Script flips for Red Sox-Yankees
New York has ascended since April meeting
When the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox last met in April, the prevailing theme was two-way reconnaissance.
Aaron Judge was a newcomer to the rivalry, and the image of Chris Sale at Fenway Park was a shock to the system, too. The Red Sox were considered the American League’s elite team, and the Yankees were only in the early stages of becoming a threat on Yawkey Way — too young and too unknown to be taken seriously, let alone hated.
Much has changed since then. It’s almost as if we’re in an alternate universe. Judge is playing like the rookie of the year. Better yet, an MVP front-runner now that Mike Trout is on the disabled list. And while Sale has been as great as advertised, the Red Sox are in second, chasing the Bombers. Boston is a competent team, but not the powerhouse that was supposed to treat the regular season as a warm-up for October.
This week’s showdown at Yankee Stadium becomes a new referendum, except the equation has been flipped. We’re no longer asking if the Yankees are for real, because that question has been answered. The more relevant narrative is whether the Red Sox can hang with the Bombers over three games without Sale, who pitched Sunday at the Baltimore Orioles.
It’s too early, of course, to make a conclusive argument about the AL East race, but the data will still tell us plenty. Remember, the Yan- kees not only swept Boston in their last meeting — a rain-shortened two-game series — but limited them to one run and seven hits over 18 innings. A similar triumph would go a long way toward establishing the Yankees as the favorites for the rest of the summer.
In the meantime, here are five people to watch this week. DAVID PRICE He gets the ball Thursday after an impressive outing against the Orioles on Saturday — one run on three hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts. Price’s return from the disabled list represents the Red Sox’s greatest hope for catalyzing their season. He, Sale and Rick Porcello were supposed to give Boston the league’s best rotation, at least until an elbow injury sidelined him in spring training.
It took nearly two months for Price to heal, but it appears he’s back to his former self. After debuting against the Chicago White Sox on May 29, the left-hander’s fastball topped out at just under 96 mph against the Orioles. Barring setbacks, Price is capable of catapulting the Red Sox on a long winning streak. He’ll face an important test Thursday against Michael Pineda. AARON JUDGE We confess: It’s impossible to get enough of the rookie’s ascent. Everywhere the Yankees go, Judge attracts the most attention and for all the right reasons. He’s strong, disciplined at the plate, athletic in the field and remarkably poised for someone who’s still learning.
Don’t let that warm smile fool you, though. Judge is a fierce competitor who enjoys destroying opposing pitchers. He made his statement against Porcello in April, ripping an opposite-field home run in his second at-bat against the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
Judge leads the majors in homers (18), is second in the AL to Trout in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and fourth in RBI. To think this is the same kid who struck out 42 times in 84 atbats last year. That’s the version of Judge the Red Sox would prefer to see. Good luck with that. MASAHIRO TANAKA He has allowed 11 home runs in his last 31 innings — roughly once every time through the order. The Red Sox are a sabermetrics-driven organization and no doubt aware Tanaka has been avoiding throwing his four-seam fastball. Of the 103 pitches the Japanese star unleashed against Baltimore in his last start, only 11 were four-seam heaters.
Tanaka’s unwillingness to challenge hitters up in the strike zone and change their eye level has created a target-rich environment in the lower half. That could explain why he’s been getting lit up: Hitters can afford to focus on one area only. We’ll see if that changes Tuesday. GARY SANCHEZ It’s remarkable how far under the radar the slugging catcher has slipped, in part because of Judge’s growing star power and the Yankees’ fast start, not to mention the torn biceps Sanchez suffered in April. But he’s still slugging away, on a pace for 30-plus homers without even hitting a serious hot streak yet.
Sanchez’s two home runs off the Toronto Blue Jays’ Marco Estrada on Thursday were a hint of what’s lurking and showed the upside of the Yankees’ monster lineup. Only the Houston Astros have scored more runs and have a higher OPS in the AL — and that’s without Sanchez approaching last year’s home run binge.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi is right when he says it’s unfair to compare the catcher to last year’s standard. The bar was set too high to expect Sanchez to do that again. But he’s going to accelerate soon enough — that two-homer performance might have been the starter’s gun. If so, the Red Sox aren’t the only ones who’ll be in trouble in the East. JOHN FARRELL It was only two weeks ago, after losing three of four games to the Oakland Athletics, that Farrell’s dismissal as Red Sox manager seemed imminent. The Red Sox were a game over .500, and talk of his inability to lead grew louder. It’s true, Boston’s lineup isn’t the same without retired David Ortiz. The Red Sox are last in the AL in homers and behind 14 of the 15 National League clubs, too.
Price’s injury also contributed to the Red Sox’s early-season mediocrity. The situation has stabilized somewhat since Boston went on a five-game winning streak after the Oakland fiasco. But make no mistake, this is an important series for Farrell. A poor showing against the Yankees will embolden an army of critics.