Jackie Bradley Jr. has not been enjoying the same scorching hot August that many of his teammates are, but the Boston Red Sox center fielder delivered two clutch hits Sunday at Fenway Park.
Bradley had been hitting .220 in the month coming into Sunday, but he went 2-for-3 and drove in three of the Red Sox’s five runs in a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees.
Rick Porcello stifled the Yankees lineup for six innings, en route to his fourth consecutive win, while Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray got his first taste of the rivalry, giving up two runs in five solid innings.
The Red Sox improved to 71-52 with the win, while the Yankees dropped to 66-57.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Crucial.
The Red Sox entered the matchup with a four-game lead in the American League East standings, and a loss would have trimmed it to three with a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians looming. As it stands, Boston will take a five-game division lead into a critical series against the AL Central-leading Indians.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Sandy Leon shot a two-run double down the right field line to give Boston a four-run lead in the eighth inning.
The Yankees would not threaten against the Red Sox’s bullpen in the ninth.
ON THE BUMP
— Porcello continued his dominant stretch, as the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner used an effective curveball and devastating sinker to baffle the Yankees lineup for most of Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox right-hander cruised through the first four innings with relative ease, but the Yankees got to him in the fifth when Brett Gardner roped a solo home run around the Pesky Pole to cut Boston’s lead to one.
Porcello worked a scoreless sixth to finish his outing having allowed one run on three hits while striking out four and walking three. The right-hander tossed 103 pitches, 67 for strikes in another effective outing.
— Brandon Workman recorded a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
— Addison Reed worked a perfect eighth inning.
— Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Bradley got the scoring started when he laced a two-out, two-run triple to the right-center field gap in the second inning. The triple chased home Xander Bogaerts and Leon to give Boston a 2-0 lead.
— The Red Sox had Gray on the ropes in the fifth when they put runners on first and second with one out. But the Yankees right-hander got Hanley Ramirez to line out to center field and induced a groundout from Rafael Devers to keep the score at 2-1.
— Bradley struck again when he blooped an RBI single into right field to give the Sox a two-run lead in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-3 with a triple, a single, a walk and three RBIs.
— Leon laced a two-run double to right in the eighth to extend Boston’s lead to 5-1. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
— Andrew Benintendi went 2-for-5.
— Bogaerts went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and a run scored.
— Mitch Moreland went 2-for-4 with a single, a double and a run scored.
— Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a double.
— Mookie Betts and Devers went hitless for Boston.
TWEET OF THE DAY
It certainly looks that way.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will begin a four-game series with the Indians on Monday night. Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound for Boston and will be opposed by Mike Clevinger for the Indians. First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
