Red Sox

The Red Sox threatened too late in the top of the ninth inning.

Red Sox Yankees sweep
Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts reacts after grounding into a double play to end the top of the sixth inning of a baseball game. AP Photo/Adam Hunger

The Yankees completed their three-game sweep of the Red Sox on Wednesday, holding off a late charge for a 5-2 victory.

Here are the takeaways.

The Big Picture

The Red Sox started strong, as Xander Bogaerts lifted a homer to right field in the first inning. Bogaerts looked uncertain whether the ball would leave the park as he left the batter’s box, but it carried to the second deck and gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

And that was nearly the extent of the Red Sox offense. Facing Yankees pitcher Andrew Heaney — who had a 5.78 ERA entering Wednesday’s game — the Red Sox were held scoreless and managed just one hit until the ninth inning.

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The Yankees, meanwhile, scored four runs in the second inning on a sacrifice fly and a pair of RBI singles. They tacked on another in the bottom of the eighth, which looked superfluous at the time.

The Red Sox finally threatened in the ninth facing Aroldis Chapman. Hunter Renfroe blasted a 456-foot solo homer, Bogaerts walked and J.D. Martinez singled, which put runners on first and third with two out and sent the Yankees back to their bullpen. Kevin Plawecki, however, grounded out to short on a play that required a replay review before the umpires declared the Yankees winners of their third game against the Red Sox in as many attempts.

Star of the Game

Andrew Heaney – 7 IP, four strikeouts, two hits, one earned run

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The Yankees’ offense stalled after the second inning, but Heaney carried them deep into the game, and the Red Sox never punished him despite facing him three times through the order. Heaney hasn’t had a particularly inspiring season — he gave up 15 earned runs in his last 15 innings pitched — but he stifled the scuffling Red Sox on Wednesday.

“There were some good at-bats and some empty at-bats, that’s the bottom line,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He pitched a lot differently than his previous one and then the one we saw him in Anaheim.”

What It Means

The Yankees (winners of 16 of their last 21) officially moved ahead of the Red Sox (losers of 14 of their last 20) in the standings by a game.

Takeaways

1. Cora told reporters after the game that the Red Sox’s offensive struggles start with their plate discipline, noting that he believed the Red Sox chased balls out of the strike zone on several of their outs.

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“That’s the first thing you have to do,” Cora said. “We have done it in certain spots during the season, and we’ll do it again.”

Renfroe attributed the impatience to an anxious desire to be better.

“Trying to do too much, trying to be the guy to get the guy over, get the guy in, get a hit,” Renfroe said. “Like I said, trying to be a little too much, trying to be too aggressive. …

“Everybody wants to be better. Everybody wants to do better. This isn’t a thing where we are all pitying ourselves. We’re all going out there and working our tails off in the cage and on the field and trying to do what we can to do better and be better for the team.”

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2. The final play was incredibly close. Most other batters would have comfortably made it to first and kept the rally alive. Plawecki has been lightning-hot over the last 50 games, but he is not lightning quick which set up what Cora called “a bang-bang play.”

A reporter noted to Cora that Plawecki looked safe.

“You think he was safe?” Cora said. “Thank you. I don’t know. … It was too close to overturn, probably. They called it safe, it would stay safe. If they called it out, it was going to stay out. From all the replays on the big screen, that’s how it looked.”

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Plawecki would have been the tying run on first.

“One more swing of the bat, we tie the game,” Cora said. “But at the same time, those at-bats that we [have] late in games, they’ll be more than welcome early in the game and in the middle of the game. And we’ll do that. We are an offensive club. This club is supposed to score runs, and we will.”

3. In the second inning that damaged the Red Sox, J.D. Martinez took a circuitous route to a fly ball and was forced into a tough slide to try to catch it. He couldn’t quite hang on, and his throw to second — which would have resulted in a force out — was late.

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Cora defended Martinez, who spent most of the season in the designated hitter role.

“He’s going to give you his best effort he’s going to make plays we’re going to put him in spots that he makes plays,” Cora said. “It’s not lack of effort. He’s been really solid for us in the outfield. It was one of those that one step, he makes that play.”

4. According to Cora, the clubhouse was uncharacteristically quiet after Wednesday’s game as the team looked gloomily ahead at an off day.

“Understandably so,” Cora said. “It’s a different feeling than early in the season when we came here and did what we did, all that stuff is in the past. It’s part of the season, we still put ourselves in a position where we control what we can do the rest of the season. …

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“Today is very quiet in there, and I understand. It’s not a good feeling. But like I said, tomorrow, go home, relax enjoy the family and be ready for Friday. 

Renfroe said the Red Sox were “pissed” at themselves.

“We know we’re good,” Renfroe said. “We know we have the guys we need to get us where we want to go. We just have to stay focused on ourselves and stay within ourselves and keep going.”