Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora marveled at the kind of season Aaron Judge is producing, and that was after a rare hitless showing by the New York Yankees slugger.
Judge and the Yankees will attempt to secure another series victory Sunday night when they host the Red Sox.
The Yankees will try for their ninth series win in 10 tries after losing 10-7 on Saturday. Judge went 0-for-4 and struck out three times against Boston ace Garrett Crochet.
“You don’t see that often,” Cora said after the Red Sox won for only the fourth time in the past 13 games. “It’s a challenge for everybody; he’s on top of the world.”
It was the fifth time this season Judge struck out three times. He enters Sunday with a .390 batting average and will attempt to avoid going hitless in consecutive games for only the second time this season after doing so last Sunday at Dodger Stadium and Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians.
Austin Wells hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs on Saturday while DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run single in the eighth after the Yankees trailed by five runs in the fourth.
“Just a lot of really good at-bats, up and down the lineup,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Competitive at-bats, big at-bats to claw us back in the game.”
The Red Sox will get a chance to win the series after finishing with 14 hits, the fourth time in five games they have gotten at least 10 hits. Trevor Story drove in five runs by hitting a bases-clearing double in a five-run third and a two-run single in the ninth.
Left-hander Carlos Rodon (8-3, 2.49 ERA), who is 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA over his last nine starts since April 18, will start for the Yankees on Sunday. Rodon is holding opposing hitters to an MLB-best .167 and also is 4-0 with an 0.72 ERA over his past four outings since giving up four runs and eight hits in a no-decision in his team’s 11-7 loss to the Athletics on May 10.
Rodon allowed one run on five hits in seven innings on Tuesday during a 3-2 win over the Guardians.
Rodon is 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA in nine career starts against the Red Sox, and Rafael Devers is 5-for-15 lifetime against him. Last season, Rodon was 2-1 with a 4.86 ERA in three starts against Boston.
Red Sox rookie right-hander Hunter Dobbins (2-1, 4.06 ERA) will make his eighth career start after allowing three runs over eight innings in a pair of relief appearances against the Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.
Dobbins last started May 24 in the opener of a doubleheader at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles when he allowed four runs on five hits in four innings of a no-decision. Boston won 6-5 in 10 innings.
This will be Dobbins’ first career appearance against the Yankees.
-Field Level Media
