NEW YORK — The Boston Red Sox don’t seem to have any energy right now.
The Red Sox were blanked by the Yankees 6-0 in Friday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium. Boston has dropped six of its last eight games, and it appears the Red Sox are inching closer to make-or-break territory with just over two weeks until the All-Star break.
The Yankees grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning Friday and never looked back. A three-run fourth inning essentially ended any chance the Red Sox had of stealing the contest.
Let’s go over some notes from Friday.
— Red Sox manager John Farrell announced his rotation through Wednesday before the game. It looks like this:
Saturday: Jon Lester
Sunday: John Lackey
Monday: Jake Peavy
Tuesday: Clay Buchholz
Wednesday: Brandon Workman
The three biggest takeaways are Peavy’s inclusion, Rubby De La Rosa’s omission and Farrell’s announcement that Felix Doubront will remain in the bullpen moving forward.
Doubront, who has said on several occasions that he views himself as a starter, admitted he is “disappointed” by the Red Sox’s move.
— Workman returned from his six-game suspension. The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits — including two home runs (Kelly Johnson, Brett Gardner) — over a career-high seven innings in his first start since June 15. He struck out five and walked two.
— The Red Sox’s offense (again) was the biggest issue. Boston produced just three hits — one after the second inning.
— Brock Holt was a lone bright spot, going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. He also made two great defensive plays in which he robbed Brian Roberts and Carlos Beltran in the second and eighth innings, respectively.
Holt has played in all 321 innings of Boston’s 34 games since May 23.
— Stephen Drew snapped an 0-for-29 stretch with a two-out double in the seventh inning.
— Craig Breslow surrendered a two-run homer to Brian McCann in the eighth inning.
Breslow is sporting a 4.39 ERA in 26 2/3 innings over 27 appearances. The left-hander has walked more (18) than he has struck out (17).
Breslow typically gets better as the year goes on. He entered Friday with a 3.27 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 236 career first-half appearances, as opposed to a 2.46 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 209 career second-half appearances.
The Red Sox need to hope that trend holds true this season, as Breslow was a key cog in last year’s World Series run.
— The Red Sox have surrendered at least one homer in each of their five games at Yankee Stadium this season (11 total).
— Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks have been shut down from baseball activities, according to Farrell.
Victorino is receiving treatment on his lower back, whereas Middlebrooks is dealing with swelling in his fractured right index finger.
— The Red Sox still are carrying 12 position players. However, Farrell said before the game that the Red Sox would like to return to carrying 13 position players, meaning a roster move is forthcoming.
It’s unclear when that roster move will take place, though. Farrell said after the game that it might not happen Saturday. The whole situation is the result of Boston’s rotation being in flux.
The calls for Mookie Betts certainly are getting louder, and the 21-year-old playing right field at Triple-A Pawtucket is another indication that he’s a consideration for a major league call-up. It’s also possible the Red Sox could call up someone else, as Betts would need to play every day for that particular move to make sense for Boston.
