The Boston Red Sox’s offense went missing again Thursday night.
Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka stymied the Red Sox, who collected just three hits and lost 3-0 at Fenway Park.
Tanaka tossed a complete-game shutout, as he didn’t allow a runner to reach second base after the second inning and retired the last 14 batters he faced. The Yankees right-hander had all four pitches working, pounding the strike zone and baffling the Red Sox’s bats by inducing weak contact with his devastating split-finger fastball.
The Red Sox fell to 11-10 with the loss, while the Yankees improved to 13-7 with the win.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Frustrating.
Chris Sale was masterful for the first eight innings, but the Red Sox’s offense couldn’t scratch across anything against Tanaka to support their ace.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
The Yankees scored two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to give them a three-run lead. Sale, who was lifted after eight innings in his previous start, came out for the ninth this time and surrendered three consecutive singles before Heath Hembree came on to relieve the left-hander.
Hembree allowed an RBI single to the first batter he faced, then recorded a pop-out and a double play to end the inning.
ON THE BUMP
— Sale dazzled through eight innings before finally looking mortal during the ninth, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits. He struck out 10 batters and did not surrender a walk.
The Yankees got to Sale in the fourth. Aaron Hicks led off the inning with a single to right field, then moved to second on a groundout and scooted to third on a passed ball. Matt Holiday hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Hicks and give New York a 1-0 lead. The run was unearned because of the passed ball by Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon.
New York threatened again in the sixth, but Sale got Chase Headley to fly out to right and stranded a runner at third.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox struggled all night against Tanaka and had only one runner reach second base in the game.
— Hanley Ramirez was the only member of the Red Sox to tally a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3 with two singles against Tanaka.
— Xander Bogaerts had the only other hit for the Red Sox. He finished 1-for-3 with a single.
— Leon’s struggles continued, and he now has only one hit in his last 27 at-bats after going 0-for-3 against Tanaka.
— Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-4 with a strikeout from a left ankle and knee injury he sustained on Manny Machado’s spikes-first slide Friday night.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Thanks for playing.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will welcome the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs to Fenway Park for a weekend series. Lefty Drew Pomeranz is expected to get the ball for Boston on Friday night, opposed by Chicago right-hander Jake Arrieta. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
