About Last Night: The Yankees Lost to the Red Sox 6-5 in Ten Innings

By Tim Kabel

July 10, 2022

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The Yankees played the third game of a four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park last night. They entered the game with a record of 61-23 and were leading the Red Sox and the Rays by 16 games. Toronto sat 16.5 games out. Amazingly, the Orioles (yes, those Orioles) were in last place but, were only 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees’ dominance has created a scenario in which the other four teams in the division will beat each other up over the wild card spots while the Yankees slip further and further away, like Wilson in Castaway. Yankees fans could not have dreamed of a better situation.

Last night, the Yankees gave the Red Sox opportunities to come back until they finally won the game in the 10th inning. Not to quibble but, the Red Sox then celebrated as if they won the World Series. They are still 15 games behind the Yankees.

Quick Stats:

• The Yankees’ starters gave up the fewest earned runs through the first 84 games in franchise history.

• In 15 of his 17 starts, Jordan Montgomery has allowed 3 runs or fewer.

• Who would have ever thought the Yankees’ pitchers would be knocked around by Rob Refsnyder? (I know that's now a stat, but... since it's so ridiculous, I put it here.)

• On July 9, 1986, the Yankees righted a wrong by sending Ed Whitson to the Padres for Tim Stoddard. That is the definition of addition by subtraction by trading away a player who wasn’t built for New York. Maybe the Yankees will do the same this year (or even today) with Joey Gallo.

• On July 9, 2011, Derek Jeter went 5-5 and drove in the winning run in a 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay. Oh, by the way, the second hit, a home run, was the 3,000th of his career

The Big Story:

The Yankees lost a game last night they should have won. Josh Donaldson bobbled a sure double play ball, and the relief pitchers were uncharacteristically ineffective. These things happen. The thing to do is to brush it off and move forward. Among the many great qualities that this team has, is their ability to bounce back from mistakes and their rare bad games. I have no doubt they will resume their relentless march toward the playoffs.

Player of the Game:

Anthony Rizzo returned after missing four games and had two RBI doubles.

Notable Performances:

Matt Carpenter, who again played the outfield, was 2-2.

Better to Forget:

The bullpen, especially Wandy Peralta.

My Take:

The Yankees remain the cream of the crop in the Major Leagues. One loss does not change that. Even a losing streak would not change that. Please note that I am not advocating a losing streak of any length; I am simply observing how well the Yankees are playing this year. However, the team can be improved.

The trade deadline is fast approaching. We all know the Yankees will do something. The question is what will they do? As Brian Cashman stated, they need to explore their internal options before they go out and acquire someone from another team. There has been talk about them possibly trading for Bryan Reynolds on the Pirates. That might be a great move but, it would also be an extremely costly one. I would not be surprised to see them bring up Estevan Florial in the next few days. He is already on the 40-man roster and he's having his best season ever at AAA. I know it seems as if he's been in the organization since 1974 but, he's only 24 years old. This might be the time to bring him up and see what he can do. It would allow them to move Judge out of centerfield. I would also not be surprised if Matt Carpenter continues to get playing time in the outfield. I suspect that Joey Gallo's days as a member of this team are numbered.

It is also possible that the Yankees could recall Oswald Peraza, who has rebounded from a terrible start and is having a very good year at AAA. He's an excellent defender at shortstop and has some power, which Isiah Kiner-Falefa does not. If that were to happen, Kiner-Falefa would shift to the backup role, and Marwin Gonzalez could possibly be off the team. Kiner- Falefa would be an upgrade as a backup. These are internal moves that would not cost any players.

There are a few players on other teams who might help and would not require much in exchange, such as Andrew Benintendi but, the Yankees may decide to go with their own internal options rather than making trades. If they try this now, they will still have the option of making trades by August 2nd, if they need to. The Yankees have the luxury of a 15-game lead in the division and the best record in baseball. They can afford to take their time and be cautious in making any moves to improve the team. They do not need to panic or rush into something they may regret down the road. Replacing Gallo and Gonzalez with Florial and Peraza might be the way to go. I'm confident that Brian Cashman and his staff will make the correct moves.

Next Up:

Tonight, the Yankees conclude the series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park at 7:08 PM. Boston’s Nick Pivetta (8-6 3.68 ERA) will face Jameson Taillon (9-2 3.63 ERA).