Happ, Encarnacion boost Yanks over Sox
BOSTON>> J.A. Happ pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion homered and the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Saturday.
Happ and four relievers combined on a five-hitter for the AL East leaders.
J.D. Martinez homered off Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth. The Red Sox began the day six games behind Oakland for the second AL wild-card spot.
Happ (12-8) allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one.
After losing 6-1 at Fenway Park on Friday night, the Yankees were aided by a bright mid-afternoon sun that played tricks with Red Sox fielders on back-to-back doubles in a four-run fourth.
DJ LeMahieu opened the inningwith a single offRyan Weber (2-3), Boston’s third pitcher of the game. Aaron Judge struck out, but Martinez then lost Didi Gregorius’ flyball to right field in the sun, the ball flicking off his glove and rolling to the wall.
Gary Sanchez greeted reliever ColtenBrewer by lofting a flyball down the right field line. As three Boston fielders — first baseman Mitch Moreland, second baseman Brock Holt and Martinez — converged on the ball, it dropped just inside the line and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double, scoring LeMahieu and Gregorius.
Martinez, normally Boston’s designated hitter, played the outfield while Jackie Bradley Jr. got a day off.
Encarnacion hit the next pitch for his 32nd home run and 11thwith the Yankees for a 4-0 lead.
The Yankees added a run in the ninth when Sanchez was hitapitchwithtwoouts and Encarnacion followed with an RBI double to deep center field.
The Red Sox used eight pitchers, a day after employing seven in their win.