The Yankees couldn’t finish the sweep, nor could they get the big hit, in their 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Here are the takeaways…
– Jordan Montgomery struck out the first batter he saw, but with one out in the first, Xander Bogaerts hit a comebacker 102.8 mph directly into the lefty’s kneecap. He fell to the ground after a loud “Ow,” but stayed in the game. J.D. Martinez then hit an RBI double to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. He then loaded the bases and allowed a sac fly, and the Yankees were trailing 2-0 before they got an at-bat.
He settled down in the second and third innings, but in the fourth, allowed two baserunners on a wild pitch after a third strike and a single. He was done after 3.1 innings, and Clarke Schmidt entered the game. After he allowed a sac fly to make it 3-1 and struck out Enrique Hernandez, Montgomery’s final line was 3.1 innings, three earned, four hits, four strikeouts, one walk, and 38 strikes on 58 pitches.
– Schmidt stayed solid up until the sixth inning, where he allowed a solo shot to Bobby Dalbec. It was the only hit he allowed in his 2.2 innings of work, but it proved to be the game-winner.
– In the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Judge battled with Jake Diekman for 11 pitches, but Diekman got him punched him out at letter-high heat. Giancarlo Stanton struck out on a fastball down and away, and Joey Gallo struck out on a breaking ball to end the game.
– The Yankees loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but Gleyber Torres flied out to end the inning The Yanks took advantage in the third inning, though – Anthony Rizzo led off the inning with a walk, Judge blooped in a single, and Stanton continued to be a Sox killer, driving in Rizzo with a single. Two batters later, Aaron Hicks came up with the bases loaded, but grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
– The Yankees had yet another threat in the fourth, this time getting their first two batters on with none out. Josh Donaldson struck out looking, but a wild pitch advanced the runners, and Rizzo took advantage by lining a single into left to tie the game – it was his third-straight two-RBI effort.. In the sixth inning, the Yanks had runners on second and third with one out, but Hicks popped out behind the plate, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out to end the threat – through five innings, the Yankees had already left eight men on base.
– The Yankees had the tying run on base in the eighth after Kiner-Falefa led off the inning with a walk, and DJ LeMahieu pinch-hit for Jose Trevino. But he flew out, Donaldson lined out, and Rizzo popped out.
– The Yankees had the tying run on base in the eighth after Kiner-Falefa led off the inning with a walk, and DJ LeMahieu pinch-hit for Jose Trevino. But he flew out, Donaldson lined out, and Rizzo popped out.
– The bullpen, once again, stayed dominant. After Lucas Luetge tossed a perfect seventh inning, Jonathan Loaisisa threw a scoreless eighth, and Wandy Perlata added a perfect ninth. The Yankee bullpen has allowed just two earned runs in 18.2 innings (0.96 ERA), and just six hits.
– Donaldson was the hero on Opening Day, but was far from that in this one – he struck out looking three times, leaving four men on base, in his 1-for-5 night. Hicks, however, left six men on base (seven if you want to count that double play). The Yanks as a whole left 11 on base.
– Stanton got three more hits, and two of them were above 115 mph. He’s now slashing hitting .385 with a 1.281 OPS through his first three games of the year. He already has five batted balls over 110 mph.
– Kiner-Falefa got his first hit as a Yankee – a double in the fourth.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees will host a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. Jameson Taillon will take the bump for the Yanks, and the Jays will return with Alek Manoah.