Yanks Drop Series Finale to Boston, 5-1

      As the Yankees tried to finish off the three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, both teams squared off on Mother's Day, complete with plenty of pink on both teams uniforms. Hoping to turn around a shaky start to 2016, Luis Severino took the ball for the hometown Yankees. The Red Sox countered with knuckleballer Steven Wright, who has far and away been the best starter for Boston, carrying a 1.67 ERA. Making it all the more impressive is the fact that he is one of two remaining knuckleball pitchers in the game, with the other being R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays. And it was Steven Wright who stole the show tonight in Yankee Stadium.
     Severino was very "Jekyll and Hyde" throughout the evening. In the first, after walking the first hitter of the game Mookie Betts on four straight pitches, Severino served up a homerun, just over the outstretched glove of Carlos Beltran, to Dustin Pedroia, giving the Red Sox a very early 2-0 lead. After that, Severino went on to retire the next 10 straight batters, seven via the strikeout. But then in the top of the fourth, he gave up another homerun, this time to David Ortiz, extending the lead to 3-0. The young right-hander was bitten again by Ortiz, this time coming in the top of the seventh-inning when the DH launched another solo homerun into the right field seats, now 4-0 Boston. The only other run Boston scored came in the top of the following inning (8th) when Xander Bogarts hit yet another Red Sox longball off of newly inserted reliever Chasen Shreve.
      Contrastly, Steven Wright cruised all night long against the Pinstripers, only allowing three hits and one walk throughout the entire evening, in route to his first complete game of the season. The loan blemish the knuckleballer suffered came in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brett Gardner hit a solo homerun off the righty, inching the Yankees closer, 5-1. But, that was as close as the Yankees got. Thirty-one year-old Wright showed everyone why he is sporting the best statistical year for any starter in Boston this season, displaying impeccable control over a pitch that does not typically come with that kind of accuracy.
     Although he showed some promise, Luis Severino could not keep the ball in the ballpark, which ended up being his demise, as he again was unable to pitch himself into the win column. And yes, The bats were again silent. But, unlike previous nights, tonight they were simply out-dueled. If the Yankees are going to make any noise with Aroldis Chapman coming off his suspension tomorrow, they really need to get the offense rolling so that every starting pitcher doesn't feel like they have to pitch a masterpiece every single outing.
     The Yankees will have a chance to get back on the right track tomorrow as they begin a three-game series with the defending champion Kansas City Royals, beginning at 7:05 PM ET.