David Price's Struggles Continue As Red Sox Fall To Yankees
NEW YORK -- Nathan Eovaldi pitched eight effective innings, holding David Ortiz hitless, and Didi Gregorius had a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 8-2 Saturday afternoon.
Five days after allowing season highs of six runs and 10 hits in Fenway Park, Eovaldi (2-2) allowed two runs and six hits, struck out six without a walk and threw 77 of 107 pitches for strikes. He faced Ortiz twice with the bases empty and once with a runner on first and retired the designated hitter each time.
Eovaldi opened the second by striking out Ortiz with his fastball, doing so after getting Dustin Pedroia to bounce into a double play in the first. In the fourth he used the slider to get Ortiz on a groundout and two innings later, he used the same pitch to get the slugger to bounce into a double play.
Shortly after Eovaldi retired Ortiz a second time, the Yankees scored six times in the next three innings and ultimately knocked out David Price (4-1).
After Price loaded the bases on two singles and a walk and with two outs, Gregorius lined a pitch to a right field corner for a 4-1 lead. After the Red Sox scored on a home run by Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fifth, Carlos Beltran pushed the lead to 6-2 with a two-run double down the left field line.
New York's first and last runs came on a pair RBI doubles by Austin Romine in the third and eighth.
The Yankees (11-17) scored eight runs for the fourth time this season, doing so on a day when Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller were unavailable.
Price allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. It was the second time Price did not complete five innings and the third time he gave up at least six runs.
The Yankees reached eight full counts against Price and fouled off 24 of the 104 pitches the left-hander threw. They won for the fourth time in 12 games when facing a left-handed starting pitcher and had more than four runs off a southpaw starter for the second time in the last 23 games, including last year's wild-card game against Houston's Dallas Keuchel.
Boston (17-13) lost for the sixth time in its last 17 games and its other run came on an RBI single by Brock Holt against a defensive shift with two outs in the second. Ortiz was booed loudly by the sellout crowd in the ninth and finished 0-for-4.
NOTES: Friday was the third game umpire Ron Kulpa ejected a member of the Red Sox when he tossed manager John Farrell and DH David Ortiz on consecutive pitches in the ninth inning. Kulpa also had ejected Mike Napoli for throwing his helmet in 2013 and tossed Carl Everett in 2000 for bumping him. ... Asked why he didn't leave the dugout immediately after getting tossed, Farrell joked he didn't want to miss the end of an exciting game. ... New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury sat out with a strained right hip and is day-to-day. Manager Joe Girardi believes Ellsbury will miss "a couple of days" and does not think a DL stint will be needed. ... Yankees LHP CC Sabathia (strained left groin) said he expects to return when he is eligible to come off the 15-day DL since his groin is getting better every day. ... Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (right patella subluxation) will make his third rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket Sunday and Farrell said it is possible Rodriguez might not need another rehab start.
