Yanks Salvage Fenway Finale, Clock Is Ticking On a Trade

The Yankees had lost the 1st 3 games of their series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. They hadn't gotten a good performance from a starting pitcher in so long, we were wondering if it would ever happen again.

It didn't last night, but it came close enough. Domingo German started, and allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3rd innings. That should have been enough to give the Yankee bats a chance to outscore the Sox, but, in the little green pinball machine off Kenmore Square, you never know.

Chris Sale was, perhaps, the biggest reason why the Red Sox won last year's World Series. At least, until we can prove how they cheated that time. This season, whatever cheating they're doing isn't helping him, as he's had a nightmare season. With 1 out in the top of the 3rd, he walked Cameron Maybin, who recently returned from injury. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Maybin loaded the gun, and Austin Romine pulled the trigger, hitting a home run to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

The process repeated itself in the top of the 4th. With 1 out, Luke Voit drew a walk, and it was Didi Gregorius who hit one out. 4-0 Bronx Bombers.

The Sox made it 4-2 in the bottom of the inning, on a home run by Andrew Benintendi. But in the top of the 6th, Sale sealed his own doom by issuing a leadoff walk to Didi. That cliche about walks being deadly is especially the case with the leadoff variety. Gleyber Torres grounded to 3rd, but the Sox couldn't turn the double play, putting Torres on 1st with 1 out. Gio Urshela doubled Torres home.

The Sox then went to the bullpen, bringing in Colten Brewer. (Colten Brewer? Is he an Indianapolis football player or a Milwaukee baseball player?) Maybin singled Urshela home to make it 6-2.

The Sox threatened in the bottom of the 6th, getting a run home before Aaron Boone brought Tommy Kahnle in to relieve German, and he got out of the jam. In the 7th, walks were again deadly, and so was an error: Aaron Hicks led off with a walk. Aaron Judge struck out, but Edwin Encarnacion doubled. Voit was intentionally walked to load the bases, but Didi hit a sacrifice fly to center. Jackie Bradley threw home, but it went wild, allowing Encarnacion to score as well, making it 8-3.

Kahnle allowed a run in the bottom of the 7th, and Adam Ottavino had to bail him out. Maybin doubled in the top of the 8th, advanced to 3rd on a groundout by Romine, and scored on a wild pitch. Zack Britton got into and out of a jam in the bottom of the inning.

Aroldis Chapman hadn't yet pitched in the series, because the Yankees hadn't been in a save situation. Yet again, he made it too interesting, with, yes, a leadoff walk, to Mookie Betts. He got a fly out, then came a single by Xander Bogaerts, and then a passed ball. Then he struck J.D. Martinez out, but Benintendi singled home Betts and Bogaerts. Finally, Chapman struck Michael Chavis out to end it.

Whew. Yankees 9, Red Sox 6. WP: German (13-2). No save, as Chapman came in with a 5-run lead. Had he been relieved, and the next guy closed it out, he would have gotten a save. LP: Sale (5-10).

The Yankees had today off. With 56 games to go, they lead the American League Eastern Division by 8 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, and 9 over the Red Sox, in each case (due to having played different amounts of games to this point) by 10 games in the all-important loss column.

The trading deadline is 2 days away, and Brian Cashman still hasn't gotten a new starting pitcher. It won't be Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays, one of Cashman's rumored targets, as the Mets got him for prospects.

The clock is ticking. Tomorrow night, the Yankees return home, to begin an Interleague series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.