Red Sox 3, Yankees 5: Yanks strike first; Sox can't recover

"The Sox were in trouble fast, with Brayan Bello hitting the game's first batter, allowing a double to the second, and walking the third. The Yankees scored twice in the inning and honestly Bello was lucky to escape with as little damage as he did. Some fun and interesting stuff happened in the middle of the game: A Pesky Pole homer by Alex Bregman (his first HR in just over a month) A nice day at the plate for Nate Eaton (2-2), Nick Sogard (2-4), and Connor Wong (2-3)"

"A pinch-hit home run by Jarren Duran that brought the Sox within one. It felt like a sparkplug and like anything might be possible in that moment. But the game was bookended by less-than-stellar pitching. Aroldis Chapman was too wild and let the Yankees pad their lead and the Sox went quietly in their half of the ninth. Chris Murphy delivered a 1-2-3 6 th inning in relief of Bello, and Garrett Whitlock was crafty when he needed to be. They stanched the bleeding and gave the offense a chance."

"Eaton, Sogard, and Wong had really good nights at the plate, though it's Jarren Duran who'll be remembered for his home run while pinch-hitting for Eaton in the eighth. Alex Cora made several swaps in that inning, and for a minute, while Duran rounded the bases, it seemed like a great idea. I questioned why he wanted to sub Masataka Yoshida for Wong but even with Masa's whiff, these guys combined for a more-than-respectable 7-for-11, 1 HR, 2R. The always fun, always charming Ortiz was very Ortiz again today. I loved his support for young callups Roman Anthony and especially Nate Eaton (who had just been thrown out)."

Brayan Bello struggled early, hitting the first batter, allowing a double and a walk, and finishing 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP. The Yankees scored twice in the first inning. Alex Bregman hit a Pesky Pole homer and Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, and Connor Wong produced at the plate. Jarren Duran delivered the first pinch-hit home run of his career to cut the deficit to one. Chris Murphy and Garrett Whitlock provided effective middle relief, but Aroldis Chapman's wildness and late-game pitching failures prevented a comeback. The Sox left eight men on base and went 1-7 with runners in scoring position.

Read at Over the Monster