The Yankees are firing on all cylinders. The Bombers took game two against the Red Sox by a score of 8-0, continuing their combination of firepower at the plate with strong starting pitching. The formula adds up to a ten-game winning streak, the club’s first since 2012.
Since it’s a Saturday night, let’s recap this one bullet-point style:
- Boston’s lineup? Hapless - The J.A. Happ resurgence continues. The 37-year-old southpaw turned in his third consecutive strong outing—five out of his last six starts have been quite good, actually—holding the Red Sox to just four hits over eight innings. He struck out nine and walked none. Happ’s bounce-back season secures his spot in the postseason rotation, and right now, that’s good news for the Yankees. That’s how good Happ has been.
- Frazier goes to the opposite field - Right field at Fenway Park doesn’t reward right-handed batters. The Green Monster? Sure. But not right field. Yet that’s exactly where Clint Frazier launched his two-run homer in the fifth inning. He also had an RBI single in the first inning. The 26-year-old is now hitting .306/.422/.595 on the season with eight home runs (179 wRC+). Frazier’s breakout is truly a spectacular part of the season.
- Slump? What slump? - Remember when the Yankees averaged a little more than three runs a game? That wasn’t terribly long ago. But I’m sure glad that’s not the case anymore. The Bombers made Chris Mazza work in the first inning, with Gio Urshela lifting a sacrifice fly to plate DJ LeMahieu. Frazier followed it up with an RBI single of his own. The team capitalized on some sloppy infield defense in the fourth, plating two runs to the dismay of the normally sure-handed Xander Bogaerts. The final total? Seven runs for the good guys, and on a night when some of their best batters got time to rest.
- Leftovers - The Yankees ran wild on the bases, but to mixed results. Tyler Wade was caught stealing in the second, while Aaron Judge got caught in the fifth inning. I hate the idea of Judge running, especially with his calf. Brett Gardner also got thrown out at third base in the third inning, where he slammed the bag in frustration, but he made up for by scoring from first on a Luke Voit single in the fifth inning. Nick Nelson, meanwhile, worked a scoreless ninth to put this one away.
The Yankees wrap things up at Fenway Park tomorrow with a Sunday matinee. Deivi García and Tanner Houck are the scheduled starters.