Porcello got the ball in the top of the first and Brett Gardner got a base hit to right to start. Old friend Jacoby Ellsbury took strike three but the soon to be retiring Mark Teixeira flied out to left. Brian McCann struck out swinging to end the inning. Severino got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to start. Dustin Pedroia also flied out to the right field warning track and David Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Yankees struck first in the top of the second as Starlin Castro doubled to center to start. Didi Gregorius grounded out to third but Chase Headley doubled to center to score Castro. Gary Sanchez grounded out third and Aaron Hicks flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.
Hanley Ramirez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Jackie Bradley Jr got a base hit to right. Travis Shaw flied out to left and Brock "The Hitman" Holt took strike three to end the inning.
The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Gardner doubled to center to start. Ellsbury flied out to left as comedian Lenny Clarke crashed the booth. Teixeira popped up to third but McCann singled to right to score Gardner. Castro flied out to center to end the inning with New York up 2-0.
"I think we need to lock that thing" - Dave O'Brien
The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Sandy Leon struck out swinging to start. Andrew Benintendi got a base hit to left, Mr. Mookie doubled to center as Lenny Clarke said he wants the Sox to win 28 world titles just to piss off the Yankees. Right on cue Pedroia doubled to right to score both runners. Ortiz grounded out to first to move Pedroia to third and Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Gregorius lined out to short to start the top of the fourth and Headley lined out to right. Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning. JBJ flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth and Shaw grounded out to second. Holt struck out swinging to end the inning.
Hicks grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Gardner took strike three. Ellsbury walked but Teixeira grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the fifth as Leon tripled into the right field corner after a Hicks misplay to start. It looked like Benintendi struck a two run home run off the centerfield wall but the umpires overturned the call, settling for a double to score Leon. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound but Pedroia doubled to right to score Benintendi. Tommy Layne, who was released by the Sox last week, took over for Severino and Ortiz greeted him with a base hit off the Monster to score Pedroia. Ramirez lined out to third and JBJ took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.
McCann struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Castro grounded back to the mound. Gregorious lined out to right to end the inning. Shaw flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Holt grounded out to first. Anthony Swarzak came in to freeze Leon for strike three to end the inning.
Things got hairy in the top of the seventh as Headley appeared to have a triple over the head of Bradley, but somehow Jackie threw him out at third. Porcello pointed at his eyes and said to knock off the sign stealing and Headley didn't take too kindly to that. The benches emptied but nothing else came of it besides some aggressive finger pointing and "why I aughttas". Sanchez grounded out to second but Shaw booted a grounder by Hicks. Gardner doubled down the left field line but Hicks didn't see the third base coach waiving him home. Hicks returned to third and Ellsbury lined out to right to end the inning.
Benintendi led off the bottom of the seventh by eating up Teixeira on a grounder for a single to start. Mr. Mookie popped up to first but Benintendi was thrown out at second trying to steal. Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning.
Porcello returned for one final inning in the top of the eighth and Mr. Mookie ran down a liner by Teixeira to start. McCann grounded out to second and Castro struck out swinging to end the inning. Porcello was fantastic, allowing 2 runs off 7 hits and a walk.
Great job by Porcello
Slick Rick Hero
David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.
Andew Benintendi was 3 for 3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.
Ortiz walked to start the bottom of the eighth but Ramirez grounded into a double play. Chasen Shreve came in to face Bradley and JBJ lined out to center to end the inning.
Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the top of the ninth and crapped his pants. Gregorius struck out swinging but Headley walked. Sanchez lined out to left but both Hicks and Gardner walked to load the bases. Ellsbury walked to score Headley and that was it for Kimbrel. Matt Barnes was tasked to save this one and he did by freezing Teixeira to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 5-3.
Sox win
Hero of The Night is Rick Porcello. He was outstanding holding the Yankees to 2 runs in 8 innings off 7 hits and a walk.
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.
David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Andew Benintendi was 3 for 3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.
Matt Barnes earned his first save of the year by striking out Teixeira to end the game.
The Bad:
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4.
Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with an error.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Craig Kimbrel allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Final Thoughts:
That was too close for comfort but a win is a win. Kimbrel nibbling instead of trusting his stuff is one of the most frustrating things ever. You expect Clay Buchholz to do that, not Kimbrel. Still, Porcello continued his march toward the Cy Young award and beating the Yankees helped big time. The more the Sox win against them, the further they fall behind in the race. Benintendi has been a breath of fresh air and if he can keep this momentum, the Sox will have a 1-9 that can beat anyone in baseball. Still, it won't mean anything if Steven Wright is hurt long term and the other starters can't get their heads right. The Sox still have Brad Ziegler and Koji Uehara so hiccups by Kimbrel aren't what you want to see, but the Sox are covered if he's seriously hurt. All in all it was a good win and the Sox need them moving forward. The win improved the Sox to 61-50, 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Drew Pomeranz takes the hill for the Sox against Nathan Eovaldi of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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