Rodriguez, Red Sox Beat Yankees
NEW YORK -- Sandy Leon highlighted a career-high four RBI showing with a three-run home run and the Boston Red Sox ran their season-high winning streak to six games with a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Leon began the game with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 264 career at-bats since making his major league debut with Washington in 2012.
The backup catcher added to those totals with a tiebreaking RBI single in Saturday's fourth inning. That hit gave him 26 this season, but the next one was amongst his more memorable at-bats.
With two on and one out in the sixth, Leon sent a 2-0 pitch well over the left field wall and a few rows into the bleachers. The estimated 412-foot drive prompted Boston television play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien to say "Sandy Leon is absolutely amazing."
Leon had three hits for the fourth time this season, which is double the amount of three-hit games he had entering the season. He raised his average to .466 after taking a .455 clip into the All-Star break, the highest average for any hitter with at least 50 at-bats in the first half.
Leon nearly had his chance for four hits halted when he took a foul ball off the mask with two outs in the seventh. He stayed in after being checked out but struck out, lowering his average to .438.
Leon also helped guide Eduardo Rodriguez through a successful return from a two-week stint in Triple-A Pawtucket. Sent down to fix some mechanical flaws with his hands, Rodriguez resembled the pitcher who was 10-6 as a rookie and not the left-hander who had an 8.59 ERA this season entering Saturday.
Rodriguez (2-3) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. He threw 97 pitches and improved to 4-1 lifetime against the Yankees.
He gave up a solo home run to Brett Gardner with two outs in the third. After Leon's first run-scoring hit gave Boston the lead, Rodriguez labored slightly in the next two innings but ended the fourth with a double play to Mark Teixeira and a pop-up to Jacoby Ellsbury for the final out of the fifth.
Matt Barnes allowed a leadoff home run to Chase Headley in the eighth and Koji Uehara recorded his sixth save.
Xander Bogaerts drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who won for the eighth time in nine games.
Sabathia allowed five runs (four earned) and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings for his third straight loss.
The Yankees (44-46) were held to two run or less for the 35th time. New York is two games under .500 after the All-Star break for the first time since being 59-61 on Aug. 31, 1995.
NOTES: New York DH Alex Rodriguez is expected to get a third straight start Sunday when the Yankees face LHP David Price. ... Boston manager John Farrell said LHP Drew Pomeranz will be added to the active roster Sunday and the team will make a corresponding roster move after Saturday's game. ... Farrell also said RHP Clay Buchholz will be used as a multi-inning reliever. Buchholz is 3-9 with a 5.91 ERA in 19 starts but has a 2.89 ERA in his six relief appearances. Since he has not pitched in two weeks, Farrell said Buchholz might have a simulated game during one of the team's off days next week. ... RHP Nathan Eovaldi was listed as a starting pitcher on New York's lineup card. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings Friday but manager Joe Girardi reaffirmed Eovaldi will start Tuesday against Baltimore.