his 1.1 innings of action and lowered his earned run average to 1.01 on the season. With the loss, the Yankees dropped to 32-23 on the season and now sit only a game above the second place Red Sox for the division lead. CC Sabathia will take on Rick Porcello on Wednesday night as the Yankees look to keep their division lead secure.