CC cries no-no to bunt
Yanks pitcher calls out Nunez
NEW YORK — Last week, Indians ace Corey Kluber seemed to drill Eduardo Nunez with a fastball because he swung too hard at the previous pitch. Last night, Yankees veteran lefty CC Sabathia got angry at the Red Sox second baseman for daring to lay down a bunt.
Nunez bunted in the first inning against his former teammate, and reached base when Sabathia made a bad throw on the play. Sabathia, who’s 37 with a bad knee and a notorious reputation for fielding problems, took offense.
“I’m an old man,” he said after the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Sox. “They should want to go out and kick my butt. I just feel like they took the weak road.”
Nunez and Sabathia played together in New York, and if Nunez had any sympathy it was to say he was sorry for not being sorry.
“That’s my game,” he said. “I cannot change my game. We know he has a bad knee. That’s not my problem. I can’t change my game.”
Nunez confirmed he apologized to Sabathia during the game. Sort of.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry but I have to do it,’ ” Nunez said. “That’s my game. We know he has a bad knee. I feel bad, but I have to do it. It’s my job, and if I had to bunt four times in a row, I do it. I don’t care if he’s mad or not. That’s what it is. I just have to compete, and we have to figure it out.”
Kluber had plunked Nunez immediately after he took a big swing, but missed, on a 2-0 fastball.
“I’m skinny,” Nunez said. “I have to swing hard to drive the ball. That’s the bottom line.”
Nunez does have 11 home runs this season, but he’s primarily a speed and contact player. If he ruffled feathers last night, Nunez said it’s the way it has to be.
“We don’t have any guy who has 30 homers, 100 RBI,” he said. “We play smart. We play the little game, and if he has issues with bunting, they have to work on that. That’s our game. We don’t have power. We have to work. We have to bunt. We have to hustle. That’s our game.”
Holt, Vazquez injured
Although each stayed in the game, the Red Sox were concerned about the health of catcher Christian Vazquez and utility man Brock Holt. Vazquez was hit in the side of the head by a backswing and Holt was hit by a pitch in the foot. Holt was sent for X-rays.
Vazquez seemed most concerning after Gary Sanchez’s back swing knocked his mask off his face.
“He continued to check out fine after the back swing by Sanchez caught him on the side of the head,” Sox manager John Farrell said. “We were taking every precaution in between to maintain his alertness, which he did.”
Bogaerts pulled
Slumping Xander Bogaerts was lifted for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Farrell went to Mitch Moreland against righty Dellin Betances. Moreland flied out to end the game.
“(Struggling lately) that’s why we pinch hit for him,” said Farrell, as Bogaerts was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. “With the way Mitch comes off the bench, the way he swings the bat, short right field porch, thinking we’ve got a chance to cash in four (runs) if he catches a pitch out front.”
Price timetable
David Price came through Wednesday’s light bullpen with no problems. He will throw another bullpen today, but his return from elbow inflammation remains uncertain. “He came in and felt good,” Farrell said. “Probably an increase in the number of pitches thrown. Hopeful that we can start to incorporate some changeups in his bullpen session. An encouraging (yester) day the way he came in and the way he felt.”
September call-ups
Rosters expand today with September call-ups, and the Red Sox are adding catcher Blake Swihart, first baseman Sam Travis, lefthanded pitcher Roenis Elias and right-hander Austin Maddox from Triple A.
The Sox also plan to activate reliever Matt Barnes from the disabled list, and possibly second baseman
Dustin Pedroia.
“Our roster is going to grow each of the next four days based on when guys are available to come to us,” Farrell said.
Infielder Deven Marrero is not eligible to be recalled until Sunday, and lefty Brian Johnson starts for Triple-A Pawtucket tonight, which might explain why he’s being passed over in the initial wave of call-ups.