The hole just got a little bit deeper.
In a season that has been plagued by horrendous starting pitching, it was Boston’s bullpen that shouldered a 6-4 loss on Wednesday night in the Bronx as the Sox drop both games of their two-game set against the New York Yankees.
The Boston Red Sox got a tremendous start from Nathan Eovaldi, who put forth by far his best start of the season. The right-hander struck out six over six innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits with one walk. But it was for naught.
A Brett Gardner grand slam in the seventh inning off of Ryan Brasier, who inherited a bases-loaded situation, flipped the game on its head. The Sox would threaten in the eighth by loading the bases with two outs, but could not plate any runs.
Adam Ottavino got the win for the Yankees. Brandon Workman took the loss and Aroldis Chapman earned the save.
Boston fell to 6-13 with the loss, while the Yankees moved to 8-9 with the win.
GAME IN A WORD
Poof.
What was shaping up to be a nice rebound victory for Boston went up in smoke.
ON THE BUMP
— Eovaldi put forth his best start of the season in a much-needed bounce-back performance from a Red Sox starter.
The right-hander, as usual, brought the heat, topping out at 100 mph Wednesday in the Bronx and stifling Yankee bats for most of his outing. He skated through smoothly in the first three frames, stranding runners in the first and second before chucking a 1-2-3 third.
He ran into his first real trouble in the fourth after allowing a leadoff walk to Luke Voit. The Yanks first baseman advanced to second on a fielder’s choice, which was ruled an error after Eduardo Nunez could not corral a throw from Xander Bogaerts. Clint Frazier then drove in New York’s first run of the game with a one-out double that squeaked inside the left field foul line.
Eovaldi capped his outing by retiring the last eight batters he faced, striking out Aaron Judge to end the sixth inning. He threw 104 pitches, 67 for strikes.
— Workman came on in the seventh, and would record just one before getting pulled with the bases loaded.
The righty allowed a leadoff single to Fraizer. A Gio Urshela strikeout was bookended by walks to Mike Tauchman and Austin Romine.
— Brasier could not bail the Sox out of the inning, allowing Gardner to drive a grand slam over the right field wall on an 0-2 fastball middle-middle to make it 5-3 Yankees.
Brasier would get out of the frame without anymore damage.
— Heath Hembree hurled a 1-2-3 eighth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Martinez got things started with a two-out solo home run in the top of the first, belting the first pitch over the right-center field wall.
— Christian Vazquez made it 3-0 with a two-run homer in the top of the second, sending one the opposite way off J.A. Happ.
— The Red Sox would not muster much else off of Happ, who allowed five hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings.
— Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, the Sox tried to muster some two-out magic after Martinez reached on an infield single. Steve Pearce followed with another knock off Ottavino. Mitch Moreland then drew a walk to load the bases. But Nunez flied out to right field to end the frame.
— Chapman retired Boston in order in the ninth.
— Rafael Devers and Martinez were the only Sox with multiple hits. Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. each went 0-for-4.
— Boston did outhit New York 8-5.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Timing is everything
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will get a day off Thursday before heading to St. Petersburg, Fla. to start a three-game road set against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. First pitch from Tropicana Field is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET.
