N.Y. Yankees: Chris Sale Silences Bombers and Critics

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

GAME ONE

YANKEES   4

RED SOX    5

FINAL

New York Yankees: Move to bring in Rick Porcello saves the day.

Chris Sale is arm weary; Chris Sale is fading; Chris Sale is just not a good second-half pitcher.  All these maladies are based in truth.  Sale's history as a starter says so.  He indeed suffered shoulder inflammation this season.  To what extent, we don't know.  But his regular season speaks for itself.  After making 18 starts from March/April through June, he is limited to just nine starts from July through September.  His velocity goes from upwards of 98-mph in the first half, down to the low 90's by September.

However, Alex Cora continually downplays Sale's condition throughout the second-half.  As I wrote yesterday, no one person understands his own team better than Cora - Dave Dombrowski included. He put both the Red Sox and Yankees through a comprehensive audit last season while serving as bench coach with the Houston Astros.  Last year's post-season experience makes him a veritable treasure trove of information with unique insight into his own club, the Yankees, and the defending champion Astros.

For as long as the Red Sox maintain a somewhat commanding regular season lead over the Yankees, Cora is afforded an opportunity to utilize Chris Sale sparingly, and massage him back into the post-season rotation.  Friday against the Yankees, Aaron Sale is charged with two earned runs on five hits through 5.1 innings pitched, with eight strikeouts for the victory.  He tops out at 96-mph.

The Red Sox lead the Yankees 5-0 through the fifth.  With two on and one out in the sixth, Cora removes Sale.  That's when the fun stops.  Boston's bullpen goes on to surrender four earned runs (two charged to Sale) on five hits and three walks.  Despite their overall inefficiencies, Cora's move to bring in Rick Porcello proves brilliant.  Utilizing him on his throw day, Cora gets fifteen pitches and two important outs from his Game Three starter.

Aaron Judge's home run off Craig Kimbrel leading off the ninth cuts the Red Sox lead down to one.  But Kimbrel regroups to strike out the next three Yankee batters and complete a four out save.

So much for J.A. Happ's career success against the Red Sox - the very reason why Brian Cashman acquired him in the first place.  Happ surrenders a three-run home run to J.D. Martinez in the first inning, and is removed before recording an out in the third.  For the record, Happ allows five runs on four hits and a walk over two innings pitched for the loss.

Giancarlo Stanton goes 1 for 5 with four strikeouts.  The bottom four of the line-up (Didi Gregorius, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, Glayber Torres) go 2 for 13 with four strikeouts.  Yankee batters total 13 strikeouts for the game; the Red Sox fan seven times (three by Ian Kinsler).  On that note, the Yankees leave ten runners on base, and go just 1 for 7 with RiSP.  The Red Sox are 3 for 6 with RiSP, and leave just six runners on base.

Yet, the Yankees out-hit the Red Sox by a 10-8 margin, and more importantly make Boston pitchers throw 182 pitches, versus just 127 pitches thrown by the Yankees.  They were able to piece together three runs before Aaron Judge's blast in the ninth, which is important for a team that generally lives and dies with the long ball.  Meanwhile, Judge appears healthy as ever, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and run scored.

The Yankees bullpen throws six scoreless innings of four-hit ball, issuing just two walks and fanning five.  Although called upon to pitch more innings than anticipated, Sunday is an off day as the series shifts to Bronx.  For the moment, Aaron Boone should be able to absorb the tax.

Overall, the margin of difference in this game proves very slim.

The move bringing in Rick Porcello to pitch the eighth saves the day.

But make no mistake, the Yankees can easily escape Boston with a split.  Masahiro Tanaka faces off against Yankees pinata David Price in Game Two, Saturday night at Fenway Park.

N.Y. Yankees: Bombers Invade Boston for Pivotal Series Against Sox

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

New York Yankees

vs.

Boston Red Sox

FROM

Fenway Park

New York Yankees: You Talkin' To Me?

If you're a regular rider of the Trolley, perhaps you're familiar with one of my sayings: once is an event; twice is a coincidence; three times is a trend.

Phil Nevin, third base coach of the Yankees, if you remember, calls out Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the first series between them and the Yankees back in April.  This past Wednesday, Nevin rips into select members of his own team which Aaron Boone is made to address during the post-game.

Entering this weekend's four game series, what are the chances Phil Nevin blows his top again over something or at someone?  I'm curious to see just how much power Phil Nevin thinks he wields.  Not before last night did I harbor any conspiracy theories.  But being as Boone is the calm, cool, collected one, I wonder if he and Nevin are employing the old good cop/bad cop routine upon young impressionable players?

I'm not so sure that's a good idea.  Brian Cashman let Joe Girardi go partly because he was too hard on Gary Sanchez, but generally because of his no nonsense, clenched jaw manner.  I have to question whether Brian Cashman agrees with Phil Nevin's tact.  I'm more inclined to think that if Nevin keeps this up, Cashman will suggest Boone seek out an alternative third base coach.

The Rivalry: No Chris Sale; No Xander Bogaerts; No Dustin Pedroia; No Aaron Judge; No Gary Sanchez; No J.A. Happ; No Problem ...

Here we go again.  The two best teams in baseball clash this weekend at Fenway Park.  Despite being thirty games over .500, the Yankees trail the first place Red Sox by 5.5 games.  The Bombers have a more favorable schedule ahead than do the Red Sox, but not if they keep giving away games to the moribund Baltimore Orioles.  The Red Sox, on the other hand, enter this series with the best record in baseball, 41 games above the .500 mark.  Even after their franchise record 17-2 start, the Sox still own a 58-32 record since then.

However, neither team is lacking in compromising issues.  The Yankees enter this series minus the services of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Boone, and newly acquired J.A. Happ.  The Red Sox are without their ace, Chris Sale.  Xander Bogaerts will not play Thursday, and is questionable beyond that.  Meanwhile, Dustin Pedrioa will likely continue missing the rest of the season.

Losing Sale (for any stretch of games) is a particularly painful blow to Boston.  After 22 starts, Sale is 11-4 with a league leading 2.04 ERA.  With only 90 hits allowed in 141 innings pitched, he likewise leads the league with an 0.87 WHiP.  He also leads with 207 strikeouts and a 13.2 K/9 average.

Luis Severino leads the league with 14 wins against just four losses, and owns a 2.94 ERA.  Rick Porcello is right behind him with 13 victories.

Boston features two of the league's top three hitters.  Mookie Betts leads the A.L. with a .338 average, J.D. Martinez is third with a .323 mark, and is tied for the lead with 32 home runs, and leads with 89 RBI.  Mookie Betts is third with a 6.5 WAR.

When the Bombers are at bat, I discussed the other day how all eyes will be on Giancarlo Stanton.

If the Yankees are to make headway, they need to win three games.  Of course, a split doesn't hurt.  But to lose three of four, or worse, is putting themselves in a big pickle.  Starting with Thursday night's game at Fenway, the Yankees and Red Sox have nine games remaining.

N.Y. Yankees: The Red Sox Strike Back

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Series tied 1-1

I - NYY 8; BOS 1

II - BOS 9; NYY 0

GAME THREE

RED SOX

vs.

YANKEES

FROM

River Avenue Grounds

BRONX

New York Yankees: Red Sox Counter With Left Hook.

There's a saying on the city streets: you do me bad, I'll do you worse.  A night after the Yankees felled the Red Sox with a flurry of big blows in Friday's series opener at the Stadium, Boston countered with one big left hook and a series of overhand rights of their own.

Red Sox southpaw Chris Sale climbed the bump Saturday at hot sun drenched Yankee Stadium and delivered a gem.  In increasing his record to 11-4 and helping even the series, Sale faced 24 Yankees batters, threw 101 pitches with 72 (71%) going for strikes.  He allowed the mighty Bombers but a single hit and one walk through seven full innings of work.  He struck out eleven batters, his final victim being Gleyber Torres during his last inning of work.

Yankees starter Sonny Gray was, in a word, terrible.  He surrendered six earned runs on seven hits and a walk in just 2.1 innings of work.  In the first inning he surrendered a grand slam to third Boston baseman Rafael Devers and the Red Sox never looked back.  Forced to cover the remaining 5.2 innings, the Yankee bullpen surrendered another five runs on ten hits and a walk.  Sonny Gray has now surrendered twelve runs in just 5.1 innings against the Red Son this season.

Catcher Sandy Leon also homered for the Sox driving in a pair, and designated hitter J.D. Drew went 2 for 4 with two RBI.

The Boston Red Sox are back atop the A.L. East by a full game over the Yankees.

A.L. EAST Standing

• 1)  Red Sox   56-28 (.667)  *
• 2)  Yankees   53-27 (.663)  1

The Red Sox own a 129+ runs differential.
The Yankees sit at 101+ Runs differential.

Yankees and Red Sox in Beantown Brawl

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Series tied 1-1

I- BOS 14; NYY 1

II - NYY 10; BOS 6

GAME THREE

New York Yankees

vs.

Boston Red Sox

FROM

Fenway Park

THE CENTURY OLD RIVALRY IS ALIVE AND WELL

ICYMI: Rivalry Has Two New Managers 

GAME ONE against Boston devolved into your typical blowout - nothing more; nothing less.  Both teams through the decades have taken turns being on each side of those.  No big deal, for the Yankees it was merely their turn.  It just so happened to come during this season's series opener at Fenway Park.

An otherwise great day for Boston locals, the Red Sox unleashed a 14-1 shellacking upon the invading Yankees, highlighted by a nine run barrage in the sixth inning.  They cranked out eleven hits off New York pitchers, eight against starter Luis Severino whom allowed five earned runs through five innings in a losing effort.  Sox starter Chris Sale allowed a run on eight hits and fanned eight through six innings for the win.  Although the Yankees nearly matched the Red Sox with ten hits, they came up an insurmountable thirteen runs short.  Aaron Judge accounted for the only Yankees offense of the night with a long home run to straight-away center field (his third of the season).  However, Mookie Betts was the big man on campus going 4 for 5, with a walk, home run, four RBI, and five runs scored.

GAME TWO The Yankees held on for a 10-6 victory over the Red Sox, but not before a pair of bench clearing incidents defined the night.  The first alarm occurred in the third inning when Yankees Tyler Austin came sliding into second base spikes high and clearly clipped second baseman Joe Kelly in the the right calf whom took immediate exception.  The two closed in on each other while exchanging words.  By then opposing team mates were on scene separating bodies and playing peacemakers.  The seventh inning - not so much.  Boston exacted their revenge in the seventh inning when pitcher Joe Kelly embedded a 98-mph fastball into Tyler Austin's left side.  Austin naturally charged the mound and the royal rumble ensued.  Once the punches stopped flying, manager Alex Cora appeared rather dismissive of his counterpart Aaron Boone and Yankees coach Phil Nevin in particular whom remain on the field engaged in heated exchanges with the various umpires.


GAME THREE  Boston Red Sox take rubber game for series win.