Red Sox Beat Yankees For Third Straight Win
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox bailed David Price out of a shaky start and pulled out a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Mookie Betts scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Adam Warren (3-2) with two out in the seventh inning as the Red Sox picked up their third straight win in the series -- two of them from behind -- and moved to a season-high 20 games over .500 (84-64).
The American League East leaders moved 2 1/2 games ahead of both Toronto and Baltimore, who both were set to play night games.
The Yankees, losers of four straight and seven of their last eight, fell 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot and seven out of first place.
Price, looking to win his eighth straight start, gave up five runs on nine hits in six innings -- two of the runs coming on a long home run by rookie Gary Sanchez, his 15th homer in 152 big-league at-bats.
The Red Sox were down 5-2 before chasing starter Bryan Mitchell on a two-run homer by Xander Bogaerts (No. 20) with two out in the fifth. Bogaerts led off the seventh with his third extra-base hit and second double of the game.
Left-hander Tommy Layne replaced Luis Severino and David Ortiz moved Bogaerts to third with a long flyout. On came Warren and Betts tied the game by chopping one over a drawn-in infield.
Hanley Ramirez then picked up his third hit and the runners moved up on a groundout before Warren uncorked his wild pitch. Ramirez, coming around third, made a dash for the plate with catcher Austin Romine out of the area. Romine recovered and tagged Ramirez just in time.
It was the first run Severino has allowed in nine appearances since going to the bullpen.
Matt Barnes (4-3) worked 1 1/3 innings for the win while Craig Kimbrel came on with two out in the eighth and struck out four straight batters for his second four-out save of the season -- his 27th overall.
Romine had a towering two-run triple in the fourth inning.
Price is to 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA against the Yankees in four starts this season, yielding 20 earned runs on 35 hits in 20 1/3 innings.
Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro left the game in the fifth inning with a right hamstring strain after running to second base on a double. Later, Jacoby Ellsbury left in the eighth inning with a left knee injury suffered when he slid into the wall in right-center on Bogaerts second double.
Both will undergo further testing.
NOTES: Red Sox manager John Farrell said he might give DH David Ortiz the day off in Sunday night's series finale. Ortiz is 16-for-73 lifetime against LHP CC Sabathia. ... Boston RHP Steven Wright, still out with a right shoulder injury suffered diving into second as a pinch runner, will go to Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday to start a throwing program. He is not expected to pitch again, at least in the regular season. ... Yankee manager Joe Girardi on his team after losing the first two games in Boston: "I still believe in this team. We've lost some tough ones and had a chance to win a few." ... LHP Drew Pomeranz says he was unaware of the medical information withheld by the Padres leading to general manager C.J. Prella getting a 30-day suspension. Pomeranz, acquired from San Diego in July, is scheduled to start Sunday night. ... Sabathia is just 12-13 with a 4.53 ERA lifetime against the Red Sox, 5-5 with a 5.15 at Fenway. He comes in with quality starts in four of his last five outings.