The Boston Red Sox seemed on their way to a galvanizing win Friday night until their bullpen got involved and blew a four-run lead en route to a crushing 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox record dropped back to .500 at 74-74 while the Yankees improved to 86-62.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox were in a tough position with their pitching staff. Boston's bullpen was taxed after back-to-back extra-inning games. And then All-Star starting pitcher Tanner Houck was scratched less than an hour prior to first pitch forcing Boston to turn to Richard Fitts.
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Fitts gave the Red Sox everything he could and tossed five scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. Everything went all right at first for the Red Sox bullpen with Justin Slaten pitching a scoreless inning, but then it all came crashing down in the bottom of the seventh.
The Red Sox used three relievers in the frame due to Zack Kelly and Cam Booser being highly ineffective. Kelly walked the eighth and ninth men in New York's lineup -- a baseball cardinal sin -- to begin the inning and the right-hander didn't record a single out. Booser then walked the bases loaded and after throwing six straight balls to begin his outing, he grooved a fastball down the middle of the plate to Aaron Judge.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Judge did with that pitch.
The bullpen coughing up a late lead follows a familiar script for the Red Sox in the second half of the season, where their relievers routinely have failed to get the job done. They have tried to piece their bullpen together, but it just hasn't worked with Alex Cora not having really any top-tier relievers outside of Kenley Jansen to turn to in high-leverage situations. It doesn't help matters that Lucas Sims and Luis García, who were acquired at the trade deadline, are currently on the injured list.
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If the Red Sox come up short of making the postseason, their bullpen will be the top reason why it happened.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Aaron Judge hadn't hit a home run in his last 16 games. He sure picked a great time to end that homerless streak as he belted a grand slam to completely erase a 4-1 deficit. It was Judge's 52nd round-tripper of the season.
-- Masataka Yoshida seems to really enjoy playing at Yankee Stadium as he came up with another clutch moment. Yoshida broke a scoreless deadlock in the top of the sixth when he belted a two-run home run. Yoshida finished 2-for-4.
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-- Luke Weaver closed the door on the Red Sox in stellar fashion. The Yankees reliever preserved a one-run New York lead by earning a two-inning save and recorded five strikeouts in his outing.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Yankees continue their series from the Bronx on Saturday with Brayan Bello and Gerrit Cole set to duel. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
