BOSTON — The Red Sox didn’t get what they hoped for from starter David Price, but they still earned a win over the New York Yankees.
Price gave Boston a three-run deficit in the third inning before his club could score, and the Red Sox were left to pick up the slack. The offense squandered some chances of its own, though, and for a while it looked as though the Red Sox would be their own worst enemy once again.
Instead, Boston chipped away at the Yankees’ lead in the final third of the game en route to a 6-5 win.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Grind.
The Red Sox played catch-up for most of Saturday’s contest, and the offense struggled to put runs on the board, even with men in scoring position. But the bullpen held things down after Price’s lackluster outing, and the offense chipped away at New York’s lead for the win.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Craig Kimbrel recorded a four-out save.
The Red Sox’s closer finished off the Yankees with four straight strikeouts. Not too shabby.
ON THE BUMP
— It certainly wasn’t Price’s sharpest day on the mound. The left-hander made quick work of the Yankees in the first inning, retiring them in order on just 10 pitches. But it didn’t take long for things to go downhill. The Yankees got on the board in the third inning when left fielder Brett Gardner tripled to bring in a run. Price later gave up a monster two-run homer to designated hitter Gary Sanchez and allowed two more runs in the fourth.
Price managed to pitch six innings, though, giving up five runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.
— Robbie Ross Jr. started the seventh inning by walking Gardner and got Jacoby Ellsbury to line out before Red Sox manager John Farrell turned to Matt Barnes.
Sandy Leon caught Gardner stealing before Barnes struck out Sanchez to end the inning. The right-hander came back out in the eighth and got two outs before walking shortstop Didi Gregorius.
— Craig Kimbrel replaced Barnes for the final out of the eighth and struck out third baseman Chase Headley. Oh, yeah, and he also struck out all three of his batters in the ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run of the season with a two-run jack in the fifth inning. The shortstop had a great day, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs.
— Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a double. Andrew Benintendi also recorded an extra-base hit, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.
— David Ortiz went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI groundout.
— Mookie Betts went 2-for-4, knocked in the tying run in the seventh and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch shortly after.
— Dustin Pedroia (0-for-5), Travis Shaw (0-for-4) and Leon (0-for-4) all went hitless.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Bogaerts makes sure he spreads his homers around, apparently.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish out their series against the Yankees on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” at 8:08 p.m. ET. It’ll be a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Drew Pomeranz on the mound for Boston and CC Sabathia starting for New York.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
