The Boston Red Sox clinched the season series over their rival New York Yankees last month, but they will not get the last laugh in the midst of a September playoff race.
After clinching the current series with a 5-3 win on Saturday, New York (83-65) will look to finish a sweep when it goes head-to-head with Boston (81-68) and ace left-hander Garrett Crochet (15-5, 2.57 ERA) on Sunday evening.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Yankees on Saturday, bringing him within one long ball of becoming just the third player in franchise history to produce a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season.
“(The milestone) would mean a lot if we win the division with it, if I feel like I helped the team a lot and it helped us win,” Chisholm said.
While the Yankees remain three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, this weekend’s results have offered some cushion — now 2 1/2 games — in the wild-card race.
Will Warren (8-6, 4.22) takes the ball for New York in Sunday’s finale.
Warren, who is 1-1 with an 8.68 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox this season and in his career, has recorded back-to-back no-decisions. He struck out five while allowing two runs on just two hits over the first six innings of New York’s eventual 12-2 Tuesday loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Sunday’s two starting pitchers also matched up on Aug. 23 as the Red Sox won their third straight contest to begin a four-game set in the Bronx. Crochet’s 11 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball led Boston to a 12-1 victory. Warren allowed five runs on seven hits in four frames.
Things have changed over this weekend, however.
“All these games are super important — to get another win in this place, obviously against a really good opponent, and Crochet waiting tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “This was a good one to get, and hopefully we can go out and finish out a great series.”
The Red Sox certainly feel good about their chances to salvage the series with Crochet taking the mound, but a 3-for-31 offensive effort with runners in scoring position over the last three games and leaving eight runners on base Saturday proved mighty costly.
The hit column was 10-10 on Saturday, as three Boston players had multi-hit games and both Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran homered. It was not enough.
Since Roman Anthony was sidelined with a strained oblique, the Red Sox are just 3-6.
Now, the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are nipping at their heels in the playoff race, with the Texas Rangers just two games behind.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait to see if October is part of this.”
Crochet bounced back from a season-worst start — allowing seven runs and nine hits to the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 2 — to scatter three hits over seven shutout frames with 10 strikeouts in a Monday win over the Athletics.
The 26-year-old leads the majors with 228 strikeouts in 185 1/3 innings. He has now worked seven innings in four of his last seven starts, fanning double-digit batters in two of them.
“One run feels like five when he’s pitching,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “He had the good stuff (in his last start). … He bounced back after a tough start last time. Like I’ve said all year, that’s what the big boys do. That’s what the aces do.”
Crochet is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA in six appearances (three starts, all this season) against the Yankees in his career.
–Field Level Media
