NEW YORK -- How important is it for the Red Sox to host a potential American League Wild Card Series against their rivals after losing last October’s match at Yankee Stadium in a winner-take-all Game 3?
“That’s important,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “I won't shy away from that. It's a home-field advantage when you're playing at home for most people. It wasn't for us for a while, but it has been lately. So, yeah, I think if you get a short series, and you're able to play in your home ballpark, that stuff matters for sure.”
On Friday, Tracy’s team had a setback in that quest, taking a tense 1-0 loss in the opener of a four-game series.
The defeat dropped the Red Sox three games behind the Yankees for the top AL Wild Card spot. The winner of the season series would host the Wild Card Series should the rivals finish the regular season with the same record.
The math for the rest of the weekend is pretty straightforward. The Sox will need to win two of the final three games this weekend to secure the season series.
“That's the plan, to win the series and go home,” said Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
It was Rafaela who got thrown out at the plate on a laser beam of a throw by Cody Bellinger to cut down the tying run in the top of the seventh.
“We haven't scored much lately, so you gotta take your shot,” Tracy said. “You get the ball in the air, which is what you need, and you have a really good baserunner in Rafa and speed at third. You're going to take your shot. With him running, it's got to be a perfect throw. And he made a perfect throw right on the money.”
Though the Sox worked Yankees ace Cam Schlittler hard (5 2/3 innings, five walks, 96 pitches), they couldn’t push any runs across against him or the bullpen.
Here are three key takeaways from the opener of the final series between the rivals this season.
Rafaela blames himself for two outs on bases
Rafaela was thrown out twice on the bases, one on a blunder and the other on a great play by Bellinger that was the pivotal play of the game.
The Red Sox seemed to have a strong scoring opportunity brewing in the fifth with cleanup hitter Willson Contreras looming and two runners already on base. But Rafaela short-circuited the rally before Contreras could walk to the plate. On a fairly routine flyball to center by Wilyer Abreu, Rafaela strayed too far off first base and was doubled off to end the frame.
“That's a bad read on me. That’s really bad,” Rafaela said.
In the seventh, Contreras did step to the plate with runners on second and third and one out and hit a 262-foot flyball to left field. With the slumping Adley Rutschman on deck, it seemed like a good time for the Red Sox to be aggressive. Rafaela tagged from third and was thrown out at the plate on a 99.7-mph throw home by Bellinger for another inning-ending flyout-double play.
According to Rafaela, it was his decision to tag up and interim third base coach Chad Epperson told him to stay.
“He tried [to hold me],” said Rafaela. “So that's on me. That's not him. Trying to be over aggressive, and those things happen.”
However, Tracy -- whose team has now been shut out two games in a row for the first time this season – had a different version of events.
“We were all screaming. That's a definite [send], especially at that point in the game,” Tracy said.
Pinch-hitting flurry falls just short
In perhaps his most aggressive sequence since being named interim manager on April 25, Tracy sent up three straight pinch-hitters in the sixth inning after Caleb Durbin drew a two-out walk that ended Schlittler's night. With lefty Brent Headrick on for New York, Tracy went to right-handed hitters Jahmai Jones, Eli White and Andruw Monasterio. Jones walked and White tapped an infield hit to load the bases. But Monasterio lined to right to end the threat.
“I think at that point, we’re into 14 innings where we're trying to get a run across,” Tracy said. “It’s like, let’s take our shot and go right there. Almost got it, and it just didn't work.”
Sandoval sharp
By far the underdog in a matchup against top Cy Young candidate Schlittler, lefty Patrick Sandoval more than held his own, holding the Yankees to three hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings while walking four and striking out seven. A solo homer by Goldschmidt in the bottom of the third proved to be Sandoval’s only costly pitch. It was probably the best of Sandoval’s nine starts in his return from Tommy John surgery.
“That's what you want to do as a baseball player is play in these big games, high leverage, with something on the line,” Sandoval said. “And it's been a long time since I've been able to do that. So that was really fun and I was really grateful for this opportunity.”