About Yesterday: Red Sox 8, NYY 1

by Tamar Chalker

August 20, 2023

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Another day, another frustrating Yankee loss. For the second day in a row, the Red Sox embarrassed the Yankees at home. New York only managed two hits in the 8-1 loss, bringing their losing streak to seven. I don’t know that there is a whole lot to say, but here we go. Quick Stats:

• Kutter Crawford pitched six strong innings for Boston, allowing just one run on one hit and two walks. He struck out five and took the win.

• Gerrit Cole lasted only four innings and gave up six runs on seven hits. He allowed two homers and a walk, while picking up four Ks.

The Big Story: The Red Sox scattered six hits and used a grand slam in the second and a two-run homer in the fourth to take a commanding early lead. They chased Cole from the game early, but despite solid outings from Jonathan Loaisiga and Tommy Kahnle, the Yankees offense failed to put up any fight. Meanwhile, the Red Sox, a team that was expected to have an awful season after their rough offseason, continued to clobber the Yankees for the second night in a row. Cole, one of the few highlights of this season, can’t even appear to get the Yankees out of their current funk. Player of the Game: Aaron Judge got the lone Yankee run on a homer. It was way too little, too late, but at least he is out there doing something. Notable Performances: Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a hitless inning, picking up a trikeout. Tommy Kahnle also threw a solid inning, only allowing one hit.

Better to Forget: Gerrit Cole had a horrible outing, as already stated, but he wasn’t solely responsible for this abysmal outing. DJ LeMahieu went 0-4 with three Ks. Giancarlo Stanton went 0-3 with three Ks and a walk. IKF went 0-4, while Harrison Bader, Ben Rortvedt, Gleyber Torres, and Anthony Volpe all went 0-3. The only other hit the Yankees managed other than Judge’s homer, was a single by Greg Allen. My Take: I tend to be a fairly optimistic fan, but this team is very broken. Gerrit Cole stated after the game that this has been the worst stretch he has experienced in his career - and he played for the Pirates in 2016 & 2017. There was a moment after the All-Star Break where I thought I saw a flash of possibility with this team, but that has flickered out as of late. They still have a chance, but whatever is going on with this team is not based solely on bad luck or injuries. Next Up: The Yankees will try to salvage some amount of dignity against the Red Sox today. Clarke Schmidt will take the ball for New York. He is 8-7 with a 4.76 ERA. Boston will send Josh Winckowski to the mound. The tall righty is 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA over 44 appearances this year. He is making his first start this season, after starting 14 games for the Red Sox last year. First pitch is at 1:35pm in the Bronx.