He’s not the ace he once was, but CC Sabathia looked like his old self Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
The New York Yankees starter pitched eight scoreless innings, only allowing five hits with five strikeouts. The left-hander was very efficient in his outing, as 64 of his 95 pitches went for strikes.
Rick Porcello’s struggles continued against the Bronx Bombers. The right-hander did a good job of escaping damage on more than one occasion, but the Red Sox starter allowed five earned runs over 6 1/3 laborious innings.
With the loss, the Red Sox fall to 32-26, while the Yankees improve to 33-23.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Quick.
Both starting pitchers worked fast, which helped the pace of the game. The Red Sox weren’t very patient with Sabathia, and the left-hander made them pay.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Chris Carter blasted a three-run home run in the fourth inning to push the Yankees’ lead to 5-0. There still was a lot of game left to play, but the way Sabathia was dealing, it was more than enough to carry New York to victory.
ON THE BUMP
— Porcello cruised through the first two innings, retiring all six batters on only 16 pitches. But the right-hander would run into some trouble in the third frame.
Didi Gregorius led off the third with a home run to right-center field to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. New York would load the bases in the inning, but Porcello managed to escape with only the one run allowed.
The Yanks would strike again in the fourth. Starlin Castro started the inning with a double and advanced to third on a Jackie Bradley Jr. error. Gary Sanchez followed with an RBI single to give New York a 2-0 edge. And after a Chase Headley base knock, Carter sent a hanging sinker into orbit to swell the Yankees’ lead to 5-0.
Porcello would settle down in the fifth and sixth frames, only allowing one hit in the two innings. But after recording one out in the seventh, Red Sox manager John Farrell opted to take out his starter.
— Blaine Boyer followed Porcello, and dodged a major bullet by striking out Aaron Judge. But after Matt Holliday bounced a single off of Xander Bogaerts’ glove, Brett Gardner scooted around from second base to push New York’s lead to 6-0.
Boyer would stay on for the eighth, but the right-hander would struggle in the inning. He allowed two runs on three hits, giving the Yankees an 8-0 advantage.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Josh Rutledge was the lone bright spot for the Red Sox. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple.
— Chris Young, Sam Travis and Bogaerts all reached base with a single.
— Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Sandy Leon, Deven Marrero and Bradley all went hitless in the ballgame.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Well, this was a bizarre play.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Yankees will play the finale of their three-game series Thursday night. David Price is scheduled to get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by New York’s Michael Pineda. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
