Sox flaws for concern
Rare loss by Pomeranz as bats sputter
NEW YORK — For a while now, the accepted Red Sox narrative has focused on their outstanding record since the trade deadline. They called up a hot-shot prospect, traded for a couple of key upgrades, and got on a roll for the better part of a month.
But that storyline, while technically accurate, is fundamentally flawed.
Yes, the Red Sox have an excellent record since the deadline, but that’s because one incredible stretch has made up for a disappointing two-week slide, which continued yesterday with a 5-1 loss to the rival Yankees in the Bronx.
If not for Eduardo Nunez scoring on a pitch in the dirt, the Red Sox might have been shut out. They have a losing record in their past two weeks, and they now need a win in tonight’s series finale to avoid dropping 3-of-4 in this pivotal series at Yankee Stadium.
“We won 18 ballgames in August,” manager John Farrell said. “We’re two days into September, 1-1. I like to think we can win every game, but we’ve had a sweep of a series, (then) we ran up against a team swinging the bat extremely well. Some of those are going to be natural ebbs and flows to a season.”
The Sox have played 30 games since the July 31 trade deadline.
They won 13 of the first 15, moving from a half-game out of first place to a five-game lead in the division. It was their best stretch of the year, by a long shot. So good that it largely masked the way they’ve played since.
In their most recent 15 games, since Aug.19, the Red Sox are 7-8. Their only series win has been a three-game sweep of the last-place Blue Jays. Against the Yankees, Indians and Orioles — three winning teams — the Red Sox have a .333 winning percentage the past two weeks.
Their saving grace is that the Yankees haven’t played very well either, meaning the Red Sox have lost only a half-game in the division and still lead by 41⁄2, but Cleveland has quietly moved ahead of the Red Sox for the second-best record in the American League.
“We’ve got another game (tonight) that could help us,” Mookie Betts said. “It’s not going to be easy, obviously. So, we’ve got to worry about (tonight).”
The difference yesterday was Matt Holliday, the Yankees designated hitter who hadn’t played a major league game in nearly a month and hadn’t homered in almost two months.
In his first game back from a lumbar strain, with the game tied at 1 in the sixth inning, Holliday hit a three-run home run against Drew Pomeranz to put the Yankees in front.
Pomeranz had not allowed a home run in his previous three starts, and he hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in his past eight. He allowed four runs in 51⁄3 innings and took his first loss since June 11.
Farrell said he stuck with Pomeranz after a leadoff walk in the sixth because he wanted to keep switch hitter Chase Headley on the right side of the plate, and he wanted Pomeranz to face the lefty Greg Bird after the Holliday at-bat.
Holliday homered on a firstpitch inside fastball.
“I think I beat him in there a few times,” Pomeranz said. “It was a pretty good pitch, but I think it’s what he was looking for. He put the right swing on it.”
The Yankees tacked on an insurance run off the Red Sox bullpen in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Red Sox had just three runners in scoring position all afternoon.
Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka allowed one run in seven innings and beat the Red Sox for the second time in four starts against them this season.
After Headley homered to give the Yankees an early lead in the second inning, Nunez tied it in the sixth when he hit a hustle double off the left-field wall, took third base on a ground ball, and scored on a pitch that got away from catcher Gary Sanchez.
That double was the Red Sox’ only extra-base hit of the day.
The loss was only their 10th in the past 30 games. Or it was their sixth in the past 10 games, depending on how you want to look at it.