Game 122 Wrap-Up: BOS 6 NYY 1

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The Yankees came into Boston last night and beat up on the Sawx in a big way.  They outhit them, outpitched them, and even outdefended them by a slight margin.  They looked like the type of team that should be the leading the AL East, not one struggling to pull back into the AL playoff race.  They had another chance to get a step closer in that race this afternoon against John Lackey, one of the more outspoken players when it comes to Alex Rodriguez and the Biogenesis case and, in case anybody has forgotten, a certified jackass of the highest order.  There would have been nothing sweeter than to knock him around the park on route to another victory but today it just wasn't meant to be, not even with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.

Game Notes:

- It was a true all-or-nothing first few innings for the Yankee offense.  They went down 1-2-3 in the 1st and 3rd innings on 6 GB outs, and failed to score on a bases loaded situation in the 2nd and 2 hits in the 4th.

- They certainly weren't playing it safe against Lackey, attempting 3 steals in the first 2 innings.  Alfonso Soriano and Curtis Granderson were each successful in their first attempts.  Soriano got gunned down for the first out of the 4th after leading off with a single.

- Kuroda worked around 4 hits to keep Boston off the board through 3.  He couldn't repeat the feat in the bottom of the 4th and got burned for 2 runs on a Lyle Overbay error and questionable call at third base.  A few 2-out hits after the error made it a 3-0 lead.

- In their best chance of the day, the Yanks had second and third and nobody out in the top of the 5th and the top of the order coming up.  Another trio of groundouts led to just 1 run and got Lackey off the hook again.

- The Red Sox put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 6th, knocking Kuroda out in the process.  The final blow was a 2-out RBI double by Jacoby Ellsbury that made it a 5-1 lead.  Tough day for Kuroda all around.

- The Yanks just couldn't get the breaks when they needed them.  12 baserunners in 9 innings should generate more than 1 run.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Overbay: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 LOB.  The error hurt, but he had a nice day at the plate.

Oh Nos:

- Kuroda: 5.2 IP, 11 H, 5 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 6 K.  I called it a tough day for Kuroda and that's the best way to describe it.  He clearly wasn't at his best, the 11 hits is proof of that.  He was leaving everything just a little north of where he wanted to and Boston capitalized.  He also got burned by some bad defense behind him, bad calls by the umpires, and bad BIP luck.  It was only the 4th time this season that Hirok has allowed more than 3 R in a game, so it shows how good he's been and how high the standards are when he has a game where he gives up 3 R in 6 innings and ends up on this list.

- Robinson Cano: 0-4, 1 LOB.  He only left 1 batter on base, but Cano had a lot of chances to make an offensive impact on this game and he didn't come through.  He's been hitting well lately though, so pass it off as a bad day.

Next Up:

Series finale tonight and it's the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game.  With the way they've put the negative spin on A-Rod, I expect it to be a 3-hour assault on all things Rodriguez-related.