Yankees Game 147: Futility at the plate looms in third straight Yankees loss

Ineffective with runners in scoring position, the New York Yankees lose their third straight as postseason hopes begin to dwindle.

New York Yankees 4 – Boston Red Sox 7

Brush off heartbreak and play more baseball in Boston.

Against Clay Buchholz, the Yankees got a one-out walk but a double play by Gary Sanchez ended an early threat. In the bottom of the first inning, the Red Sox struck against Cessa but the defense backed up the young Yankees starter. Dustin Pedroia used the ballpark when he got a base hit off the wall in left but Brett Gardner played the ball perfectly, throwing it into second base to throw out Pedroia trying to extend it to a single.

Xander Bogaerts was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a single by David Ortiz. On the bases, Ortiz tried to extend his single to a double but Jacoby Ellsbury recorded the second out of the inning. After a single by Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez brought him home with a single to put the Yankees in a two-run hole before the last out was recorded.

In the second inning, the Yankees exercise in futility with runners on base struck again. With one out, Didi Gregorius hit a single and Chase Headley put two in scoring position when he hit a double. Unfortunately, Brian McCann flew out to center field and Mark Teixeira flew out to right to strand the runners.

Luis Cessa settled down in the second and third inning before yesterday's Red Sox hero struck again. Hanley Ramirez took Cessa deep to center field for a solo home run, extending the Yankees deficit to three.

Through the first four innings, Gary Sanchez came up two times and hit into two double plays. In the fifth inning, Gary Sanchez came up with two on and two out so a double play was out of the question. Hitting in a hitter's ballpark, Gary Sanchez bounced one off the monster for a two-run double, bringing the Yankees within one.

In five innings, Luis Cessa allowed three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out one.

Despite recovering from the first inning to only allow one run, Cessa threw 64 high stress pitches so the bullpen received the call. Mixing and matching, James Pazos came in with one job but David Ortiz won the battle, hitting a double off the monster. Jonathan Holder received the next call and found himself in a tough situation after Mookie Betts hit a single and Hanley Ramirez loaded the bases with a walk. Travis Shaw made it a two-run game when he hit a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning. With two outs, Sandy Leon found no man's land in shallow left field for a ground-rule double that scored one more run. Chasen Shreve came in and got the out the unconventional way, with a wild pitch and a throw from Sanchez to Shreve for the last out of the long inning. Three relievers were used in this inning and they all surrendered a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr. started the seventh inning with a solo home run that put the Red Sox ahead by four. Kirby Yates came on but did not quite provide relief either. Dustin Pedroia hit a single and Xander Bogaerts put two in scoring position with a double. Following an intentional walk of Ortiz, Mookie Betts hit into a double play that allowed a run to score, making it a five-run Yankees deficit before the inning ended.

In the ninth inning against Fernando Abad, the Yankees put up another fight. With one out, Mark Teixeira walked and Billy Butler came up as a pinch-hitter. The recently acquired Yankee made it a three-run game with a two-run home run to deep left-center. After Gardner was hit by a pitch, closer Craig Kimbrel was needed for the save. Strikeouts of Jacoby Ellsbury and Gary Sanchez secured the Yankees third straight loss. The offense was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Win – Clay Buchholz (7-10)

Loss – Luis Cessa (4-2)

Save – Craig Kimbrel (26)

Notables

Yankees

*Gary Sanchez – 1 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI (27)

*Billy Butler – 1 for 1, R, Two-run home run (5) in the 9th, 2 RBI (35)

Red Sox

*Hanley Ramirez – 2 for 3, R, Solo home run (26) in the 4th, 2 RBI (102)

*David Ortiz – 2 for 3, R, 2B, RBI (115)

Current Yankees Record: 77-70