BOSTON – The Red Sox didn’t tag the Yankees for 15 runs again when their series resumed on Sunday afternoon, yet Boston hammered its division rivals – and the Green Monster – for the second consecutive game, a 6-2 win for the home team.
The Sox started their scoring in the fifth after Clarke Schmidt allowed a walk and a double to Justin Turner, which could have been – but was not – caught against the wall by a leaping Jake Bauers in left. Alex Verdugo then scored on a Rafael Devers groundout before Adam Duvall singled Turner home.
Michael King prevented further damage in the fifth, but he allowed four two-out hits, including RBI doubles to Connor Wong and Verdugo, in the sixth. Both doubles peppered the Monster.
Nick Ramirez then balked in Masataka Yoshida after the outfielder tripled in the seventh.
Schmidt’s day ended on a sour note, but he pitched well until the fifth. All in all, he logged 4.2 innings, five hits, two earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts while improving his ERA to 4.65.
King, meanwhile, totaled three earned runs over 1.1 innings.
While the Red Sox had no problem driving the ball, the Yankees’ lineup didn’t put up much of a fight against Boston in a bullpen game.
Opener Kaleb Ort surrendered a Monster-clearing, two-run homer to Gleyber Torres in the first inning, but the Yankees didn’t score again after that, and they only tallied four hits. Chris Murphy and Nick Pivetta finished the game for the Sox.
With the Yankees in an 0-2 series hole, the team will try to muster a win in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader following a Saturday rainout. The second game will begin at 7:10 p.m. on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Luis Severino will face Brayan Bello in the series finale. Severino has pitched poorly lately, allowing 16 earned runs over his last three starts. He most recently allowed five earned runs over 4.2 innings against the Mets on June 13.
Severino has a 6.48 ERA this season despite belatedly beginning his campaign with two strong outings.
Bello, on the other hand, limited the Yankees to two runs over seven innings at Yankee Stadium in his last start on June 11. The 24-year-old has been Boston’s most valuable pitcher this season, leading the team with a 1.3 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. He also has a 3.78 ERA.
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