Yankees 14, Red Sox 5: Yankees take the series with authority

Remember that awful game yesterday? You know, the one where Michael Pineda got ejected and the Yankees made John Lackey look like Justin Verlander? Take that game and think of its polar opposite, because tonight was just that good for the Yankees and a baseball hellscape for the Boston Red Sox.

CC Sabathia got the nod for the Yankees while Felix Doubront stepped up to the firing squad for the Red Sox. The Yankees equaled their scoring output from all of last night in the first inning. After a Xander Bogaert's error gave Carlos Beltran first base Alfonso Soriano doubled the opposite way to score the game's initial run. The top of the second brought more wonderful scoring courtesy of sloppy Red Sox play. After Brett Gardner worked a walk, Brian Roberts grounded into a possible double play that was thoroughly botched by Dustin Pedroia after receiving the toss at second. As he transferred the ball from his glove it slipped out of his hands, so both Gardner and Roberts were safe. Yangervis Solarte accepted this gift, doubling inside of third and bringing in both runners. After advancing to third on a Jacoby Ellsbury groundout a Doubront wild pitch scored Solarte. The Yankees should thank the Red Sox for their generosity, as it put them up 4-0.

The third inning continued the fun. Mark Teixeira hit a "Green Monster Special" that barely went 300 feet but bounced off the front lip of the eyesore for his first dinger of the year. Doubront then continued the fielding follies by letting a Gardner bouncer go right through his legs for another Red Sox error. Gardner stole both second and third base and then scored on a Roberts single. Then Roberts stole second and scored on a Jacoby Ellsbury single. That hit mercifully ended Doubront's evening with the Yankees leading 7-0.

Sabathia gave two back in the bottom of the fourth powered by doubles from Pedroia and Shane Victorino that cut the lead to five. CC would settle in, though, making it through six full with only those two runs allowed. The Yankees removed any thoughts of a comeback in the seventh. Solarte picked up RBI three and four on the day with a bases-loaded single. An Ellsbury double brought in Roberts and both Ellsbury and Solarte scored on a Derek Jeter single to get the Yankees to twelve runs.

Shane Greene got to make his major league debut in relief of Sabathia and managed to get one out and allow three runs with three walks. So better luck next time, although a Jeter gaffe certainly did not help. Adam Warren thankfully put out the fire before things got interesting again. The Yankees countered with one more in the eighth powered by Ellsbury's second double and another Red Sox wild pitch that scored Roberts to make it 13-5. Then in the top of the ninth we were treated to the joy of a position player as pitcher as Mike Carp came in for the Red Sox. He walked Teixeira but Brian McCann inexplicably grounded into a double play. I assume his shame will drive him into retirement. Four more walks followed to make it 14-5 and then a Kelly Johnson popup ended it. Carp and his "knuckleball" are unlikely to earn the Red Sox setup job.

CC was able to put able to put it all together tonight. He wasn't dominant, but he continued striking out batters at an impressive pace (eight tonight, 9.8 K/9 for the year) while avoiding giving up any home runs. They've plagued him thus far this season, and it's not easy to avoid them in a hitter's park like Fenway. So this is all a very good sign for the former ace. On the other end, the Yankees offense came through and took advantage of the Red Sox best Houston Astros impression for their best scoring output of the young season. Seriously, Boston looked like someone spiked their Gatorade before they took the field. It was a great way to forget the nastiness of the game prior as the bats woke up and nobody was ejected.

The Yankees head home tonight for the start of a series versus the LA Angels tomorrow at 7:05 PM. Hiroki Kuroda and C.J. Wilson are the probables.

Box Score