Red Sox Lose 4-2 To Yankees At Fenway Park
By The Sports Xchange
BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run double during a three-run Yankees eighth inning, and New York came back to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 Thursday night.
Austin Romine added a solo home run, his fourth of the year for New York, which won two of three games in Boston and improved to 6-4 in August.
Alex Rodriguez, batting cleanup in his final road start with the Yankees at Fenway Park, was vigorously booed as he stepped to the plate for the first time in the second inning.
The 41-year-old slugger, who will be released after New York's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Friday, hit a light popout to second following a six-pitch at-bat.
Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout, sending a dribbler in front of the pitcher in his final at-bat in the eighth inning to plate the Yankees' final run.
New York starter Michael Pineda allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings.
Luis Cessa (2-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings, and Dellin Betances survived a rocky ninth for his third save.
Hanley Ramirez drove in both runs for Boston (61-52), which lost for the fourth time in five games and dropped below 10 games over .500 for the first time since July 8.
Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez lasted seven innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts.
Brad Ziegler (0-3) surrendered all three runs in the eighth, though only one was earned.
Trailing 2-1, New York (58-56) loaded the bases for Ellsbury with one out in the eighth.
Ellsbury hit a line drive to rookie Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi, who lost a catchable ball in the lights and let it roll to the wall. Two runs scored on the play.
Sandy Leon's leadoff double and Benintendi's walk put runners on the corners for Dustin Pedroia with one out in the Boston ninth. however, Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts both struck out.
Ramirez was shaken up after colliding with Gary Sanchez at first base during Sanchez's eighth-inning single.
Sanchez sent a grounder to a shifted Pedroia, playing over at shortstop. Pedroia made a sliding stop but fired an off-target throw to Ramirez at first.
While he was backing up to make the play, Ramirez was bowled over by Sanchez at the bag.
Ramirez stayed in the game after being checked out.
David Ortiz roped a ground-rule double and rumbled home on Ramirez's ensuing RBI single in the first inning.
Ramirez snapped an 0-for-16 spell in the process, collecting his first hit since tripping down the dugout stairs on Aug. 2 at Seattle.
Romine tied it with his homer in the third, crushing a 1-0 slider from Eduardo Rodriguez over the Green Monster in left field.
Ramirez gave the Red Sox another lead in the fifth, ripping a two-out double into the right-center gap.
NOTES: Boston DH David Ortiz was in the lineup after fouling a ball off his right shin and leaving Wednesday's game. RF Mookie Betts, who also departed Wednesday with right calf tightness, did not play. Brock Holt started in right. ... New York RHP Nathan Eovaldi underwent an MRI exam Thursday and will seek a second opinion after leaving Wednesday's start with right elbow discomfort. ... Yankees RHP Luis Cessa was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and RHP Ben Heller had his contract selected from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. RHP Nick Goody and INF/OF Rob Refsnyder were optioned to the minors. ... Red Sox LHP Roenis Elias was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket and OF Bryce Brentz was optioned to Pawtucket. ... Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez asked manager Joe Girardi about playing third base again before he is released Friday. "We thought about it, but he hasn't done any work," Girardi said. ... Yankees LHP CC Sabathia (6-9, 4.18 ERA) opposes Rays RHP Chris Archer (6-15, 4.26 ERA) and Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (4-11, 5.37 ERA) counters Red Sox LHP David Price (9-8, 4.34 ERA) on Friday.
