Saturday, August 19, 2017

Were We Supposed To Hold That Lead?...

Credit:  Corey Sipkin-NY Post
Red Sox 9, Yankees 6...

I am sick of games with lost opportunities.  When the Yankees scored 4 runs in the top of the 7th but subsequently had the bases loaded with only one out, I had such a sickening feeling when both Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez failed to bring home any more runs.  Unfortunately, that feeling was correct as the Red Sox raged back against the Yankees bullpen to take the win.

That's right, Joe Girardi, Aroldis Chapman is your closer.  Keep rolling him out there and watch your playoff aspirations fade.  Maybe something is not wrong physically with Chapman but there's something wrong between the ears.  I know that he didn't give up the lead, Tommy Kahnle did, but the runs the Red Sox scored off him put the dagger in the heart. I personally think Chapman needs time away to get himself right.  The team is better off with David Robertson and Dellin Betances closing out games.

What makes this loss worse is today's game features probable Cy Young winner Chris Sale. It doesn't get any easier, especially with CC Sabathia and his balky knee on the mound.  The Yankees are facing a series loss and falling 6 games behind Boston unless they can somehow find a way to pull out a win today. 

While the Yankees seemed to be leaving runners stranded every inning (total of 14 men left on base), the Red Sox scored first in the second inning in the rain off starter Jordan Montgomery.  Xander Bogaerts hit a two-out double to left and Rafael Devers homered to opposite field, over the Green Monster, to give the Sox the early 2-0 lead.

Christian Vazquez led off the bottom of the 5th with a solo shot, a high fly out of the park in left.

Working against the Red Sox bullpen, the Yankees finally broke the ice in the 6th.  Chase Headley lined a one-out single to right.  Todd Frazier hit his 20th home run of the year, a shot to left center and it was a one-run game.  The Yankees subsequently proceeded to load the bases with two outs, but Aaron Judge grounded out to snuff a potentially huge inning.  

Credit:  Adam Glanzman-Getty Images
Gary Sanchez led off the next inning with his 23rd homer, a fly to left center near the light tower and the game was tied.  The Yankees proceeded to load the bases on two walks and a single (not in that order) to load the bases for Ronald Torreyes.  Torreyes, unlike Judge, didn't fail.  He hit a line-drive single to left off the scoreboard to score both Didi Gregorius and Chase Headley.  The Yankees had taken the lead, 5-3.  After Austin Romine struck out, Brett Gardner walked to load the bases.  Red Sox reliever Robby Scott then hit Aaron Hicks with a pitch to bring Todd Frazier home from third.  6-3 Yankees and the bases were still juiced.  Aaron Judge had the first crack, but he went down swinging.  Last chance fell to Gary Sanchez who had led off the inning with a homer, but this time he lined out to first.  The Yankees had the lead but I didn't feel good.  I felt the score should have been 8 or 9 to 3 at that point.  

Credit:  Adam Glanzman-Getty Images
The Red Sox rallied against the Yankees bullpen.  Chad Green had pitched an effective 6th inning after relieving Jordan Montgomery, but the bottom of the 7th didn't go so well.  Green got the first batter, Rafael Devers, to pop out to Didi Gregorius.  Christian Vazquez then hit a line drive to left that Gregorius just missed.  Jackie Bradley Jr was up next, but Green couldn't throw strikes and the Sox had runners at first and second.  Exit Green, enter Tommy Kahnle.  Exit lead.  Eduardo Nunez reached base on an infield hit to load the bases.  A sacrifice fly to center by Mookie Betts scored Vazquez.  Andrew Benintendi singled to right, scoring JBJ.  Hanley Ramirez walked to re-load the bases.  Mitch Moreland singled to score two more runs and the Red Sox had a lead they would not relinquish, 7-6.

Credit:  Michael Dwyer-Associated Press
After the Yankees were unable to do anything offensively in the top of the 8th, Girardi brought Aroldis Chapman in to pitch the bottom of the inning.  Sorry Chapman, you suck.  20 year-old Rafael Devers, finding his new bitch in Chapman, singled to right.  Christian Vazquez was up next and he reached base when Chapman couldn't find the strike zone.  With JBJ at the plate, the Sox executed a double-steal with Devers and Vazquez taking third and second, respectively.  JBJ hit a single up the middle and the Sox had two more runs on the board.  9-6, Sox.  A throwing error by Hicks on the single allowed JBJ to reach second, but Chapman finally settled down and retired the next 3 batters.  Too little, too late.  
Credit:  New York Daily News (back page)
Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the 9th to give the Sox the agonizing win.  This was a very disappointing loss (as if you couldn't tell from the tone of my words).  

The Yankees (65-56) fell five games behind the Red Sox with the loss.  The Yankees retained the lead in the Wild Card Standings, 3 1/2 games up, but the second place team, the Los Angeles Angels were caught by the Minnesota Twins for a tie with the second WC spot.  The Angels suffered a devastating loss when Manny Machado hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Baltimore Orioles a 9-7 win over the Angels.  The O's have sole possession of third place in the AL East, 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees, thanks to losses by both the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.  The O's are just 2 games out of the 2nd WC. The Twins, probably wishing they had kept Jaime Garcia, beat the Arizona D-Backs, 10-3.  

Odds & Ends...

Congratulations to Derek Jeter and his wife Hannah on the birth of their daughter, Bella Raine Jeter.  Little BRJ was born on Thursday and she anxiously awaits her father's takeover of the Miami Marlins.  I am sure that she's already looking forward to life on South Beach.

The Boston Red Sox have opted to pitch Rick Porcello on Sunday against the Yankees' Sonny Gray.  Porcello, last year's AL Cy Young Winner, is 7-14 with 4.59 ERA.  Porcello is 0-3 against the Yankees this year in 19 innings with 3.79 ERA.  

Mets OF Curtis Granderson, fresh off his grand slam against the Yankees in the final game of this week's Subway Series, has found himself on MLB's best team.  From the outhouse to the penthouse.  The Grandy Man was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the familiar player to be named later or cash considerations.  Interestingly enough, the Dodgers are currently in the city where Grandy got his start as they are playing a weekend series in Detroit.  Credit the Dodgers for continuing to find ways to improve the team despite 86 wins on August 19th.

Credit:  Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Have a great Saturday!  Seems like a good day to beat the Red Sox!  Let's Go Yankees!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)