WHERE THE SON' DON'T SHINE
Yanks starter rocked as troubles with Stadium, Bosox converge
A night after the Yankees did just about everything right against the Red Sox, they managed to do everything wrong on Saturday in an 11-0 loss at the Stadium.
That’s what a Sonny Gray-Chris Sale mismatch will do.
Gray gave up a Rafael Devers grand slam in the first inning and didn’t make it out of the third, while Sale allowed just a single to Giancarlo Stanton in seven dominant innings.
It was a debacle from start to finish for the Yankees, as Gray proved again that he’s not good in The Bronx and even worse against the Red Sox.
He delivered his worst outing of the year, matching a season-high by giving up six runs in just 2 ¹/3 innings. Gray was booed off the mound in the first and again in the third after he was pulled by Aaron Boone.
“That was embarrassing for me and I think for everyone in here,’’ Gray said. “To play like we did [Friday] and play like we’ve been playing and then come out tonight and just spot them six runs in the first two innings, it’s just disappointing.”
After Gray got two outs in the first, he allowed an infield hit to J.D. Martinez, a walk to Mitch Moreland and a single to Xander Bogaerts before Devers smacked a 1-2 curveball for an opposite-field homer.
The Yankees’ offense, which scored eight runs Friday, was held to a season-low two hits. They have been shut out three times in their past seven games.
And they slipped back into second place in the AL East heading into Sunday night’s series finale.
Sale had surrendered just four total runs in his previous four starts entering Saturday and didn’t let up against the Yankees. He retired the final 16 batters he faced, walking one and striking out 11.
Gray’s poor outing was hardly surprising, as the right-hander gave up six runs in just three innings in an April 12 start at Fenway Park. In seven career starts versus Boston prior to Saturday, Gray was just 1-5 with a 5.97 ERA.
But Gray’s problems aren’t limited to the Red Sox.
With Saturday’s loss, the Yankees fell to 7-9 when Gray starts and he’s now 4-6 with a 7.10 ERA in 13 home starts since joining the Yankees.
He has been especially bad when he faces the Yankees’ top rivals. When Gray finally got Eduardo Nunez to ground to third to end the first inning, he walked off the field to a chorus of boos. The venom grew louder when he was pulled in the third.
Afterward, Gray was hard on himself and said he understood the reaction.
But he could provide no answers as to why he has been so bad in The Bronx.
“I wish I knew,’’ Gray said. “I’m well aware of the way I’ve struggled here. … I don’t know if pressure is the right word. It’s fun. I expect to come out and perform. The way I’ve thrown the ball, I don’t feel it’s been fun.”
Boone was also left searching for positives.
“I think he has what it takes to get through here, to pitch successfully here, absolutely,’’ the manager said. So far, it hasn’t happened. And while Gray was the biggest culprit, he wasn’t alone.
“We had a good night at the plate [Friday] night, but I think for a few weeks now, we haven’t really clicked like we’re capable of offensively,’’ Boone said. “That’s gonna happen over the course of a long season. Tonight was a case of a game that got away early and we’re up against an ace at the top of his game.”