Final, Red Sox 8-5: Koji Uehara handled business in the ninth inning, and the Red Sox wrap up their 10-game road trip with an 8-5 win over the Yankees in the Bronx.
Boston went 4-6 overall on the trip, which also included stops in Oakland and Seattle. The Red Sox will return home Monday on the heels of back-to-back victories, so perhaps Boston can start to generate some momentum, especially given Sunday’s strong offensive effort.
David Ortiz launched a big three-run homer Sunday to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead. The Red Sox’s offense then responded every time the Yankees began to chip away.
Dustin Pedroia had three hits, three RBIs and reached base four times. Mike Napoli had two hits and reached base three times. Mookie Betts reached twice and collected his first major league hit in his big league debut.
John Lackey earned the win despite allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits over five innings.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-5: Jose Ramirez walked the first two hitters he faced in the ninth inning but bounced back.
Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia earned free passes before Ramirez struck out David Ortiz and Mike Napoli.
A.J. Pierzynski ended the inning with a fly ball to left field.
Koji Uehara enters the game with a three-run lead.
End 8th, Red Sox 8-5: Junichi Tazawa induced three ground ball outs in a scoreless eighth inning.
Tazawa retired Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson. Taz’s only blemish was a two-out single from Carlos Beltran.
The Red Sox now are three defensive outs away from taking two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-5: Matt Thornton worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning to keep New York’s deficit at three runs.
Mookie Betts, who has reached base twice and scored a run in his debut, grounded to short for the first out.
Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt struck out swinging to end the inning. Bradley, to his credit, has been swinging the bat much better of late.
Junichi Tazawa will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.
End 7th, Red Sox 8-5: Andrew Miller was overpowering in the seventh inning.
Miller struck out Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury while working around a out-out walk.
Ichiro and Jeter went down swinging.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 8-5: It’s seventh-inning stretch time at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox went down in order in a rare uneventful inning. The Sox and Yanks have traded blows for much of the game, but Mike Napoli, A.J. Pierzynski and Stephen Drew couldn’t get anything going in the seventh.
Andrew Miller will pitch the bottom of the seventh for Boston.
End 6th, Red Sox 8-5: The Yankees tested Jackie Bradley Jr.’s arm in the sixth inning. You already know how that ended.
Burke Badenhop ran into trouble after replacing John Lackey. Carlos Beltran doubled down the left field line with one out.
Kelly Johnson singled into center field, and the Yankees decided to send Beltran. Apparently, they didn’t do their homework.
Bradley once again showed off the cannon he calls an arm while throwing out Beltran at the plate. It was an absolute missile right on the money, and Bradley now leads all major league center fielders with nine outfield assists.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 8-5: The Red Sox and Yankees treated everyone to a couple of sub-three-hour games Friday and Saturday. This one is turning into a lengthy affair, as both teams are producing baserunners at a good clip.
The Red Sox tacked on their eighth run in the sixth inning, though they had a chance for much more after loading the bases with no outs.
Mookie Betts walked to begin the sixth. He’s been on base twice in his major league debut, as he singled back in the fourth inning.
Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt followed with back-to-back singles, forcing the Yankees to turn to Dellin Betances.
Betances did an excellent job of minimizing the damage. He recorded three straight outs and Boston came away with just one run via Dustin Pedroia’s sacrifice fly to center field. Betts scored his first big league run.
End 5th, Red Sox 7-5: Runs were at a premium Saturday. Not so much in this game.
The Yankees responded to the Red Sox’s three-run inning with two runs of their own in the home half. Boston’s lead stands at two.
Mookie Betts’ lack of outfield experience was evident in the fifth inning. Ichiro Suzuki led off with sinking line drive into right-center, and Betts laid out to try to make the catch. The ball shot past Betts, and Ichiro ended up on third base with a triple.
Brett Gardner plated Ichiro with a double into the right field corner. Gardner came around to score on the second of back-to-back groundouts.
Dustin Pedroia made an excellent diving stop in the fifth inning to rob Derek Jeter of his third hit. Mark Teixeira, who homered in the fourth inning, made a bid for his second long ball, but Betts retreated to the warning track to make the catch.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 7-3: The Red Sox answered right back.
Chase Whitley walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the fifth inning. That ended the rookie’s night, as Joe Girardi turned to his bullpen and called upon Shawn Kelley.
Kelley didn’t fare any better. He walked Brock Holt and Daniel Nava to load the bases for Dustin Pedroia, who blooped a two-run single up the right field line. Pedroia has three hits in the contest.
David Huff replaced Kelley and retired David Ortiz on a popup into shallow left-center field.
Boston scored its seventh run in rather unconventional fashion. Huff had Pedroia picked off at first base. The Yankees got so caught up in retiring Pedroia in the rundown, however, that they completely forgot about Nava, who raced home from third base.
Mike Napoli walked and A.J. Pierzynski singled before all was said and done. Stephen Drew ended the inning with a fly ball to center field, although the shortstop posted a 12-pitch at-bat.
End 4th, Red Sox 4-3: Things tightened up in the fourth inning.
Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran took John Lackey deep to cut Boston’s lead to one run. Teixeira’s homer was his 15th of the season. Beltran’s blast was his eighth.
Teixeira’s home run led off the inning. Lackey left an 0-1 changeup up in the zone, and Tex jacked it down the right field line.
Beltran also jumped on an offspeed offering from Lackey. He sent an 0-1 curveball into the left field seats.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-1: Mookie Betts’ average is up to .500. Look out.
Betts, who is making his major league debut, collected his first big league hit in the fourth inning. The 21-year-old singled into center field.
The emotional high was short-lived, though, as Betts was thrown out trying to steal second base with Jackie Bradley Jr. batting.
End 3rd, Red Sox 4-1: The Yankees got one back in the third inning.
Ichiro Suzuki shot a ball to third base with one out. Brock Holt made a nice pick but his throw was high. It brought Mike Napoli off the bag, and the first baseman was unable to swipe a tag in time.
Ichiro stole second base and took third when Brett Gardner grounded to the right side. Derek Jeter knocked in Ichiro with a single into right field.
Jeter has singled into right field twice in this game. He saw 11 pitches as part of his third-inning at-bat.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-0: David Ortiz killed a first-inning rally with a double play. He more than made up for it in the third inning.
Ortiz launched a three-run big fly into the right field seats to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead. The home run was Ortiz’s 19th of the season.
Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia set the table for the three-run blast. Holt walked and Pedroia singled into right field to put runners at the corners for Ortiz, who jumped on an 0-1 fastball from Chase Whitley.
Mike Napoli added a single in the inning but was picked off first base.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: John Lackey overcame a one-out walk en route to a scoreless second inning.
Lackey walked Brian McCann after retiring Mark Teixeira to begin the inning. Lackey actually jumped ahead of McCann 0-2 but missed with four straight offerings to put the Yankees catcher aboard.
Carlos Beltran grounded into a forceout, and Kelly Johnson struck out swinging to end the inning. Johnson waved at a 3-2 curveball.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Stephen Drew — yes, Stephen Drew — gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Drew, who entered the contest in a 1-for-34 slump, singled home Mike Napoli to put Boston on the scoreboard.
Napoli doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and took third base on A.J. Pierzynski’s fly ball to deep right-center field.
Mookie Betts stepped up for his first major league at-bat in the second inning. The 21-year-old grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
End 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox also turned a double play in the first inning.
Derek Jeter, who received yet another standing ovation, drove a hard single into right field with one out.
Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a ground ball to short, where Stephen Drew began a 6-4-3, inning-ending double play.
Mid 1st, 0-0: David Ortiz swung away on a 3-0 pitch. He probably regrets the decision.
Ortiz grounded into a double play with two men on base to end the top of the first inning. It’s the first missed opportunity of the night for the Red Sox’s offense, but if the rest of the season is any indication, it won’t be the last.
Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia singled in the first inning.
8:08 p.m.: Chase Whitley delivers his first pitch to Brock Holt.
7:30 p.m.: Mookie Betts will make his major league debut Sunday. The 21-year-old will play right field and bat eighth.
Red Sox manager John Farrell said Sunday he likes Betts’ athleticism in right field. Farrell didn’t consider starting Betts in Yankee Stadium’s spacious left field, however, because the prospect at least has experience in right field — even though it’s minimal.
Brock Holt will move from right field to third base with Betts’ inclusion in the lineup. The struggling Xander Bogaerts will sit out.
Sunday’s complete lineups are below.
Boston Red Sox (37-44)
Brock Holt, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Mookie Betts, RF
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
John Lackey, RHP (8-5, 3.45 ERA)
New York Yankees (41-38)
Brett Gardner, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Brian McCann, C
Carlos Beltran, DH
Kelly Johnson, 3B
Brian Roberts, 2B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chase Whitley, RHP (3-1, 4.07 ERA)
5 p.m. ET: The Boston Red Sox have run the gauntlet over the last 10 days. They’ll wrap up their difficult road trip Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox, who enter Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees with a 3-6 mark on their current 10-game excursion, will look to return home on a high note. John Lackey will be tasked with providing the good times. He’ll go up against Chase Whitley.
Lackey and Whitley have a tough act to follow, as Jon Lester and Masahiro Tanaka went toe-to-toe Saturday in a pitching matchup that lived up to the hype. The Red Sox ultimately earned a 2-1 win after Mike Napoli took Tanaka deep with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
Lackey is coming off his worst start of the season Monday in Seattle. The right-hander allowed seven earned runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings. He completely imploded in the fourth inning of the Red Sox’s 12-3 loss, resulting in his shortest outing since Sept. 9, 2011.
Overall, however, it’s been a solid season for Lackey. He went at least eight innings in three of his four starts prior to getting shelled by the Mariners, and he enters Sunday’s contest with an 8-5 record and 3.45 ERA.
Whitley enters Sunday’s clash on the heels of his first major league loss Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 25-year-old rookie allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits over 3 1/3 innings in the worst start of his young career. He enters with a 3-1 record and 4.07 ERA in eight starts.
Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Stick around with NESN.com for updates throughout the evening.
