You can’t win ’em all.
The Boston Red Sox had a good thing going with the New York Yankees on Saturday, as starters Drew Pomeranz and Masahiro Tanaka surrendered only one run apiece through the top of the sixth inning. The pitcher’s duel ended in the bottom half of the frame, though, as Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday launched a monster three-run homer.
The Red Sox couldn’t make any noise after that, and Drew Pomeranz went home with a 5-1 loss, his first against the Yankees this season.
With the loss, Boston fell to 77-59, while the Yankees improved to 72-63.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
GAME IN A WORD
Disappointing.
Pomeranz was able to grind through a tough outing, and until the Yankees pulled ahead, it appeared this would be another intense matchup. However, Tanaka was dealing, and Boston looked totally defeated after Holliday’s homer.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
The Red Sox couldn’t rally back in the ninth.
You never know what’s going to happen in a Red Sox-Yankees matchup, so while a four-run deficit is unlikely to be erased in one inning, it’s a bad idea to call a game between these two teams until it’s really over.
ON THE BUMP
— Pomeranz was holding strong Saturday. Until he wasn’t. The left-hander gave up a solo home run to Yankees third baseman Chase Headley in the second inning and proceeded to get himself into a bases-loaded jam with two outs, but he was able to eliminate the threat. Pomeranz breezed through the third, fourth and fifth innings, allowing a single to Headley in the third and one to catcher Gary Sanchez in the fifth, but it was all downhill from there.
A leadoff walk to shortstop Didi Gregorius in the sixth followed by another single to Headley gave way to a three-run homer off the bat of Holliday. Pomeranz’s day was over after a strikeout of first baseman Greg Bird, finishing the afternoon having allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts, two walks and two home runs over 5 1/3 innings.
— Brandon Workman relieved Pomeranz in the sixth and ended things by with a pop out from second baseman Ronald Torreyes and a strikeout of left fielder Brett Gardner. The seventh inning didn’t go so hot, though, as Workman surrendered a leadoff triple to center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who scored on a Sanchez single during the next at-bat.
The right-hander struck out right fielder Aaron Judge before getting yanked, giving up one run on two hits with two K’s over an inning’s worth of work.
— Fernando Abad finished out the seventh without issue by getting Gregorius to pop out and Headley to fly out.
— Austin Maddox took care of the bottom of the eighth, pitching a 1-2-3 frame with a strikeout.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Eduardo Nunez went 1-for-4 with a double, scoring Boston’s lone run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.
— Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with a walk.
— Rafael Devers went 1-for-4 and had a throwing error on the field.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. and Tzu-Wei Lin each went 1-for-3.
— Mitch Moreland, Hanley Ramirez and Christian Vazquez each went 0-for-4.
TWEET OF THE DAY
At least Benintendi likes playing the Yankees.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish out their final series with the Yankees in a “Sunday Night Baseball” matchup at 7:38 p.m. ET on ESPN. Left-handed ace Chris Sale will face off against Yankees starter Luis Severino, whom the Red Sox tagged for 10 runs (eight earned) in his last meeting with them.
Thumbnail photo via Gregory J. Fisher/USA TODAY Sports Images
