Yankees 2, Red Sox 3: Gleyber Torres’ late-game error proves costly

Working with almost no margin for error with a sidelined Aaron Judge and an ice-cold Anthony Rizzo, a late-game defensive miscue from Gleyber Torres cost the Yankees the lead, and ultimately the game. The Red Sox took this rubber match in 10 innings, 3-2, in the third low-scoring game in as many nights.

On the pitching side of things, it was another night of that unit doing its part, as Clarke Schmidt carried on his recent run of, if not dominance, solid work at the very least. The Yankees’ right-hander tacked on another strong outing in what has been a very encouraging sequence of starts, at the most opportune of times, as the Yankees continue to deal with some bumps on the road with their starting staff.

The only blip on Schmidt’s radar came in the top of the second inning. Facing Justin Turner to lead off the frame, Schmidt struggled to put the veteran away. Turner fouled off four pitches before taking a sinker down in the zone and sending it to the right-field stands for a classic Yankee Stadium homer.

Turner’s long ball traveled 373 feet and would have been a homer at Yankee Stadium, and nowhere else.

After that home run, the Red Sox would only manage a couple more hits, across five, and a third innings of work from Schmidt, at no point getting a runner in scoring position.

In the third frame, Alex Verdugo accidentally curtailed the only other rally off the Yankees’ starter. Jarren Duran was running from first when he got hit by a grounder from Verdugo. Although the latter was credited with a hit, Duran was ruled out and turned a potential two-on and one-out scenario, into two outs, and a runner at first.

Schmidt left the ballgame in line for the win, as the Yankees managed to put up two runs off Brayan Bello. The runs were admittedly a minor fluke, as Bello recorded a sharp outing as well, but caught the short end of the stick on the luck factor. Pitching with a one-run lead in the bottom of the second inning, Bello faced a two-out scenario with runners at second and third, after a Billy McKinney double granted Jose Trevino with the chance to tie the game.

Bello induced what would have otherwise been a routine groundout to end the frame. However, as luck would have it, the ball deflected off the second base bag, and into center field, granting the Yankees with a 2-1 lead, and two RBI for Trevino:

The Yankees racked up a decent number of hard-hit balls on the night, but as far as damage, those two runs in the second were all they got off Bello in seven innings of work. The Red Sox starter held the home team to three hits, a couple of those walks, and those two (hardly) earned runs. It was only the second time in Bello’s career in which he went a full seven frames in an outing.

Trailing late by a run, the Red Sox were up to bat against Michael King in the eighth inning. Even with King’s presence on the mound, an utterly inexcusable error by Gleyber Torres opened up the possibility for Boston to tie things up.

Kiké Hernández led off the frame with a softly hit single, and as McKinney casually tossed the ball back to the infield, Gleyber was so nonchalant into it at that second and allowed the ball to get past him with no one behind to back up a routine play, which was enough for Hernández to take second:

With extra pressure now on King to strand the runner in scoring position with no one out, he walked Reese McGuire and Pablo Reyes was able to bunt the runners over. Duran just needed a productive out to bring in the tying run, and with Aaron Boone opting not to have the infield in, Duran accomplished that goal with a grounder to second.

Wandy Peralta came in for Devers to get the final out of the inning. But the damage was already done, with the lead surrendered, and a tied game for the first time since the first inning.

The Yankees elected to only have Peralta throw those four pitches. So Clay Holmes and Kenley Jansen each got the call in the ninth inning of a tied game, tossing scoreless frames, and carried this affair into extra innings.

In the 10th inning, Ron Marinaccio came in, and the Red Sox did the bare minimum, scoring a run on an RBI single from Hernández. Boston nearly doubled its lead as Reyes hit what looked like a surefire RBI double, only for the ball to get tracked down on a magnificent play from Billy McKinney at the wall.

McKinney had the opportunity to really be the hero of this game, leading off in the bottom of the 10th inning, and almost did so. However, the Yankees’ left fielder just got under one, and flew out to right.

Zombie runner DJ LeMahieu did move to third on the play, but Trevino swung at multiple pitches out of the strike zone trying to bring him in. The catcher went down swinging, and like Friday, Anthony Volpe came up short as the last batter of the game. Chris Martin made mincemeat of him in a hurry, and the rookie struck out out to seal the 3-2 Red Sox victory.

The Yankees will have an offday to try to clear their heads of this failed 2-4 homestand before the schedule resumes on Tuesday in Queens. They’ll face the crosstown rival Mets, who are somehow scuffling even more. First pitch of Max Scherzer vs. Luis Severino will come at 7:10pm ET.

Box Score