The Red Sox scored zero runs against the Yankees on Friday night, despite their starter walking five Boston batters. That’s not just a bad night at the plate, that’s an ugly, soul-crushing kind of loss, especially when you consider they left ten men on base.
Offense Went Absolutely Quiet
Cam Schlittler wasn’t sharp on the mound for the Yankees. He issued five walks, consistently putting traffic on base and giving Boston every single chance to cash in. In almost any other game, five free runners are enough to win. Not tonight. The way the Red Sox wasted those opportunities makes this worse than just a quiet offensive showing.
And let’s talk about Ceddanne Rafaela. He had two baserunning blunders that were absolute rally killers. The double play off the Abreu fly ball in the fifth inning was painful, but getting thrown out at home with the bases loaded in the seventh? That was a gut punch. Both mistakes directly killed rallies that could’ve given the team the lead. Rafaela owned up to it after the game, which is the right move, but that doesn’t change the math. Boston had the chances and couldn’t convert, and Rafaela’s legs cost them at least one run they desperately needed. This offense needs to figure out how to drive guys home when it matters.
Pitching Staff Deserved Better
On the other side of the ball, it’s tough to ask for more from the Red Sox pitchers. Patrick Sandoval was everything you’d want from your fifth starter in a tight road game, keeping the Yankees in check and giving the offense time to work. He allowed only one run, eliminated almost every other threat, and left with his team still in it. The bullpen was even better. Greg Weissert, Tyron Guerrero, and Wyatt Olds combined for under 30 pitches and absolutely nailed the Yankees to the wall. New York finished the entire game with just three hits. Three!
So how did they lose? One of those three hits went over the fence. A solo shot in the third inning from Paul Goldschmidt. One swing, one run, final score 1-0. That’s baseball sometimes, an empirically bad game, decided by one moment. But 1-0 losses sting the most. The pitching was fine, the defense was mostly fine outside of Rafaela’s two moments. The offense just couldn’t score. Five walks, ten men left on base, and nothing to show for it. The Yankees really don’t need much when your bats go that quiet.
The Red Sox have three more games in this series. They’ve got to shake this one off, even with some horrific pitching matchups on paper coming up.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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