Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez (7) celebrates a double in a game recently against the Dodgers. Vasquez had three hits Saturday in game two of a doubleheader against the Yankees, which was swept by New York. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
The 2019 Boston Red Sox season may be close to hitting rock bottom. Boston played a day/night doubleheader Saturday at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees. Chris Sale was roughed up and Domingo German picked up his 14th win in an easy 9-2 Yankees win in the opener, while Matt Barnes struggled out of the bullpen in game two as the hosts took the sweep with a come from behind 6-4 win. Boston has now lost seven games in a row.
In the first game the two teams swapped solo homeruns as the score was tied at 1-1 through three innings. DJ LeMahieu hit a leadoff homer on the fifth pitch thrown by Sale in the first inning, before Andrew Benintendi did the same on a 3-2 pitch in the top of the second as he crushed one 436 feet to right center. The Benny homer was also the last hit off the Yankees starting pitcher German. In the fourth the Yankees took over. Breyvic Valera singled in the go ahead run, before Brett Gardner slapped a two run single to increase the lead to 4-1. LeMahieu hit his second homer of the game this time a three run shot to right, and then Aaron Judge doubled ending the day for Sale. Edwin Encarnacion added an RBI single to cap off the seven run inning in which the run scoring hits all came with two outs in the frame. Sox manager Alex Cora was ejected in the middle of the the New York rally for arguing balls and strikes. Sale was also ejected as he mouthed at the home plate umpire on his way off the mound when he was being lifted from the game. Jackie Bradley Jr. accounted for the the only other Boston run with a solo homer in the fifth. Encarnacion singled in his second run of the game in the sixth to end the scoring.
Sale (5-11) went 3.2 innings to suffer yet another loss in a tough season for the left hander allowing eight runs on nine hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. Benintendi was the only Sox batter with more than one hit as he had two in the defeat. German (14-2) picked up his second win in as many outings against Boston allowing just two runs on two hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings. German is 8-0 in starts against the American League East this season. LeMahieu had three hits and four RBI, Encarnacion and Gardner also had three hits a piece, while Gio Urshela had two.
In the nightcap, Boston had two leads but couldn’t hold on either time as New York finished off the sweep with a 6-4 win. In a scoreless game in the top of the third Marco Hernandez led off with a double. After Mookie Betts was retired, Rafael Devers hammered a two run homer way out of the park to right center field to make it 2-0 Red Sox. With one out in the bottom of the third, Gleybur Torres hit a solo homer to cut the lead in half. Later in the inning Cameron Maybin hit a two run double to put the Yankees ahead 3-2. Betts responded with a two run single in the top of the fourth to give the lead back to Boston, before Torres tied it up with his second solo shot of the game in the bottom of the fifth.
New York (71-39) came up with the game winner in the bottom of the seventh against Sox reliever Barnes. Torres led off with a double, and then Aaron Hicks and Urshela both walked to load the bases. Barnes struck out Maybin swinging for the first out, before Mike Tauchman grounded a two run single that was the difference in the game to left field. Austin Romine then walked to reload the bases, ending the night for Barnes. Colten Brewer came on to pitch and kept the visitors in the game and ended any more damage by getting Valera on a groundout to second base in which Urshela was thrown out on a force play at the plate by Brock Holt. LeMahieu then flied out deep to center field. Boston (59-54) had the tying runs on base in the eighth with two on and one out, and also had Devers at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, but Zak Britton struck him out on three pitches as the Sox came up empty. The Sox last chance of the day was in the ninth when JD Martinez walked with one out by Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, but the left hander buckled down and struck out Benintendi and Sam Travis both swinging to end the game and earn another save.
Brian Johnson came up from Pawtucket to start in what was a bullpen game for Boston and allowed three runs on eight hits in 3.0 innings. Barnes (3-4) took the loss allowing two runs on two hits with three walks in just 2/3 of an inning. Marcus Walden, Brewer, and Brandon Workman combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Vazquez had three hits to lead the offense. In what was also a bullpen game for New York Tommy Kahnle (3-0) picked up the win with 1.0 scoreless inning. Chad Green, Adam Ottavino, Britton, and Chapman also all worked 1.0 inning with no runs allowed with Chapman getting his 29th save. The Red Sox have now lost more than five straight games for the first time since they lost eight straight in July 2015. Boston left 14 runners on base on the day, 11 in the game two loss.
Boston will look to end the seven game slide and avoid the sweep in the nationally televised game of the week on Sunday night baseball at 7:05 p.m. David Price will step to the hill for the Sox, while J.A. Happ toes the rubber for the Yankees. The defending world champions are now 5.5 games out of a second Wild Card spot, and 13.5 behind New York in the A.L. East. The team who lost their 54th game today on August 3, didn’t lose their 54th game last season until the second to the last game of the regular season on September 29.
