NEW YORK – A crisp rivalry game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Bronx was hanging in the balance.
And even though the Yankees had their two most dangerous left-handed hitters due up with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Red Sox had the man they wanted on the mound in that situation.
Righty setup man Justin Slaten had given up all of one hit and one walk to the 22 left-handed hitters he had faced this season when Ben Rice stepped to the plate. And when Slaten took care of Rice, New York’s home run leader, on a 2-2 sweeper, nobody could have imagined how off the rails the day was going to go for the Red Sox.
But Cody Bellinger ripped into a 1-0 cutter that wasn’t supposed to cut into the middle-middle portion of the strike zone and hammered a Statcast-projected 394-foot, solo homer to right. That snapped a tie and sparked a game-breaking, five-run frame as the Yankees salvaged a split of this brief two-game series between the rivals with a 6-1 victory.
Saturday’s middle contest was postponed by rain and will be played on Aug. 29. A win on getaway day would have been sweet for the Red Sox en route to another tough AL East series that starts Monday night at Tropicana Field.
“[Expletive] pitch,” Slaten said. “Simple as that. Didn't locate the cutter where I wanted to. It got hit hard.”
It was the type of situation Slaten relishes, and normally comes through in. But it was not to be, and so it goes for the Red Sox, as they slipped to 27-36.
Boston has been without ace setup man Garrett Whitlock with a left knee injury since May 25, though he’s expected back Wednesday, and Slaten had nicely handed the ball to closer Aroldis Chapman these last couple of weeks -- until Sunday.
“Yeah, it sucks,” said Slaten. “It's the moment that you thrive on. I cherish being able to step into that position and trying to get the ball to Chappy during the ninth, and I just had a day where it didn't go my way. Next time they hand me the ball, I’ll be ready.”
Facing perhaps the early favorite for American League Cy Young in Cam Schlittler, Ranger Suarez more than held his own, turning in the kind of performance that led the Red Sox to sign him to a five-year, $130-million contract in January.
The crafty lefty went 6 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and allowing one run. He walked none and struck out six in a 90-pitch effort. Suarez ended his outing in style, striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the third time to start the seventh.
Like any competitor in a groove, Suarez wished he could have kept going.
“I felt good; the fifth, sixth and seventh, I felt good and strong,” said Suarez.
But interim manager Chad Tracy felt he had the bullpen set up well for the rest of the day. And there was no reason to dispute that notion when Tyron Guerrero struck out Spencer Jones on a 102.8-mph heater to end the seventh.
At that point, be it a tie game or a Boston lead, Tracy knew he had Slaten for the eighth and Chapman in the ninth.
After Schlittler, who grew up in the Boston suburb of Walpole, dominated his hometown team the first two times he faced them (one earned run over 16 innings), the Red Sox worked the righty this time, making him throw 92 pitches in 5 2/3 innings.
Willson Contreras finally made the grind productive when he belted a two-out double in the sixth to drive in Ceddanne Rafaela from first to tie the game at 1. But the Boston bats faded after that.
And the latest clutch knock from Contreras went for naught, starting with Slaten’s misfire to Bellinger.
Given Boston’s inability to gain momentum this season, was missing an opportunity to take two in New York frustrating?
“Not necessarily,” said Tracy. “It’s still a good baseball game. You maybe feel that way if you feel like you went out and laid an egg, but you played a really good baseball game, and they get [five runs] in the bottom of the eighth, but, no, I don't think it feels that way. In our position, we’re going to get on a plane, get to Tampa, and try to win a series, and say it's a good road trip against a tough AL East stretch. That’s how you have to look at it. So that’s what we’ll do.”