New York Looks To Avoid Being Swept By Boston
New York has lost the first three games of the four - game series against Boston and will look to avoid being swept by their American League East rival.
New York comes into the game with a record of 68-41 and is 8.5 games back of Boston who is leading the division. Boston meanwhile comes into the finale with a record of 78-34. "according to http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
Masahiro Tanaka will start the game for New York. The Japanese right -hander comes into the finale with a record of 9-2 with a 3.84 earn run average. Tanaka has thrown 17 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his past three outings. His longest career scoreless streak was a 17 2/3-inning stretch in 2016. Last time out, the righty allowed just three hits over six frames against the Orioles."according to http://m.mlb.com/player/547888/masahiro-tanaka He will oppose Boston left-hander David Price who comes into the game with a record of 11-6 with a 3.97 earn run average. . "according to http://m.mlb.com/player/456034/david-price All eyes will be on the lefty, who is 2-6 with an 8.43 ERA in nine starts against the Yankees since he joined the Red Sox in 2016. In Price’s last start against the Yankees, he gave up nine hits, eight runs and five homers in a loss on July 1. "according to http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
As for New York and Boston's previous game, New York not only lost to Boston for the third straight time in this series but they lost their fourth straight game.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone slipped through Fenway Park's visiting clubhouse and disappeared into his office with a plate of food for some solitude, his mind set and focused on one thing -- tomorrow. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"I'm a broken record," Boone said. "Tomorrow is always really important." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
But with the Yanks at risk of being swept in this four-game series by the Red Sox, a win on Sunday is especially crucial. The Yankees' offense was shut down once again Saturday, as they fell to the Sox, 4-1, at Fenway Park. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
The loss stretched the Yankees' losing streak to four games, their longest of the season, as they have dropped three straight to the Red Sox to fall 8 1/2 games behind their rivals in the American League East standings."according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
How can the Yankees keep their focus trained on tomorrow when a season's worth of momentum is in jeopardy? "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"It's obviously a thought," Giancarlo Stanton said. "... It's reality, so you've got to understand it. But you've got to try to keep it simple. We lost today, we've got to win tomorrow. That's it. We know what the deficit is, we know what's at stake." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
After CC Sabathia and Luis Severino both struggled in the first two games of the series, Yankees No. 13 prospect Chance Adams made a solid MLB debut. While he gave up two home runs -- Mitch Moreland's two-run homer in the first inning and J.D. Martinez's solo blast in the fourth -- he also held the Red Sox to three hits and a walk in five innings of three-run ball. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
Adams even struck out Mookie Betts, his first time fanning a batter in the Majors and one of two strikeouts he recorded. He said he was nervous until he stepped on the field to warm up. Then, he prayed and settled down. Not even Moreland's home run could rattle him. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"It's baseball, it's a good lineup, they're gonna hit homers and stuff," Adams said. "I just had to calm myself down and know to make my pitches." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
But the Yankees couldn't muster the run support to bolster Adams' effort. Nathan Eovaldi held the Yanks to three hits and one walk in eight scoreless innings. Boone said Eovaldi's cutter made him lethal. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
Boone is not going to change the team's preparation or his message. In his eyes, there's nothing to adjust. The talent, the focus, the preparation, the hitting -- all of the pieces are there. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"I have no issue with what's going on in there," Boone said. "We're just running through a little bit of a tough stretch that we've got to fight our way out of." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
Didi Gregorius contributed an RBI double in the ninth and the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs against Craig Kimbrel, but Greg Bird flied out to center to end the game. The Yanks are now 55-10 when their opponents score four or fewer runs. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
Between Saturday and Rick Porcello's complete-game one-hitter on Friday, the Yankees have been held to six hits and a home run in the past two games after opening the series with four home runs on Thursday. The offense needs to flash its power, but the hits aren't falling. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
So the Yankees will go the only way they can -- forward. The Red Sox move further ahead in the division race with each win, but the Yankees have to ignore that. Instead, they will focus on learning from mistakes and breaking through in the next contest. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"Keep focused," Stanton said. "Understand it's just a bad stretch and not hold [our] heads down and just keep pushing. I mean, that's all we can do." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
The Yankees' offense finally clicked in the ninth inning, when back-to-back, two-out doubles by Stanton and Gregorius scored their first run since Miguel Andujar's solo home run in the third on Friday. Aaron Hicks drew a walk, and as Gleyber Torres stepped up to bat as the tying run, it looked like the Yankees had a shot at a comeback. Torres drew a walk to load the bases, but Kimbrel induced the flyout from Bird to end the game. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
"You have their closer in -- first and foremost, you want to make it difficult on him," Boone said. "To get his pitch count up to [32], you know, maybe that impacts tomorrow. But to give ourselves a chance there, to bring the go-ahead run to the plate … I just thought our guys continued to battle and I thought had really good at-bats against an elite closer there." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
SOUND SMART
This four-game losing streak is the Yankees' longest since August of last season. They have fallen in eight of their last 10 games at Fenway Park. These last two games mark the first time since June 1-2, 2013, that the Yankees have been held to one or zero runs in back-to-back games against the Red Sox -- and the first time that's happened at Fenway Park since Sept. 20-21, 1991. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-288869854
HE SAID IT
"I think if you walk through our room out there, to a man, we know we can absolutely play with [the Red Sox]. We know when we're at our best, we can beat them. So I think we acknowledge who they are right now, and that's -- there's no denying the season they're having. But we have a lot of confidence in our group and a lot of fight, and hopefully tomorrow starts the digging out." -- Boone, on competing against the Red Sox "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/chance-adams-solid-but-yanks-lose-to-red-sox/c-28886985
First pitch is set for 8:05pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/schedule/2018-08