Bumble in the Bronx
Sox lose 3 straight to Yanks
NEW YORK — Bring out the “B” lineup, bring out the broom.
The Red Sox are division champions. Now to find out if they’ll have any sort of home-field advantage in the playoffs — or if they’ll simply win a game before the regular season closes.
A 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees last night was the third straight defeat for the Sox (92-67), who had won 11 straight prior to Monday’s off day.
A Yankees sweep followed, just the second time the Sox have been swept this season.
Still, the home team had a lot more to be upset about.
The Yankees (83-76) were eliminated from playoff contention (as were the Houston Astros), by virtue of the Orioles’ 4-0 win over the Blue Jays — an outcome that ties Baltimore and Toronto at 87-72 for the top AL wild card spot going into the final three games of the regular season.
“Probably the quietest (clubhouse) I’ve ever seen after a win,” Yanks manager Joe Girardi said.
David Ortiz took two plate appearances in his Yankee Stadium send-off, walking in the last. But Dustin Pedroia was out of the lineup, so was Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez.
Some rest is indeed deserved, and more will be mixed in this weekend. But it didn’t help any against Yanks lefty CC Sabathia, a fitting veteran foil for Ortiz. He threw 71⁄3 innings of four-hit ball.
“Anyone who looks at home-field advantage, it’s pivotal, it’s something that we’re continuing to achieve or strive for,” manager John Farrell said. “But we needed to get some guys off their feet given what we’ve come through, particularly the number of road games that we’ve played over the past six weeks.”
The Sox finished the season 46-35 away from Fenway Park, their best mark since going 51-30 in 2002.
Sox lefty Henry Owens, filling in for Drew Pomeranz, went 42⁄3 innings while allowing two runs.
The Yanks pulled ahead 1-0 in the first inning on a Starlin Castro double and never trailed.
The lone Sox run came in the fourth inning on a long Xander Bogaerts home run to left field — he drilled a fastball to even it at 1-1 — before the Yankees retook the lead for good in the fifth. Jacoby Ellsbury had a twoout RBI double, knocking Owens from the game.
Owens, who played a small role this season, said his goal in the winter is to continue to get physically stronger so he can pitch deeper into the season.
The Sox, meanwhile, have a pair of tasks in their last three regular-season games.
Finishing with some sort of home-field advantage in the playoffs is paramount. The best record in the AL guarantees it throughout, the second-best guarantees it in the first round.
“It’s always good for the playoffs,” Ortiz said. “Playing in front of your fans is something that every team looks forward to.”
Secondarily, the schedule has created an opportunity to hurt what is still one of the AL’s scariest teams.
The Sox play the first of three games vs. the Blue Jays at Fenway starting tonight, and could kick the Jays out of the playoff picture (but would need help).
The Tigers (85-73) have the best shot to catch either the Jays or O’s in the wild card at 11⁄2 games back.
“We have a chance to make an impact on that,” said Rick Porcello’s, tonight’s Sox starter. “We go out there and sweep them, there’s a chance that they might not make the playoffs. I think we’re looking to do that, as well as guys making sure that they’re rested and ready to go into the postseason.”
The Sox and Indians (9167) are tied in the loss column for the second-best record in the AL, with the Rangers (9465) in pole position.
The Indians, however, have played one fewer game than the Sox, because Cleveland and Detroit were postponed yesterday. A make-up would come Monday, and could well be needed.
While the Jays are at Fenway, the O’s take on the Yanks in the Bronx. The Tigers play the Braves in Atlanta. The Mariners are the only other team alive in the wild card race — barely.