Sabathia pitches Yanks over Sox
Lefty Sabathia sharp in second start since DL return
BOSTON » CC Sabathia allowed two hits over six innings, Didi Gregorius hit a solo home run and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 3-0 Sunday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
The Yankees won their second straight against the AL East leaders and closed within 21/2 games of the Red Sox, a day after New York won 4-1 over 16 innings and 5 hours, 50 minutes.
RHP Masahiro Tanaka (7-8, 5.47 ERA) was set to start the nightcap for New York and LHP David Price (4-2, 3.91) for Boston. The contest was not completed by press time.
Boston stranded 10 runners and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, leaving the Red Sox 2 for 31 RISP in series, 2 for 51 against the Yankees this season.
Making his second start since a stint on the disabled list cause by a strained left hamstring, Sabathia (83) mostly spotted his fastball with his slider to limit solid contact. He walked five and struck out three, improving to 4-0 in his last five road starts.
Sabathia pitched eight shutout innings against Boston at Yankee Stadium on June 7. He originally was scheduled to start Monday at Minnesota, but the Yankees changed their rotation Saturday and gave Sabathia an outing first slated for Bryan Mitchell.
Tyler Clippard, Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman finished a four-hitter, with Chapman tossing a one-hit ninth for his ninth save. New York’s bullpen has pitched 12 scoreless innings since Chapman blew a ninth-inning lead in New York’s 5-4 loss Friday.
Aaron Judge got an infield single on a dribbler to the pitcher in the seventh, ending an 0-for-15 slide since he won the All-Star Home Run Derby.
Rick Porcello (4-12) gave up three runs — one earned — and nine hits
in six innings. Porcello leads the major leagues in losses despite making his 17th consecutive start of six innings or more. In a makeup of an April 25 postponement, the Red Sox hit just four balls out of the infield and extended their scoreless streak to 22 innings. Sabathia, usually slow to move his bulky frame on a surgically repaired knee, helped himself in the second when he jumped to snag Deven Marrero’s grounder and from the third-base side of the mound threw out Sam Travis at the plate.
New York took a 2-0 lead in the fourth after shortstop Xander Bogaerts allowed Clint Frazier’s grounder to bounced off his glove and chest, putting two on with one out. Ji-Man Choi hit a sacrifice fly and Ronald Torreyes hit an RBI single that scored Frazier, who slid in just under Sandy Leon’s tag following the throw from left fielder Andrew Benintendi.
Gregorius hooked his fifth-inning homer around the Pesky Pole in right.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Michael Pineda was transferred to the 60-day DL. He likely is getting a second opinion on whether he needs Tommy John surgery.
Red Sox: RHP Blaine Boyer was put on the 10-day DL with a strained right elbow. He left Saturday after pitching an inning and warming up the next.