The Thursday, September 20, 2018

* The Boston Globe

David Price cannot shake his problems with the Yankees

Peter Abraham

NEW YORK — It’s inevitable the Red Sox will wrap up the East before too long. They have pushed through mini-slumps all season long and will again.

But it was clear early on Wednesday night there would be no celebration with on the mound at .

Price has been one of the best starters in since the All-Star break, efficient, powerful, and confident. But he cannot shake his problems with the Yankees, who beat the Red Sox, 10-1, before a crowd of 43,297.

Price allowed six runs, four earned, on five hits over 5⅓ innings with four walks and only two strikeouts.

The Yankees took advantaged of the HO scale right field at their ballpark to hit three home runs, two by backup . The longest was only 343 feet but they counted just as much as the short fly balls to left field that often result in home runs at .

“Any time you give up a it’s frustrating,” Price said. “But everybody’s playing in the same park. It’s not like the fences move back when we hit or move forward when they hit. It’s part of it.”

To Price’s point: The Sox have scored three runs in the first two games of the series, not hit a home run, and are 2 for 15 with runners in .

The highest-scoring team in the majors has gone cold. The 103-49 Sox have scored 17 runs in their last seven games, hitting .216 with three home runs.

“There’s a few guys struggling, we know,” said. “We’ve faced some good pitching, too, lately. It’s a combination of both. I do think that sometimes we’re getting too passive at the plate.”

Since joining the Red Sox, Price is 2-7 with a 7.71 earned run average in 11 starts against the Yankees. In six starts at Yankees Stadium while a member of the Sox, Price is 0-6 with a 9.79 ERA, allowing 13 homers over 30⅓ innings.

Price has faced the Yankees four times this season and been charged with 18 earned runs on 21 hits — nine of them home runs — over 15⅔ innings.

“I expect to go out there and be great every fifth day. It doesn’t matter who I’m pitching against or the ballpark I’m pitching in,” Price said. “It just hasn’t been the case here in Yankee Stadium the past year or two. But I’ll get over it.”

If the Red Sox face the Yankees in the , it’s a legitimate question whether Price (15-7) should be in the rotation.

But Cora said and Price would be his first two starters in the Division Series regardless of opponent.

“It’s not going to change my mind,” he said.

Miguel Andujar homered with one out in the second inning, flicking a high fastball over the fence in right.

Gary Sanchez walked and Voit singled. With two outs, grounded to third base and the ball went between the legs of Eduardo Nunez, allowing two runs to score.

Nunez was playing third base for the first time since last Thursday. He missed three games with a sore right knee and was the on Tuesday.

Nunez left the game in the ninth inning when his knee became sore again. He will not play tomorrow but Cora said the injury is not serious.

Given what is now a yearlong history of issues with Nunez’s knee, third base remains a weakness.

Voit hit the first of his home runs in the fourth inning. Sanchez walked again in the sixth inning and Voit followed with another home run. He has nine homers in 29 games with the Yankees.

Sanchez was 6 of 12 with five home runs against Price in his career and the strategy was to pitch carefully to him. Voit foiled that.

Joe Kelly followed Price to the mound and was hit hard, giving up singles to Andrew McCutchen and Judge before ripped a two-run triple to right field.

Kelly has allowed seven runs on 10 hits in his last 4⅔ innings.

Luis Severino, ostensibly the ace of the Yankees, came into the game 4-6 with a 6.35 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break. He allowed one run on six hits over seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Severino (18-8) walked leading off the game before J.D. Martinez singled with one out and Betts raced to third. The Sox were set up for a big inning.

But Xander Bogaerts, a .350 hitter with runners in scoring position, popped up to shortstop. Mitch Moreland then grounded back to the pitcher.

The Sox did not advance another into scoring position until Nunez doubled to left field leading off the fifth inning. Nunez scored when Sandy Leon singled to right field.

The hit snapped an 0-for-30 skid dating back to Aug. 23 for Leon. It was his first since Aug. 14.

The Sox were not inspired as Severino retired the side from there. The leadoff hitter reached four times against Severino and scored once.

Those champagne bottles are going to get dusty at this rate. The Sox now send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound against Masahiro Tanaka on Thursday.

Don’t look now, but the Yankees seem to be peaking at the right time

Nick Cafardo

NEW YORK — Don’t look now, but the Yankees may be getting their act together just in time for the .

“It’s nice to get a couple of wins, because we’ve been so up and down the last couple of weeks, where it feels like maybe this game will get us to get going and then we fall back,” said Yankees manager after Wednesday night’s 10-1 romp over the Red Sox.

“You know when you play the Red Sox you have to be at your best because they can beat you in so many different ways. So to pull out a close one [Tuesday] night and pull away in this one, it definitely feels good.

“You can feel the energy in the crowd and hopefully it’s something we can continue to build on and get it rolling as we get down to the end,” Boone said.

While there’s no guarantee they’ll beat the slumping Oakland A’s in a one-game playoff for the American League wild card, if the Yankees prevail they will face the Red Sox in the Division Series. So be careful what you wish for.

While New York’s back-to-back wins in the Bronx aren’t exactly a great sample of what’s to come should these teams meet in the postseason, the Yankees are getting healthy and confident. And that means Aaron Judge is back in the lineup, which seems to help everybody in the batting order.

Slugger Luke Voit (4 for 4, 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs) blasted two opposite-field homers to the short porch in right field and created some excitement as the front office find of the year. Maybe those fly balls are can- of-corn outs at Fenway, but the games were played here at Yankee Stadium.

Miguel Andujar smoked a homer, his 25th of the season, in the second inning off David Price that would have been gone anywhere. And so what we’re left with is the Red Sox still searching for that elusive divisional title that we thought they might have already wrapped up by now.

Luis Severino, the 24-year-old Yankees ace who seemed to hit a wall , mixed up his pitches and threw more changeups, which made his 98-mile-per-hour fastball seem pretty electric. If Severino has found himself, then that spells trouble, because in any Game 1 scenario he is capable of shutting down the opposition.

Severino was 3-6 with a 6.35 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break before Wednesday night’s start. Only Baltimore’s Dylan Bundy (7.13) and Andrew Cashner (6.71) have higher ERAs in that span. Severino lost in Minnesota last Wednesday despite allowing one run in 5⅔ innings on just 83 pitches in a 3-1 Yankees’ defeat. His average fastball velocity was 98.1 m.p.h. and was his highest single-game mark since June 26 (98.6).

The Yankees have received very good pitching from J.A. Happ, a July 31 acquisition who has given a professional start every time out. And there’s Masahiro Tanaka, who is also capable of shutting anyone down when he’s on.

Yankees starters have allowed two or fewer runs in 10 of their last 11 starts, going 5-3 with a 2.10 ERA.

The Yankees bullpen has been strengthened now that closer is back from left knee tendinitis, which kept him out for 25 games. Zach Britton and Dellin Betances are two tough set-up men, and veteran Dave Robertson is also solid.

The one scary area for the Yanks is the defense. Gary Sanchez is a liability behind the plate, unable to block balls and often in the wrong glove position to stop balls from getting by him. It’s obvious pitchers don’t trust him. It would almost appear that Austin Romine needs to catch more.

Andujar, who may very well be the AL’s Rookie of the Year, is an adventure at third base. He’s capable of throwing a ball away at an inopportune time. But Boone has stuck with him hoping he’ll get better. But one thing is for sure: Andújar can hit, and many of his hits come at the most opportune time.

Giancarlo Stanton, meanwhile, has hit .140 (8 for 57) with one homer and 24 strikeouts in his last 15 games, and needs to get going.

The Yankees have 11 players with at least 10 home runs this season, matching the MLB record. And Voit now has nine homers. The Yankees tied their franchise record Wednesday night with three homers, giving them 245 on the season, matching the club high set in 2012.

Conversely, the Sox have hit 11 homers in September, the fewest in the majors. So a combination of the Yankees’ rise and Red Sox’ fall has contributed to a newfound sense of confidence by the men in pinstripes.

The Yankees were always going to make the playoffs, but the Red Sox just left them in the dust. But as we know, all that matters now is how a team responds late in the season and in the playoffs.

We’re not anointing the Yankees as the AL champs, we’re just saying that they seem to be coming together. If you liked their lineup when the season started in April, there’s no reason not to like it now.

The Red Sox had won eight of 13 games against the Yankees entering this series. So now things are evening out. The Yankees are far from perfect, but they seem to be getting their second wind and peaking at the right time. They may even make a potential playoff matchup against the Red Sox more interesting than previously thought.

After clinch party put on hold (again), are you worried about the Red Sox?

Dan Shaughnessy

NEW YORK — Are the Red Sox going to have to pack up all that champagne and take it with them to Cleveland?

Waiting for the Red Sox to clinch the is starting to feel like waiting for Yaz’s 3,000th hit, or ’s 200th win. It’s like waiting to close on your dream home, or waiting for Larry Bird to pick up a check.

The Sox were pummeled in the Bronx Wednesday, 10-1, and so the Magic Number — which hasn’t moved since Sunday — remains stuck at two. Boston leads the division by 9½ games with 10 to play, but the Sox have managed to breathe life into a Yankees team here this week. They’ll have only one more chance to clinch on the Yankee lawn. And suddenly the idea of facing the Yanks in October does not sound so sweet. Who wants to be the new edition of the 2001 Mariners?

Sox owners John Henry and are not big fans of the Yankee Stadium experience, but they’ve endured two long nights here and plan to come back again Thursday. and Tony LaRussa are also here for the party. But the goggles and cellophane remain in storage.

We thought the Sox might do it Tuesday afternoon when they were scheduled to play an afternoon game in the Bronx, but that game was postponed for six hours due to a rain forecast. When they finally played, things looked good as the Sox took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But then Neil Walker hit a three-run homer. We thought the Sox were going to steal the game back in the ninth, but no. They lost, 3-2.

No big deal, we figured. They’ll wrap it up Wednesday night at the House That George Built. David Price was on the mound and he’s been unhittable. Price came into the night with a 5-0 record and a 1.56 ERA in his previous nine starts. It felt like a sure thing against a Yankee team that had lost 11 of its last 20. The Yanks haven’t been the same since they were left for dead after losing four straight in Boston in August.

But New York is Price’s House of Horrors. This is where he skipped a start because of too much Fortnite in May. This is where he was routed in July for five homers in 3⅓ innings of an 11-1 loss that was quite possibly the worst start of his decorated career.

Price gave up three homers Wednesday (all cheapies to right field) and left trailing, 6-1, with one out in the sixth. That makes for eight homers in 8⅔ innings over his last two starts in Yankee Stadium. Folks like to mock the ridiculous shots that sail out in right field in the Bronx, but it’s the same advantage righty pop fly hitters have in Fenway. The Yankees know how to take advantage. They have outhomered the Sox this season, 246-189. Price has a 9.79 ERA, yielding 13 homers in 30⅓ innings while pitching for the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium. He is clearly not a candidate for any potential playoff games in the Bronx.

The Red Sox are still a cartoonish 103-49 and will almost certainly wind up with more wins than any team in Sox history (105 in 1912), but their first two games in New York exposed obvious flaws. Boston’s Raging Bullpen — a hot mess much of the year and in tatters at this hour — coughed it up on Tuesday and a Buckner-esque by Eduardo Nunez allowed a pair of runs Wednesday. The Cora-Men have stopped hitting homers (11 in September, fewest in the majors), Mitch Moreland is looking up at .250, Sandy Leon will never see the Mendoza Line, and JBJ is forever .230.

Meanwhile, the plan of having Chris Sale return as a dominant ace Oct. 5 is hardly a lock. Sale has pitched only nine innings since July 27 and will be working on eight days rest when the playoffs start. And of course, we will have to remind you one million times that the starting pitchers on the Sox active roster have a combined zero wins in an aggregate 15 postseason starts.

But why be negative? Why worry about any of it at this hour? Alex Cora admitted Wednesday that the rest of this regular season is nothing more than a tuneup for the playoffs.

“The most important thing for us is to be ready for what’s next,’’ Cora said.

This is why you will see some goofy stuff the rest of the way. Like Craig Kimbrel in the eighth inning or Nathan Eovaldi pitching out of the bullpen. Or Steven Wright closing. Or Sox starters performing as three- inning “openers.’’ Cora is not going to manage to help Sale win the Cy Young, J.D. Martinez win the Triple Crown, or Mookie Betts win the MVP. He is not going to manage to beat the Yankees, Indians, and Orioles over the next week and a half. He is going to manage to win those 11 games in October.

So the Sox aren’t going to be bothered by a couple of losses in New York and they don’t care about making a statement against the Tribe this weekend. But Wednesday night was bad. And as we near the end of this historic Red Sox regular season, waiting for the inevitable clinch party . . . how are you feeling about your team?

How the Red Sox rotation is shaking out for the rest of the regular season

Peter Abraham

NEW YORK — With 10 games left to play, the Red Sox are starting to line up their rotation for the postseason. But it’s a plan with some big gaps because of the schedule.

The Sox finish the season with three games at Fenway Park against the Yankees starting on Sept. 28. Then there would be four days off before the start of the Division Series on Oct. 5.

With the Yankees a possible opponent in the Division Series, the Sox will hold Chris Sale and David Price out of the rotation for the final series of the regular season.

Sale is scheduled to pitch at Cleveland on Friday night and then next Wednesday night against Baltimore.

That will leave Sale with eight days off before the playoffs. The plan is for him to throw a simulated game or a full-effort bullpen session on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1.

“That would line him up for the Division Series,” manager Alex Cora said before Wednesday night’s 10-1 loss at Yankee Stadium.

Price, who got shelled Wednesday night, is set to finish his regular season on Tuesday against Baltimore.

He also need some sort of simulated game or extended bullpen work before the playoffs.

Nathan Eovaldi will start on Monday, then work in relief behind Rick Porcello on Sept. 28. That is likely to prepare him for a relief role in the postseason.

Preparing Kimbrel The Sox also plan to carefully control the workload of closer Craig Kimbrel over the final 10 days of the season.

“There’s ‘X’ amount of innings that we’re going to use him the rest of the season,” Cora said.

The Sox also plan to have Kimbrel pitch in the eighth inning to get him used to the idea of working more than one inning.

Kimbrel has pitched more than one inning only five times this season, last on July 27.

“Obviously we don’t have control of the game,” Cora said. “Hopefully we have leads in the eighth inning and he can come in earlier.”

Cora planned to use Kimbrel for four-out saves from the start of the season. But he spent much of working out in Boston after his daughter underwent heart surgery.

The decision was then made to use Kimbrel conventionally. Only three of his 41 saves have been four outs.

“I hate to say it’s a rehearsal,” Cora said. “But as far as routine and stuff like that . . . I’d like for him to go out there and use him in different spots.”

One who got away? Ian Kinsler has given the Sox a significant defensive upgrade at second base, something that was needed. But one of the prospects the Sox gave up for Kinsler has become a lock-down reliever for the .

Through Tuesday, 25-year-old Ty Buttrey had appeared in 14 games and allowed one run on 10 hits over 15⅓ innings with four walks and 19 strikeouts. He also had four saves.

Buttrey was a fourth-round draft pick of the Sox in 2012 and had a largely undistinguished minor league career before the trade.

Rodriguez next Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to start the final game of the series for the Red Sox on Thursday. The lefthander is 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA in 11 career starts against the Yankees. He has a 3.00 ERA in seven starts at Yankee Stadium . . . The Indians plan to activate righthander from the disabled list to start against the Red Sox on Friday. He has been out since Aug. 11 with a stress fracture in his right leg. Bauer is 12-2 with a 2.22 earned run average. He has not faced the Sox since Aug. 24, 2017, and in his career is 2-2 with an 8.24 ERA in five appearances against the Sox . . . The Yankees activated their closer, Aroldis Chapman, from the disabled list before the game. He had not pitched since Aug. 21 because of left knee tendinitis . . . The Bovada on-line casino lists Mookie Betts as a 5-12 favorite to win the American League MVP, with J.D. Martinez and Mike Trout at 9-2. Sale is a 5-11 favorite for the Cy Young with Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell 7-1.

Red Sox banner returned: In the end, Malden man gets nothing

Travis Anderson

MALDEN — The 2018 Red Sox division title banner went missing for about 48 hours this week, before it could even be hoisted at Fenway.

In a puzzling sequence of events, a 44-year-old Malden man says he found the precious banner on McGrath Highway in Somerville Monday. At first, he suggested he wanted something in return — tickets to a game would be nice — but brought it to Fenway Park Wednesday afternoon when the story started to get a little suspicious.

The Sox confirmed shortly before 4 p.m. that the banner, which they plan to unveil outside Fenway if they clinch the American League East crown, as expected, was in their possession. A team spokeswoman said the people who returned it received nothing in exchange.

Earlier in the day, Louie Iacuzzi, the Malden resident who had the banner for more than 48 hours before giving it up, hoped for a different outcome — even as he came under increasing scrutiny.

In a telephone interview and a second conversation outside his home in the morning, he provided an account of finding the banner on McGrath Highway that sounded as stunning as the Sox 2004 comeback against the in the American League Championship Series.

The Red Sox title banner fell off a vendor truck in Somerville. A Malden man found it, and wants to give it back — “And in reciprocation, we would like maybe to go to a nice playoff game,” he said.

According to Iacuzzi, he was driving with friends on the busy road around 7 a.m. Monday when they spotted an object that was forcing cars to swerve.

“I noticed a couple cars swinging, like moving to the right, and we seen something in the street,” Iacuzzi said. “So I ran across the highway to grab it. We brought it in the car; we had no idea what it was.”

They soon discovered, after removing some wrapping, that it was the 2018 American League East championship banner, Iacuzzi said.

He initially said Wednesday that he and his pals wanted to give the banner to the Sox — but they weren’t going to serve it up like a batting-practice fastball.

“[W]e’re trying to do the right thing, but I’m not just going to hand it to them, know what I mean?” Iacuzzi said.

His friend, James Amaral, noted, “We’re working, too. I mean, my man had to run across three lanes of traffic.” He also issued an ultimatum to the hometown team.

“If they do try to put a duplicate up, you best believe we’re going to show up and say, ‘That’s not the original,’ ” Amaral said. “We’re hoping they do the right thing. You know, we did the right thing. We could have kept it, we could have put it on eBay. You know, we got connections where we could have reached out to other sources.”

Asked whether they wanted cash from the Red Sox, Iacuzzi at first said, “Yes, financial [compensation], maybe some tickets, we want something. We don’t know what we want. We want to return it, 100 percent, but we would like to get something.”

He said didn’t have a specific asking price in mind Wednesday morning.

“We want to find out what the thing’s worth,” he said. “We don’t know.”

By Wednesday afternoon, the chances of a payout or box seats at Fenway appeared to be as remote as former Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval stealing home.

“We already have a new banner made,” said Tony Lafuente, a former Somerville alderman who owns Flagraphics, the company that made the banner.

He said he wasn’t sure if the original banner “fell off the truck, or if it walked off the truck. . . . I’ve been doing work for the Boston Red Sox since 1992. Nothing ever happened like this.”

Later in the interview, Lafuente said flatly that “these guys stole my banner” and “should be ashamed of themselves. This is not Boston.” He did, however, concede that his drivers sometimes use McGrath Highway during normal business hours.

The theft allegation did not sit well with Iacuzzi, who said in a third interview that “they lost the [expletive], they’re the ones that [expletive] up. I found it, I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Iacuzzi described himself as a good Samaritan.

“If I didn’t pick it up, a hundred people would have ran over it,” he said. “I don’t want a million dollars. I don’t need a million dollars. All I wanted was to maybe bring my family, my friends to a [expletive] baseball game, maybe meet a player. . . . The flag is back home with the Boston Red Sox.”

As the unlikely tale began circulating on local media, Iacuzzi lamented his newfound notoriety.

“I want to tell you guys something: I found the flag,” Iacuzzi said. “I was never looking for money or fame or anything. I wanted to return it ever since I seen it.”

* The Boston Herald

Eduardo Nunez’ costly error puts Red Sox party on hold again

Jason Mastrodonato

NEW YORK — As the ball rolled through the legs of a hunched over Eduardo Nunez at third base and into the outfield grass, the Yankee Stadium fans erupted for their wild card team.

Except the Yankees aren’t playing like a wild card team this week.

That title would belong to the Red Sox, who showcased their weak bullpen to their rivals in a loss Tuesday, then suffered one of the worst errors of the season by Nunez at third base on their way to an ugly 10-1 loss last night.

David Price allowed six runs on three homers and an error. And for a second time in as many nights, the American League East title celebration was postponed.

"We talked about keeping the ball in the ballpark and we didn’t today," manager Alex Cora said. "It really doesn’t matter where you play, we know where we played. We hit in the same place and they hit three home runs to right field so besides that I think command was good, he threw some good pitches, we didn’t make a play behind him. And that was obviously costly."

Nunez’ unforgivable blunder came at a crucial moment for Price, who was laboring with the bases loaded and needed that third out from Aaron Judge in the second inning.

The ball was weakly hit, off the bat 82 mph, and Nunez hardly had to move to grab it, but his glove whiffed badly and two runs scored.

Price never got it back together.

The lefty entered the game with an MLB-best 1.56 ERA since the All-Star break, then proceeded to give up six in 5⅓ innings.

None of the Yankees' three home runs were hit farther than an estimated 343 feet.

While Price’s sharp command has propelled him of late, it wasn’t quite as sharp last night. Anything pitched to the outer half against right-handed batters seemed to fly off the bat, and with the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium, mediocre fly balls turned into a pair of homers from Luke Voit and another by Miguel Andujar.

“Everybody is playing in the same park,” Price said. “It’s not like the fences move back when we hit, or move forward when they hit. So it’s part of it.”

Price’s hot streak was snapped by a lineup that looks revitalized by Judge’s presence.

And on the other side, Luis Severino entered with a 6.34 ERA in his last 12 starts but showed up against the Red Sox with seven innings of one-run ball.

“That was more than a quality start,” said Cora, referencing comments he made about Severino earlier this year. “He was outstanding. I was thinking about it the whole game. That’s what happens when you open your mouth. He was a different pitcher today.”

The Red Sox had a full lineup in this one, with Mookie Betts and returning after getting the night off Tuesday. And the Sox still looked flat.

With one run last night, they now have scored just 36 runs in their last 11 games. They have just seven homers in that span.

Since the All-Star break, they have just 55 homers in 54 games. Their 1.02 home runs per game is worse than all but six teams in that span.

“There’s a few good guys struggling, we know,” Cora said. “We faced some good pitching too, lately, so it’s a combination of both.

“I do think that sometimes we’re getting too passive at the plate. We’re taking too many pitches right down the middle, which, I think, they’re bad takes. We talk about it the whole season. Get back to look for pitches in the middle of the zone and try to do damage with it.”

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

David Price on the mound tonight as Red Sox again look to clinch With the loss, the Sox are 8-7 against the Yankees this season with a chance to see that record evened tonight if they can’t avoid the sweep.

The division still is far from a competition, with the Yankees needing to win the series finale tonight, then catch up another 8½ games in the final 10 days of the season, a steep mountain to climb.

The Sox don’t look like a team collapsing; perhaps just a team that took their foot off the gas a little too early. And while playing against a Yankees team that looked desperate to avoid a rival celebration on home turf.

Nathan Eovaldi looks set for bullpen duty come playoff time

Jason Mastrodonato

NEW YORK — Nathan Eovaldi will likely make his last appearance of the season out of the bullpen.

The Red Sox still haven’t decided which of their starters will move to the ’pen in October, when they’ll only need three, maybe four starters for the five-game American League Division Series.

But manager Alex Cora said they’re leaning toward putting Eovaldi in the ’pen to relieve Rick Porcello next Friday against the Orioles.

Eovaldi still has one more start to make on Monday before he comes out of relief on short rest next Friday.

“With him it doesn’t really matter,” Cora said. “He’s a strong kid. He’s still going to be throwing 99, 100 mph whether he starts or comes out of the bullpen. He did it already. We know he can do it. He’ll start Monday and then we’ll team him up with somebody over the weekend. It’s to keep him sharp.”

With the Sox searching for answers in the bullpen, one obvious potential solution is to try Eovaldi in a set- up role. He’s pitched out of relief before, and his triple-digit fastball could be even more powerful if Eovaldi was emptying the tank in a one- or two-inning stint. But it sounds as if Cora’s thinking about using Eovaldi as more of a long man.

Cora said he likely wouldn’t use any of his starters in relief in the middle of an inning.

“No, the thing with him, obviously October is different, but putting a starter in the middle of the inning, that’s kind of tricky,” Cora said. “Even if we do it next week, do I feel comfortable doing it in October? I don’t know.

“You have to be careful. All these starters relieving, I know outs are outs and they should be able to do it, but they haven’t done it. Usually you shut down the inning with the guys who usually do it and give them a clean inning.

“But I don’t know, I don’t know how I’m going to react in that situation. We’ll talk about it. But I don’t know if he’s going to be in the bullpen either. We’ll see where we’re at.”

Eovaldi has held opponents to a .188 average out of relief compared to a .270 average as a starter over his career. But the Sox are also weighing the matchups in their decision making.

Chris Sale and David Price seem like shoe-ins to start Games 1 and 2, and Rick Porcello would likely be the Game 3 candidate. But if the opponents are great at hitting lefties, Cora always has the option of skipping lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and using Eovaldi in a Game 4.

“First of all, we don’t know who we’re going to play,” Cora said. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves, and you guys know I hate to get ahead of myself, but we don’t know. Who matches up better against these guys or Oakland or the Rays, the way things are going? It’s kind of to keep him sharp so they don’t have that long rest between the start and start of the playoffs.”

Clinch the AL East first, Alex Cora, then fiddle with your lineup

Steve Buckley

NEW YORK — This is so David Price. Even as the Red Sox are wrapping up one of the fattest, richest, winningest regular seasons in the history of the franchise, the big lefty has found a rain cloud big enough to cover all of it.

What’s that you say? That he’d been pitching brilliantly since the All-Star break with a 5-0 record and 1.56 ERA?

That he’d been saying lofty and assuring things to the sportswriters?

That however things played out last night, the Red Sox were not, are not, going to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the infamous 1978 collapse by having another 1978?

And yet . . . and yet . . . Price’s poor performance in the Sox’ 10-1 loss to the Yankees last night — six runs (four earned) in 51⁄3 innings, with three of the Yanks’ five hits being home runs — means it’s another day of waiting for the Red Sox, who marched into the Bronx this week needing just one win in three tries to wrap up first place in the American League East.

And, yes, it’s another day that Sox manager Alex Cora has to answer questions about Price’s inability to deliver quality pitching in anything that even has the whiff of a big game.

Let’s address that first. Should Cora rely on Price in the postseason based on the lefty’s sterling second-half performance? Or, should he be mindful of the fact that Price still has never won a postseason start coupled with his inability to pitch well at Yankee Stadium?

“No, not really,” said Cora, adding that “we know where we’re at with those two guys,” referring to Chris Sale and Price. “They’re No. 1 and No. 2. I honestly feel that although he didn’t have his great stuff compared with the last eight or nine (starts), he still battled . . . and we didn’t make a play and the fly balls happened.

“Yeah, it’s not going to change my mind.”

And Price seemed unfazed by this latest bad Bronx outing, saying his goal is “. . . to go out there and be great every fifth day. It doesn’t make any difference who I’m pitching against, or the ballpark I’m pitching in. It just hasn’t been the case here in Yankee Stadium the past year or two, but I’ll get over that.”

Following a 3-2 loss in the rain-delayed series Tuesday night, Price could have helped the Sox wrap up the division with a decent performance. But while he was hurt by an awful error by third baseman Eduardo Nunez, who let a grounder go untouched between his legs, three home runs are three home runs.

The home runs, two by Luke Voit, were not clocked. Voit’s second dinger, in fact, barely made it over the fence in right field, and the play was reviewed because the umpires got it into their heads that a fan reaching for the ball had pulled a . (The review was a colossal waste of time, as there was absolutely no interference there.)

But three not-so-mighty home runs are still home runs, and in this case they serve as an uncomfortable tap on the shoulder to remind Red Sox fans that . . . oh . . . right . . . things always go wrong when David Price puts on a Red Sox uniform and pitches at Yankee Stadium.

For those scoring at home, Price has a 9.79 ERA in six Yankee Stadium starts since joining the Red Sox.

For those scoring at home, he has allowed a combined six home runs in his last two Yankee Stadium starts.

For those scoring at home, he has allowed 13 homers in 301⁄3 innings as a member of the Red Sox.

For those scoring at home, there’s a decent chance you stuck your pencil into your eye during the sixth inning last night.

To repeat: The Red Sox aren’t going to blow the division.

Oh, trifle with the thought if you want to get all pre-2004 about things, but they’d have to lose all their remaining games and the Yankees would have to win all but one of their remaining games.

So settle down.

But the Sox can’t act with swagger ’til they clinch. They can’t play out the string like drunken sailors ’til they clinch. And Cora can’t pull lineup cards out of a hat ’til they clinch.

It’s not new at all for playoff-bound teams to more or less blow off the final games of the regular season after clinching first place. The 1987 , for instance, clinched the AL West title with a 5-3 victory over the Rangers on Sept. 28. The bleary-eyed Twins then lost the last five games of the regular season. And then they won the .

In the second-to-last game of 2004, Red Sox manager sent Pedro Astacio to the mound to face the . Astacio was a late-season insurance pickup, and this was the only game he pitched for the Red Sox.

That’s the fun stuff you get to do after you’ve clinched.

After you’ve clinched.

* The Providence Journal

Yankees 10, Red Sox 1: New York remains unkind to Price

Bill Koch

NEW YORK --- To Curt Schilling, sure, Mystique and Aura were just a pair of mythical nightclub dancers.

When it comes to David Price starting for the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, those two ladies of the evening revert to the ghosts that have haunted many an opposing player on this hallowed ground.

Price was far from the sole architect of his demise Wednesday night. Three home runs – two by Luke Voit, one by Miguel Andujar – all scraped into the right field boxes and traveled an average of 341.3 feet. Eduardo Nunez committed a costly two-run error on a routine grounder that would have ended the bottom of the third inning.

The overall performance from Price was improved from his last outing here on July 1, but the end result remained the same. New York postponed Boston’s planned celebration of an American League East title for the second straight game, this time via a 10-1 victory in front of 43,297 fans.

“I expect to go out there and be great every fifth day,” Price said. “It doesn’t matter who I’m pitching against or what park I’m pitching in. It just hasn’t been the case here in Yankee Stadium the past year or two.”

Price’s previous five starts here with Boston had been collectively disastrous – 29 earned runs allowed in just 25 innings, which translates to a grisly 10.44 ERA. His last road outing against the Yankees saw the left-hander yield a career-high five home runs in an 11-1 defeat. Only when Voit’s second round-tripper of the night settled into the first row could any credible comparison be drawn, and the Red Sox magic number remained at 2.

“Before the game we talked about keeping the ball in the ballpark, and we didn’t today,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “It really doesn’t matter where we’re playing. We hit in the same place.”

Andujar’s solo shot leading off the second preceded a mess that was largely of Price’s own making. The bases were loaded with two outs on a pair of walks and a Voit single through the left side, prompting pitching Dana LeVangie to visit the mound. Aaron Judge dug in and Price regrouped to face the right-handed slugger in a 1-0 game.

Price’s only pitch to Judge was a cut-fastball down in the zone, and the resulting two-hopper to the left side went between the legs of Nunez and into left field. Gary Sanchez strolled home from third base, Voit hustled around from second and New York had some separation in a 3-0 game. Voit led off the fourth with his first homer and notched his second in the sixth, a two-run shot that allowed the Yankees to match their club record for a season with 245.

“He made some good pitches,” Cora said. “We didn’t make a play behind him. I think that was obviously costly.”

Price issued four walks to tie his season high and absorbed his first loss in 12 starts. The last came on that July night, and the interim saw Price post a 2.22 ERA over 69 innings. Boston had dropped just one of those 11 games, as Price left in the seventh and watched the bullpen fail in a 6-3 defeat against Houston on Sept. 7.

“I don’t feel like I really commanded any of my pitches that well over the course of the night,” Price said. “Fastball command is something I have to have, and I don’t feel like I had my best fastball command tonight. I paid for it.”

Boston squandered a chance to jump on New York starter Luis Severino in the first and extend a tailspin that saw him carry a 6.34 ERA over his last 12 starts into Wednesday. The Red Sox put two men in scoring position with one out, but Xander Bogaerts popped to short and Mitch Moreland grounded back to the pitcher. Severino required just six pitches in a 1-2-3 second and was off to the races, retiring eight straight during one stretch and completing seven innings for the second time in 14 starts.

“He was a different pitcher today,” Cora said. “We put good at-bats. We weren’t able to finish. He used his changeup a little bit more today right from the get-go.”

Boston’s lone run of the night off Severino came courtesy of Sandy Leon, who snapped an 0-for-30 skid with an RBI single to the right field corner in the fourth. Leon’s base hit plated Nunez, who led off with a down the line in left. J.D. Martinez singled three times and was stranded on each occasion.

Red Sox Journal: Eovaldi pivotal in postseason pitching scheme

Bill Koch

NEW YORK — Nathan Eovaldi is guaranteed just one more start for the Red Sox this regular season.

The right-hander is tentatively scheduled to take his regular turn in the rotation on Monday against Baltimore, as Boston begins a six-game homestand at Fenway Park. Eovaldi is likely to come out of the bullpen on the last weekend when the Red Sox host the Yankees for a three-game set.

“He’s a strong kid,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He’s still going to be throwing 99, 100 [mph] if he starts or comes out of the bullpen. He did it already. We know he can do it.”

Whether or not this rules Eovaldi out of a potential playoff rotation spot remains to be seen, but it’s certainly trending that way. Cora hasn’t broached the subject of relief work or a bullpen role for Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello or Eduardo Rodriguez, all of whom could be in line for multiple starts before the Sept. 30 finale.

The open door to an American League Division Series start for Eovaldi would seem to rest with the opponent. He’s dominated New York twice since the July 25 trade that brought him to Boston for left- hander Jalen Beeks. Eovaldi has allowed just five hits across 14 scoreless innings against the Yankees, but he sports an ugly 6.58 earned-run average against other clubs.

“I do feel like I match up well against these guys because they’re so aggressive,” Eovaldi said. “It helps when I elevate the fastball against these guys. I feel like I got a lot of quick outs with an elevated fastball and then the slider down and away.”

Sale will pitch Friday at Cleveland and Wednesday against the Orioles. Porcello goes Saturday against the Indians and at home against New York. Price would pitch Tuesday against Baltimore and, if necessary, on the final day of the season. Rodriguez starts twice against the Yankees, including Thursday night.

That leaves Eovaldi backing up Porcello in his final start, which would mean a second relief appearance for Eovaldi in the last three weeks after going two years without one. Cora said Eovaldi or any other starter used out of the bullpen is likely to enter at the start of an inning as opposed to in the middle or with men on base. Traditional bullpen arms would be deployed in those cases.

“You have to be careful,” Cora said. “All of these starters relieving — I know outs are outs and they should be able to do it. But they haven’t done it.”

Prepping Kimbrel

How and when certain relievers will be used is also a topic of conversation at the back end for the Red Sox.

Closer Craig Kimbrel is likely to pitch in the eighth inning at some point down the stretch. Cora wants to prepare Kimbrel for potentially recording more than three outs at the end of a postseason game. He has entered prior to the ninth in just seven of his 59 appearances this season, including once in 15 games since July 29.

“Obviously, we don’t have control of the game,” Cora said. “Hopefully, we have leads in the eighth inning and he can come in earlier. I hate to say it’s a rehearsal.”

Kimbrel hasn’t appeared before the eighth since his rookie year with Atlanta in 2010. He’s pitched 35 times in the eighth over the past nine seasons, working to a 1.69 earned-run average and allowing just one home run over 21 1/3 innings.

Cora wasn’t happy

The three-run homer by Neil Walker was the decisive swing as New York rallied for a 3-2 victory on Tuesday, but Cora was irked by more than just the key hit.

Brandon Workman’s two walks were damaging. Cora also didn’t like that Aaron Hicks was allowed to steal second base without a throw, eliminating the possibility of an inning-ending double play with Gary Sanchez at the plate and one out.

“If you keep [Hicks] at first base, you’re one pitch away from a double play and we’re out of it,” Cora said. “Now there’s a guy at second and you don’t want to give in to Sanchez.”

Sanchez dug out of a 1-and-2 hole to draw his free pass from Workman, putting the tying run aboard and making Walker the go-ahead run at the plate. A solo home run would have simply tied the game at 1-1, but the added baserunners became a self-inflicted wound that proved fatal for Boston on the night.

Winning formula for Yankees: Homers

Bill Koch

NEW YORK — They’re called the with good reason.

The Yankees, in their noteworthy history, have employed some of the game’s premier home run hitters. revolutionized the game with his slugging abilities a century ago, and the long balls haven’t ever seemed to stop on the banks of the Harlem River.

Neil Walker’s three-run blast was the difference in Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over the Red Sox. It was the 242nd homer hit by New York this season, three shy of the club record 245 smashed in 2012. It stands to reason the Yankees will match and surpass that mark before visiting Fenway Park for the final weekend of the regular season.

“When they’re hitting the ball out of the ballpark they’re tough,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “You saw it yesterday. Offensively, they were struggling. All of a sudden two walks, one big swing and that’s the ballgame.”

It was Walker’s 10th round-tripper of the season, matching a Major League record in the process. Eleven Yankees have now reached double digits this season, making them just the fifth team to boast such an array of deep threats. Detroit (2004), Houston (2015, 2017) and Minnesota (2016) are the others, and the Astros powered their way to a World Series title last season.

“Keep them in the ballpark,” Cora said. “If we do that — if anybody can do that against them — then you have a good chance to beat them. When they’re hitting the ball out of the ballpark they’re tough.”

Such power can make one mistake feel like more. The short, inviting right field porch at this ballpark motivates left-handed hitters to look for hanging off-speed pitches like the slider Ryan Brasier served up to Walker with a full count. It was designed to dip down in the zone, inducing a swing and miss or potential double-play grounder that would have ended the threat.

“Unfortunately, it was a little flat,” Brasier said. “He did what he was supposed to do with it. There’s nothing else to say about it.”

It was just the second home run allowed by Brasier in 30 innings this season. Among pitchers who should be locks for the playoff roster, Rick Porcello (1.3 homers per nine innings) and Craig Kimbrel (1.1) have been the most likely to be touched up in 2018. Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Brasier are all among the least likely, allowing just 0.6 homers per nine innings.

“You don’t want to do that — you don’t want to put traffic,” Cora said, noting the two walks by Brandon Workman that had Brasier entering the game in a jam. “They’re one pitch away from changing the game, and they did.”

The Red Sox did a relatively good job of sticking to their principles during a four-game home sweep of New York from Aug. 2-5. ’s hat trick matched the three home runs hit by the Yankees in the opener, a 15-7 thrashing. Miguel Andujar’s solo shot was the only hit against Porcello in a 4-1 loss in the second game. New York went the final 25 innings of the series without a homer, scoring just five runs in the process.

“We talk about the heat maps, red and blue — it’s very important to keep attacking blue,” Cora said. “We call it blue or safety net.”

* MassLive.com

Red Sox's Rafael Devers pleased with 'none' of his second MLB season. 'I can get much better. I am much better'

Christopher Smith

NEW YORK -- Rafael Devers' second season has been disappointing. His .295 on-base percentage is 43 points below his rookie season OBP in 2017. His has dropped 67 points from last year while his OPS is down 109 points.

He leads all major leaguers with 22 errors.

The 21-year-old left-handed hitter, who has bashed 17 homers, has started only six games during September. It appears he has lost the starting third base job to Eduardo Nunez.

He's not pleased with any aspect of his 2018 season.

"Honestly none," Devers told MassLive.com through translator Daveson Perez. "I feel like I can get much better, and I am much better than what I've been this season. I'm just happy right now that we're getting close to ... the playoffs and everything that comes with that."

Devers still has oodles of potential. He still can become one of the game's top power hitters. He's 21. Several elite hitters struggled at his age.

Indians star Jose Ramirez, for example, slashed .262/.300/.346/.646 in 68 games during his age 21 season in 2014. Ramirez then slashed .219/.291/.340/.631 in 97 games during his age 22 season in 2015.

Ramirez didn't become an MVP candidate until 2015.

Xander Bogaerts slashed .240/.297/.362/.660 in 144 games during his age 21 season in 2014 before becoming a Silver Slugger in 2015.

"I didn't know about Jose or any of those guys and their careers (starting that way)," Devers said. "I'm just trying to learn as much as possible to get better moving forward. Right now it's just about making it to the World Series, winning the World Series and going home happy."

Devers said he has learned a lot this year.

"The season's coming to an end," he said. "So I'm going to do my best to make the adjustments that I can with the at-bats that I get and take it with me into next season and just get better with the stuff that I've learned this year."

His sophomore season hasn't been harder than he expected, he said.

"I just feel like I haven't made the adjustments that I needed to make here," he added. "And it's just something that moving forward I need to make those adjustments. It's just things that happen in baseball."

Devers will return to his native Dominican Republic during the offseason to train there.

"It's just about learning each year, getting better each year," Devers said. "And I'm going to go into the offseason and work hard like I always do and come back next year better for it."

Boston Red Sox lefty David Price's Yankee Stadium struggles won't be a factor in the postseason

Chris Cotillo

NEW YORK -- No matter how David Price pitched Wednesday night, the left-hander's struggles at Yankee Stadium were going to have no bearing on the Red Sox' postseason run.

Price once again struggled in the Bronx, allowing three homers in an eventual 10-1 loss that prevented the Red Sox from clinching the A.L. East for a second straight night. His four earned runs on five hits on 5.1 innings lowered his ERA to 9.87 as a member of the Red Sox in New York, giving him eight home runs allowed in two starts this season.

The three homers Price allowed were all shallow shots to left, with none coming off the bat faster than 94.1 mph, traveling more than 343 feet or having a hit probability greater than 34 percent. But they still put runs on the board, leading Price to make no excuses.

"Everybody's playing in the same park," the lefty said. "It's not like the fences move back when we hit or move forward when they hit. It's part of it."

Price's otherwordly second half had already cemented him as Boston's No. 2 starter in the postseason behind Chris Sale before Wednesday. With Boston's magic number to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs down to three, that means Sale and Price will, barring catastrophe, start at Fenway Park in the ALDS. Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez are the candidates to start on the road.

So if Boston faces off against the Yankees in October, Price would pitch at Fenway Park, where he held New York at bay in a strong start in early August. If he pitches like he has since the All-Star break, he'll give Boston a great chance to win.

Price's next chance to pitch at Yankee Stadium might come next April, when the 2019 Red Sox come to New York for the first time for a two-game series. Then-- and not in October-- he can focus on exorcising his Bronx demons.

"I expect to go out there and be great every fifth day," Price said. "It doesn't matter who I'm pitching against or the ballpark I'm pitching in. It just hasn't been the case here in Yankee Stadium in the past year or two. I'll get over that.

Eduardo Nunez injury: Red Sox infielder felt knee flare up in ninth inning, won't play Thursday

Chris Cotillo

NEW YORK -- Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez left the game in the ninth inning after feeling some pain in his right knee, which has troubled him over the last week.

"He felt it a little bit when he was running to first," Cora said. "So he decided to make sure we treat him. He's not going to play tomorrow, obviously. We're going to take care of him. Nothing too serious."

Nunez was removed from Boston's game against the Blue Jays last Thursday and missed a three-game series against the Mets before returning to the lineup Tuesday. Cora and the medical staff have tried to be extra careful with the knee, which caused Nunez trouble at the end of last season.

Nunez may return over the weekend in Cleveland. Until then, Rafael Devers is the likely candidate to start, especially with Boston facing right-handers on Thursday and Friday.

Homers haunt David Price again at Yankee Stadium as Boston Red Sox fall, 10-1

Chris Cotillo

NEW YORK -- David Price wasn't as bad as the box score made him look at Yankee Stadium Thursday night, but he still didn't get the job done for a Red Sox team that failed to clinch the A.L. East for the second night in a row.

Price allowed three short homers to right field and two unearned runs on an Eduardo Nunez error as the Red Sox fell, 10-1. It was Price's first loss since July 1, when he gave up five homers in 3.1 innings at Yankee Stadium.

Price allowed just five hits in 5.1 innings, but three of them found the short porch in right field. Miguel Andujar led things off with a 340-foot homer in the second before Luke Voit hit two of his own, a 341-foot solo shot in the fourth and a 343-foot, two-run blast in the fifth that ran Price out of the ballgame.

The three homers Price allowed had hit probabilities of 13 percent, 24 percent and 18 percent, respectively, and were all hit with an exit velocity between 93.8 mph and 94.1 mph. His command wasn't where it has been in the second half of the season, as he tied a season-high with four walks.

Price was unlucky again in the second inning, when Aaron Judge hit a sharp ground ball to third the bases loaded that went right through Nunez's legs and scored two runs. Price exited the game having surrendered six runs (four earned) on five hits while walking four and striking out two batters.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks added insurance late, hitting a two-run triple off Joe Kelly in the sixth and an RBI single in the ninth. Jonathan Holder and Justus Sheffield (who made his major-league debut) each pitched scoreless innings for New York to close things out.

Boston's only run of the game came in the top of the fifth, when Sandy Leon's first hit in 31 at-bats scored Nunez, who had doubled. The Red Sox had just nine hits on the night as Luis Severino dazzled, lasting seven innings and striking out five.

Boston will have its third chance to clinch the division Thursday night at Yankee Stadium with Eduardo Rodriguez facing off against righty Masahiro Tanaka at 7:05 p.m.

Price's Yankee Stadium woes continue

Price's struggles in the Bronx continued, as his four earned runs in 5.1 innings gives him 33 earned runs in 30.1 innings at Yankee Stadium since joining the Red Sox.

Price is now 0-6 with a 9.87 ERA in the Bronx since joining Boston, all but securing that he won't get a start here if the Sox and Yankees face off in the Division Series. Price is Boston's likely Game 2 starter, which would put him in line for a start at Fenway Park.

Leon snaps 0-for-30 skid

Leon's fifth-inning single was his first since Aug. 23 and his first in 31 at-bats. The catcher has just eight hits since Aug. 1, with his batting average now at .184.

Manager Alex Cora reaffirmed Wednesday that the Sox are likely to carry three on their postseason roster, with Leon's game-calling abilities earning him a spot.

Nunez leaves game in ninth

Eduardo Nunez, who has dealt with knee trouble over the last week, left the game in the ninth inning after reaching first base. Manager Alex Cora and trainers came out to see Nunez before replacing him with pinch-runner Christian Vazquez.

Travis leaves game after spectacular catch

Sam Travis made an impressive running catch on a Miguel Andujar fly ball in the eighth, slamming into the left field wall. He then left the game for precautionary reasons, being replaced by Brock Holt.

Will Nathan Eovaldi join Boston Red Sox bullpen? It depends on which team Sox play in ALDS

Christopher Smith

NEW YORK -- Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi dominated against the Yankees here Tuesday, hurling 6 shutout innings. He has combined for 14 scoreless innings in his past two starts vs. New York.

He'll make another start for Boston on Monday at Fenway Park vs. the Orioles. He then likely will follow Rick Porcello out of the bullpen next Friday vs. New York at Fenway Park.

So does that mean Eovaldi will pitch out of the bullpen during the postseason? Not necessarily. It depends on which team the Red Sox play.

"We don't know who we're going to play," Cora said. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. You guys know I hate to get ahead of myself. If we win the division we don't know who we're going to play. Who matches up better against these guys or Oakland or the Rays?"

If the Red Sox play the Yankees in the ALDS, it might make sense to put Rick Porcello in the bullpen and start Eduardo Rodriguez and Eovaldi in Games 3 and 4.

Rodriguez has pitched well throughout his career vs. the Yankees. He's 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 11 career starts. He also has a 3.00 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in seven starts at Yankee Stadium.

Cora said about getting Eovaldi adjusted to the bullpen if they do decide to use him in that role, "With him it doesn't really matter. He's a strong kid. He's still going to be throwing 99 (mph), 100 if he starts or he comes out of the bullpen. He did it already. We know he can do it."

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora unapologetic about resting players for postseason

Chris Cotillo

NEW YORK -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora knows his club clinching the A.L. East title is inevitable. With the litany of injuries the team has suffered this year, he's prepared to rest his best players in advance of what he hopes is a long postseason run.

"The most important thing is for us to be ready for what's next," Cora said. "I know it sounds bad, probably, for other teams, but you play 162 games. They've done a good job winning games the whole season. We understand that we've gotta take care of our guys. I think that's what we're gonna do."

Cora has worked ace Chris Sale back slowly from shoulder inflammation, having him pitch one and three innings in his first starts back, respectively. The skipper has drawn up a pitch count for Craig Kimbrel (and other relievers) for the rest of the season and is prepared to rest position players once the division title is locked up.

If there's a stigma about a team not putting its best players on the field once they have nothing to play for, Cora doesn't care.

"Our goal is our goal and we have to take care of our business," Cora said. "I know this conversation always happens. When I was working (on TV), people said teams owed it to the other teams (to keep playing). No, it doesn't work that way. We have to be ready to go for October. We have bigger goals. I'm not apologizing."

* RedSox.com

Price's woes at Yankee Stadium continue

Ian Browne

NEW YORK -- David Price entered Wednesday's start in the midst of his best stretch with the Red Sox, and in strong position to end the well-chronicled woes he's had at Yankee Stadium the last three seasons.

But again, nothing went as planned for Price in the Bronx as the Red Sox took a 10-1 loss that kept the champagne on ice for at least one more night.

For the second night in a row, the Red Sox just needed to win to clinch the American League East, but the Yankees didn't allow it to happen.

"It's disappointing, because what we set to do in every series is to win it," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "We don't have a chance to win the series. Show up tomorrow, we know where it stands. Try to win the game and make it a happy flight."

While none of the three homers that Price allowed -- including two to Luke Voit -- were hit particularly hard, they all counted the same. Over 5 1/3 innings, Price gave up five hits and six runs, four or which were earned. He walked four and struck out two.

"I didn't make as good of pitches, especially later on in the count," said Price. "I left some balls up and they did what you're supposed to do with those pitches. Anytime you give up a home run it's frustrating, but everybody is playing in the same park. It's not like the fences move back when they hit or move forward when they hit. So it's part of it."

It was Price's first loss in the 12 starts he's made since his July 1 defeat at Yankee Stadium.

Price has made six starts at Yankee Stadium since joining the Red Sox, going 0-6 with a 9.79 ERA and allowing 13 homers in 30 1/3 innings.

"I expect to go out there and be great every fifth day," said Price. "It doesn't matter who I'm pitching against or what park I'm pitching in. It just hasn't been the case here in Yankee Stadium the past year or two. I'll get over it."

If the Red Sox and Yankees wind up meeting again in the AL Division Series, Price will surely be lined up to pitch Game 2 at Fenway Park so he can avoid Yankee Stadium until 2019.

"Our No. 1 and No. 2 [are set] with Chris [Sale] and David," said Cora. "I honestly feel like although he didn't have his great stuff compared to the last eight or nine, he still battled and we didn't make a play and then the fly balls happened. But yeah, it's not going to change my mind."

Once Price exited, the Yankees jumped on Joe Kelly, who gave up three hits and two runs in one-third of an inning.

Yankees ace Luis Severino held the Red Sox in check, allowing just one run over seven innings. After being fumed when he thought Severino was throwing at Mookie Betts at Fenway Park on Aug. 3, Cora made a quip following that game, saying, "Do you call that a quality start?"

This time, Cora tipped his cap.

"That was more than a quality start. He was outstanding," said Cora. "I was thinking about it the whole game, so that's what happens when you open your mouth. He was a different pitcher today. He was outstanding. He went seven. In my book, that's a great start."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Price had a chance to get out of the bottom of the second with just a 1-0 deficit. Facing his seventh batter of the inning, Aaron Judge hit a routine ground ball to third base and it looked like the inning was going to end. Instead, the 81.9-mph grounder went right through Eduardo Nunez's legs for an error. Two runs scored, and the Red Sox trailed, 3-0. It was pretty much all Yankees the rest of the night.

"That was obviously costly," said Cora.

FROM THE TRAINERS ROOM Nunez came out in the top of the ninth for a pinch-runner when he slightly aggravated his right knee. Nunez didn't play last weekend against the Mets after tweaking the same knee, but Cora didn't think Wednesday represented any kind of significant setback. Cora said Nunez won't play Thursday, but should be back in the lineup over the weekend in Cleveland.

SOUND SMART The Sox's offense hasn't been its usual potent self in the first two games of this series, going 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS The highlight of an otherwise dismal night for the Red Sox occurred in the bottom of the seventh, when Sam Travis raced back and face-planted into the wall in left to make a sensational grab to take extra bases away from Miguel Andujar. It was a five-star catch for Travis, who had a 15 percent catch probability on the play. Travis, who came up as a first baseman before adding outfield to his repertoire, had to cover 85 feet in 4.9 seconds. Travis came out of the game as a precaution in the next inning, but he passed a concussion test.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY After Voit had rounded the bases for his sixth-inning home run, the umpires called for a review to see if a fan in the front row had interfered with the ball. The call on the field was confirmed, with the flight of the ball appearing to carry into the seating area. Neither of Voit's home runs were Statcast™ darlings -- the second came off his bat at 94.1 mph and traveled 343 feet -- but he and the Yankees certainly aren't complaining.

UP NEXT Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 3.53 ERA) will be the latest Red Sox starter who tries to win the division- clinching game as he gets the nod on Thursday night in the finale of this three-game rivalry series at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees counter with righty Masahiro Tanaka. In 11 career starts against the Yankees, Rodriguez is 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA. Tanaka is 8-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 17 career starts against the Red Sox. First pitch of this MLB Network Showcase Game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Kimbrel may get save opportunities in 8th inning

Ian Browne

NEW YORK -- One thing you could see at times down the stretch is closer Craig Kimbrel coming in before the ninth inning.

Manager Alex Cora wants Kimbrel to be as prepared as possible for situations that could arise in the postseason.

"Yeah, I mean there's x-amount of innings that we're going to be using him the rest of the season," said Cora. "It all depends obviously how the games go and all that, and we also talked about how to use him in different spots so he can get used to the fact of getting up early and coming in earlier in the game.

"Obviously we don't have control of the game, hopefully we have leads in the eighth inning and he can come in earlier just to -- I hate to say it's a rehearsal- but I think as far as routine and stuff like that."

The Red Sox have used Kimbrel for four outs five times this season. All of his other appearances have been three outs or less.

Cora will also try to mix starter Nathan Eovaldi into the bullpen mix before the playoffs start, most likely on Sept. 28 against the Yankees.

Eovaldi throws in the upper 90s and sometimes touches 100 mph. However, Cora said he doesn't expect to use him in the middle of an inning in either the regular season or postseason.

Sale plan solidified

Cora has solidified the plan for ace Chris Sale for the rest of the regular season. The lefty will start on Friday night against the Indians, and then make his final start of the regular season on Sept. 26 against the Orioles.

Sale will have eight days of rest prior to his start in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Oct. 5 at Fenway Park.

"He'll have an aggressive bullpen [session] either Sunday, the last day of the season, or Monday and line him up for the Division Series," said Cora.

In his first two starts back from the disabled list, Sale went an inning against the Blue Jays and then three innings against the Mets. He will probably go four to five innings against the Indians, and perhaps six for his final start against Baltimore.

* WEEI.com

Knee sidelines Eduardo Nunez once again

Rob Bradford

NEW YORK -- As if the scoreboard wasn't bad enough.

With the game already out of hand in what turned into a 10-1 Yankees win over the Red Sox, Eduardo Nunez raced down the first base line while legging out an infield single. But upon arriving at the bag Nunez determined it was time for a pinch-runner, with his balky right knee acting up once again.

"Kind of like he felt it a little bit when he was running to first so decided to make sure we treat him," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "He’s not going to play tomorrow obviously, we’re going to take care of him. Should be something minor nothing too serious. But the first thing he said is, 'If they hit a ball in the gap I'm going to get going and I don’t want to get hurt.' So I think it was the smart thing to do."

Nunez was making his return to playing in the field after exiting last Thursday's game thanks to his aggravated right knee. He did serve as the Red Sox' designated hitter in the series opener Tuesday.

The third baseman is hitting .264 with a .677 OPS, having gone 2-for-4 Wednesday night.

Rafael Devers is expected to get the start at third base Thursday night.

Red Sox have 10 games to feel good about themselves again

Rob Bradford

NEW YORK -- By the time you read this the Red Sox could be showering themselves in champagne, owners of the American League East title.

At this writing, a few hours after the Red Sox' 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the Yankees, there was still no celebration. But it is coming. Whether it is Yankee Stadium, , or Fenway Park. That's why those wearing their Boston garb could walk out into the Bronx night knowing the show was just put on pause.

But there is something that even the Moet won't wash away when that time arrives. That's the feeling that this 100-plus-win team isn't exactly peaking. It is seemingly surviving.

Let's start with what was surfaced Wednesday night.

Eduardo Nunez re-injured his right knee in the ninth inning. Whether severe or not, this has become an ailment that clearly is going to linger. And if that is the case then the Red Sox will have to lean on Rafael Devers, whose defense and uneven offense continues to be as murky as Nunez's knee.

David Price had his worst outing since the last time he pitched in Yankee Stadium, falling victim to three cheapy home runs and a key two-run error by Nunez. By the end of his 5 1/3 innings, there were six runs allowed (4 earned), four walks and the attempt to decipher how big a step back this was.

"No not really we know where we’re at with those two guys. Our No. 1 and No. 2 with Chris (Sale) and David," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora when asked if he would need to steer Price away from a playoff start in Yankee Stadium. "I honestly feel like although he didn’t have his great stuff compared to the last eight or nine I guess he still battled and we didn’t make a play and then the fly balls happened. But yeah it’s not going to change my mind."

It's fine if Cora and others want to downplay Price's results, but it certainly isn't a welcome development that the pitcher who was one of the few bits of certainty has been detoured.

There is Chris Sale needing two more starts to build himself up to normal before the postseason. Rick Porcello's ups and downs. The tantalizing and frustrating existence of Nathan Eovaldi. An Eduardo Rodriguez who hasn't quite earned the right to be called a top-of-the-rotation no-doubter. And do we have to even mention the bullpen? OK, but just briefly.

Craig Kimbrel is the closer. We might see him pitching more than just the ninth inning in the coming days and weeks. And, guess what? We don't know how that is going to work out.

Steven Wright. Ryan Brasier. Matt Barnes. Bobby Poyner. Brandon Workman. Joe Kelly. Heath Hembree. Brian Johnson. All have potential. None carry the air of certainty. That's all there is to say about that.

What is now making a hard charge toward the top of the list of discomfort is what the Red Sox are doing with their offense. It hasn't been much. Only two times this month have the Sox managed more than one home run. Since Sept. 2 they carry a .664 OPS, hitting just .234 with two homers with runners in scoring position. The punch they grew used to for much of the season simply hasn't been there.

"There are a few good guys struggling, we know," Cora said. "We faced some good pitching too, lately, so it’s a combination of both. I do think that sometimes we’re getting too passive at the plate. We’re taking too many pitches right down the middle, which, I think, they’re bad takes. We talk about it the whole season. Get back to look for pitches in the middle of the zone and try to do damage with it. I think that’s very important for us."

We've seen how things can change over the course of 10 games plenty of times this season. That's how baseball works. But it's a little different when you integrate a race against time.

That's what the Red Sox are finding out now.

Craig Kimbrel ready for his 8th inning rehearsal

Rob Bradford

NEW YORK -- Alex Cora suggested in his introductory press conference he would be using Craig Kimbrel outside the ninth inning. And he has, with the closer coming in prior to the ninth inning seven times entering Wednesday night.

But forays into the eighth have come so few and far between, it has never really seemed like there is any sort of strategy behind it. The most recent time Kimbrel saw the eighth was Aug. 26, having not pitched in the inning since July 27 before that.

Times might be changing with the postseason almost upon us.

Cora told OMF on WEEI that he sat down with Kimbrel Sunday to go through the usage plan for the final couple of weeks of the regular season. And while the closer isn't ready to talk about the blueprint -- ("We'll talk about it as we do it," he told WEEI.com before Wednesday night's game) -- the manager offered some explanation of what to expect.

"There’s X-amount of innings that we’re going to be using him the rest of the season. It all depends obviously on how the games go and all that," Cora said. "We also talked about how to use him in different spots so he can get used to the fact of getting up early and coming in earlier in the game.

"Obviously we don’t have control of the game, hopefully we have leads in the eighth inning and he can come in earlier just to — I hate to say it’s a rehearsal but I think as far as routine and stuff like that, although he’s always ready after the fifth inning when he gets to the bullpen like for him to go out there and use him in different spots. We talked about it in the offseason and it hasn’t happened much during the regular season. Early in the season, he was building up and then we didn’t have too many spots where that happened. People think it happens a lot. It doesn’t so we stayed with him in the ninth. But we’ve talked about it and hopefully, we can do that a few days the rest of the season and he’ll be ready to go."

* NBC Sports Boston

Is Red Sox' slump temporary, or did they come back to earth?

Evan Drellich

NEW YORK -- All year, this looked like the revival of the 2016 offense. Some extended drop-offs are starting to make that seem like a mirage.

The Red Sox’ 11 home runs in the month of September are the fewest of all 30 teams. As of midnight going into Thursday, their on-base percentage in September, .317, was middle of the pack at 14th best. Their slugging percentage, meanwhile, was worse than all but four teams, at .362.

“There’s been a few at-bats early in the game, in these two games, that we had a chance to score right away,” Alex Cora said after a 10-1 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday. “We had man at third with less than two outs, and we haven’t been able to cash in. That’s something that, we’ll talk about it, and it’s always good to get the lead. I think we’re pretty good ball club doing that. There’s certain at-bats, just put the ball in play and get the runner in and keep moving forward. We’ll talk about it.”

The Red Sox offense overall still has been a juggernaut. The Sox entered Wednesday first in runs per game (5.30), first in slugging percentage (.449) and tied for the second-most steals (117). They wouldn’t have 103 wins without a very capable lineup.

But as the playoffs arrive, the Sox need to look at their recent downturn and identify whether they feel they’ve just hit a natural rut, or whether something both larger and correctable is at play. Were some players simply playing over their heads collectively, or have they just temporarily lost their approach?

Sandy Leon is hitting .098 in the second half. Mitch Moreland is hitting .179, Christian Vazquez .200 and Rafael Devers .222. Blake Swihart, the man who must rarely play, is at .250, with Brock Holt at .224.

Vazquez, Moreland and Leon together are a combined 39-for-264 in the second half: a .149 average. Andrew Benintendi (.263) has just two home runs and a .693 OPS.

J.D. Martinez (.339) is still his incredible, awesome self, while Mookie Betts (.296) has done very well but seen a drop in power too, with just six home runs since the break. That’s the same amount as Jackie Bradley Jr., who has quietly put together a very solid second half, with an .818 OPS.

The Red Sox don’t seem to be swinging at strikes as often as they were before. Per FanGraphs, the Sox had a 69.2 percent swing percentage at pitches in the zone, sixth best in the majors in the first half. They entered Wednesday 19th best in the second half, at 66.2 percent.

The Sox could be due to break out. They could also be a lineup exposed. But it’s a topic they’ll have to invest time in before the playoffs begin, and consider whether players like Moreland and Leon make their lineup as strong as can be over, say, Swihart and Steve Pearce.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

Add a slumping offense to Red Sox’ recent woes

Sean McAdam

NEW YORK — Still troubled by the prospects of the Red Sox bullpen having to do battle with some of the game’s best lineups in October? Fearful the Sox’ relievers lack the experience or the mettle to survive the postseason gauntlet?

Those problems haven’t been cured — not by a long shot — but in what may be a classic case of deflection, the Red Sox of late have come up with another thing about which to fret: namely, their offense, tops in the big leagues for much of the season, has sputtered significantly in recent weeks.

Only twice in the last 11 games have the Red Sox scored more than five runs. In four of those 11 games, they’ve scored two runs or fewer.

The trouble begins at the top of the lineup. Mookie Betts, who returned to action Wednesday night after sitting out Tuesday with some soreness in his left side, is 1-for-13 and hasn’t homered since Aug. 30. Andrew Benintendi, who follows him in the lineup, is in a deeper funk, with just two hits in his last 23 at- bats and only one homer in his last 31 games, 122 at-bats ago.

J.D. Martinez, who typically hits third, is rolling along, with a three-hit night on Wednesday, but, he, too, has slowed down when it comes to power, with a mere three homers in his last 96 at-bats. Frequent cleanup hitter Mitch Moreland, a notoriously streaky hitter, is in the midst of one of his patented funks, with his batting average at a season-low of .244. His last homer came almost a month ago, back on Aug. 22.

Sensing a pattern here? The Red Sox power switch has been flipped to the off position. This month, in 17 games, the Red Sox have hit just 11 homers, ranking them dead last in all of baseball for the month.

They’ve homered in only half of their 16 games this month, and if you don’t think that’s significant, consider this: for the season, when the Red Sox hit at least one homer, they’re 80-20, for an .800 winning percentage; conversely, when they don’t homer, they’re 23-29, a winning percentage of .442.

In other words, when the Sox don’t homer, they resemble the punchless offense from a year ago when they were last in the American League in that category.

Alex Cora, hardly one to panic, dismisses this recent rut as temporary and he’s likely right. It’s not like Betts, Benintendi and Moreland have forgotten how to hit, or that Martinez has lost the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark.

Cora, who famously urged his team to be more aggressive at the plate this season and to seek good pitches with which to do damage, has seen his offense drift into passivity of late.

That’s been demonstrated in the team’s inability to produce with runners on base in this series. The Sox are a woeful 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position through the first two games.

“There have been a few at-bats early where we haven’t been able to cash in,” said Cora. “It’s always to get the lead. We’re a pretty good team when we do that.”

As for the decline in power, Cora acknowledged that his team currently features “a few guys struggling. We’ve faced some good pitching, too.”

Indeed, the Sox have had to go head-to-head with some quality starters of late, including Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom of the Mets, followed by J.A. Happ and Luis Severino over the last two nights. Quality starters have a way of cooling the most menacing lineups.

This month, opposing starters have compiled a 2.88 ERA against the Sox, again indicating that the Sox haven’t been able to do damage in the first half of the game and are too often playing from behind.

“I do think sometimes we’re getting too passive, taking too many pitches right down the middle,” Cora said. “I think they’re bad takes. (We need) to get back to looking for pitches in the middle of the zone and do damage with them. I think that’s very important for us.”

Even the best teams encounter downturns and experience slumps. This latest stretch could be a combination of things: normal fatigue, which is bound to set in in September; drifting focus, another issue related to the grind of the season; and having to face some good staffs and quality starters.

It won’t last. The Sox lineup features too many good hitters to be this ineffective for too long.

But in the final days and weeks, it’s one more issue to be resolved. And it gives fans worried sick about the bullpen something else over which to obsess.

BSJ Game Report: Yankees 10, Red Sox 1 – Yanks pepper Price, delay clinching

Sean McAdam

Price wasn’t good, but he wasn’t as bad as the line suggests, either: The easy narrative would be to suggest this was the same old David Price struggling at Yankee Stadium, but that’s not entirely accurate. Granted, Price wasn’t the same pitcher who had gone 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the last nine games, but there were a few extenuating circumstances at work, too. All three of the homers hit off him — one by Miguel Andujar and two by Luke Voit — barely reached the seats of the short porch in right. “It wasn’t his best one,” said Alex Cora, “compared to the last few ones. But he did OK.” And two runs off him were unearned when, on a hard grounder by Aaron Judge, Eduardo Nunez allowed a ball to go through his legs, resulting in two unearned runs. To their credit, neither Cora nor Price was looking to make excuses. “We talk about keeping the ball in the ballpark and we didn’t today,” said Cora. “It really doesn’t matter where you play. We know where we were playing. We hit in the same place, and they hit three home runs to right field.” Added Price: “Anytime you give up a home run, it’s frustrating. But everybody’s playing in the same park. It’s not like the fences move back when we hit or move forward when they hit. It’s part of it.”

Kelly in a mop-up role: If you were wondering how much Joe Kelly had fallen in the Red Sox bullpen depth chart, the answer was evident Wednesday night. With Price at 93 pitches and having given up two more runs in the sixth, the Sox turned to Kelly. Things only got worse from there — Kelly faced four hitters and allowed three hits, including a two-run triple. As the Red Sox sort through their relief options in the final weeks, Kelly keeps giving them reasons to not consider him for the postseason roster. Wednesday marked the third time in his last five appearances that Kelly has allowed run and he has a 20.25 ERA in that span. For the season, Kelly’s ERA is now 4.45, which is remarkable considering he went through all of April and May and was scored upon just once. Since then, of course, it’s been a different story.

Late-game injuries not serious: Adding injuries to insult, the Sox saw two players leave the game in the last couple of innings. Sam Travis, himself a late-inning replacement as Cora rested players because of the lopsided score, made a terrific running catch off Miguel Andujar in the seventh, but in so doing, collided with the left-field wall. He came out of the game in the following inning, replaced in left by Brock Holt, and complained of some dizziness. Travis was examined by the medical staff after the game and it was determined that he hadn’t suffered a concussion. Cora said he wouldn’t play Thursday. Later, as the Sox hinted at a bit of a rally in the ninth, Eduardo Nunez reached when he beat out an infield single. But Nunez felt a little something in his left knee and, determining that he might have trouble running if a ball were to be hit into the gap, came out of the game in favor of pinch-runner Tzu-Wei Lin. “It was the smart thing to do,” said Cora of taking Nunez out.

TURNING POINT

Just as was the case Tuesday night, the Red Sox had their chances — especially in the early going. They had second-and-third with one out in the first and came away with nothing. Maybe a run or two in the first wouldn’t have made much difference in a game lost by nine runs, but it might have changed the tone of the game a bit for the Sox, who have led by one run once in the first two games.

TWO UP

J.D. Martinez: Martinez had three hits, giving him his major league-leading 57th multi-hit game this season. He’s hitting .339 against the Yankees this year.

Hector Velazquez: He was the most effective Red Sox pitcher of the night, retiring all four hitters he faced.

ONE DOWN

Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts stranded three runners in his first two at-bats Tuesday night and Wednesday wasn’t much better — he was 0-for-4 and stranded four baserunners.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“No, not at all. I expect to go out and be great every fifth day. It doesn’t matter who I’m pitching against or the ballpark I’m pitching in. It just hasn’t been the case here for the last year or two, but I’ll get over that.” — Price, on whether he thinks about his struggles at Yankee Stadium

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The Red Sox fell to 2-6 at Yankee Stadium this season and are 6-16 there in their last 22. The Sox are 1-for-15 with RISP in the series. Boston has allowed 10 or more runs five times this season; twice, it’s happened against the Yankees. Nunez has hit safely in six straight. This year, Red Sox relievers have a 6.95 ERA against the Yankees this season. UP NEXT

The series concludes Thursday night with the Red Sox starting LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 3.53) vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-5, 3.47)

* The Athletic

Red Sox offense is showing some concerning signs lately

Jen McCaffrey

NEW YORK – The best offense in baseball has bailed the Red Sox out of seemingly countless bullpen meltdowns with dramatic late-inning rallies throughout the season.

But that hasn’t been the case of late.

Through 16 games in September, the Red Sox are hitting just .243 with a .679 OPS. Compare that to August when the club hit .275 with an .819 OPS over 27 games and July when they hit .272 with a .785 OPS in 25 games and the September struggles are magnified.

After coming to New York needing just one win over the Yankees to clinch the AL East, the Sox have stalled, falling 3-2 on Tuesday night to the Yankees and getting routed 10-1 on Wednesday.

Their division lead has been trimmed to 9 1/2 games, with the anemic offense a chief concern in this series.

“There’s been a few at-bats early in the game, in these two games, that we had a chance to score right away,” manager Alex Cora after Wednesday’s loss. “We had man at third with less than two outs and we haven’t been able to cash in.”

In the last two games, the Red Sox are 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and have stranded a total of 17 baserunners.

In the third inning of Tuesday’s loss, Ian Kinsler and Steve Pearce reached with no outs. J.D. Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to score Kinsler, but the Red Sox stranded Pearce. They didn’t score again until the ninth inning. On Wednesday, Mookie Betts and Pearce reached with less than two outs, but both were stranded.

“There’s a few good guys struggling, we know,” Cora said. “We faced some good pitching too, lately, so it’s a combination of both. I do think that sometimes we’re getting too passive at the plate. We’re taking too many pitches right down the middle, which, I think, they’re bad takes. We talk about it the whole season. Get back to look for pitches in the middle of the zone and try to do damage with it. I think that’s very important for us.”

And while the Red Sox haven’t been able to string together hits as easily of late, they also haven’t been hitting as many homers either. Boston has gone homer-less in eight of 16 games this month.

Last month over 27 games they failed to homer in just nine games.

Boston has faced solid starting pitching in Houston’s Gerritt Cole and Dallas Kuechel and the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. But good pitching is what the Red Sox should expect to see in the postseason.

The Red Sox will try again Thursday to clinch the division and they may have a better shot with right- hander Masahiro Tanaka on the mound for the Yankees. In three starts this season against Tanaka, the Red Sox are hitting .328 with a 1.002 OPS off him. He’s posted a 6.60 ERA over 15 innings in those three games.

But in three starts this month, Tanaka has been lights-out allowing just one run over 21 innings.

“We don’t have a chance to win the series,” Cora said. “Show up tomorrow, we know where it stands. They’ve got Tanaka, he’s been throwing the ball well. We’ve got (Eduardo Rodriguez). Try to win the game and make it a happy flight.”

* The New York Times

Alex Cora Has a Blueprint for the Season’s Final Weeks

David Waldstein

The Boston Red Sox have soared through their first season under Manager Alex Cora, rolling into September with the best record in baseball. But as the postseason approaches, it brings a fresh puzzle for manager.

Even with a comfortable lead atop the American League East, the Red Sox and Cora must sort out their priorities over the remaining regular season games — and that may have a big effect on the Yankees’ own playoff aspirations.

Cora knows he must balance the need to rest his best players ahead of the playoffs with another, more nuanced goal: forcing the Yankees — a possible playoff opponent — into a situation where they must use their best players and pitchers on the final weekend of the season.

If the Yankees are still fighting to hold on to the top wild-card spot — they held a two-and-a-half-game lead over the entering Wednesday — Cora could sit his top players in Boston’s season- ending series against the Yankees, essentially gifting them home-field advantage in the wild-card game. That could rankle the A’s as they fight to catch up with the Yankees, but Cora wouldn’t be concerned about that.

“No, it doesn’t work that way,” he said. “We have to be ready to go for October. We have bigger goals. I’m not apologizing.”

But on Tuesday, Cora had explained another possible approach, one he learned as the bench coach for the .

Last year, the Astros were in a similar position to the Red Sox’s current situation. Houston clinched the on Sept. 17 and, coincidentally, finished the regular season in Boston against the Red Sox, the team they would eventually face in the divisional round of the 2017 playoffs.

Rather than resting their best players, the Astros pushed the Red Sox to play all-out until the 161st game of the season as they sought to hold off the Yankees atop the A.L. East. Cora believes that Houston’s four- game victory over Boston in the division series was a result, in part, of that decision.

If the opportunity is there this year, Cora hinted on Tuesday that he could do the same in the final series of this season in Boston, assuming the Yankees still needed wins to clinch a playoff spot or home-field advantage in the wild-card game.

On Wednesday he seemed to back off slightly in favor of a middle road. Yes, his players would need rest, he said, but if the Red Sox had a chance to disrupt the Yankees’ postseason pitching plans, they might do that, too.

That could mean forcing the Yankees to use their top pitcher (whether that is Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ or someone else) during the final weekend of the regular season, instead of in the wild-card game, or Game 1 of the division series.

“We’ll talk about it,” Cora said.

Whatever his decision, the end of the 2017 season offers a road map. The Red Sox led the Yankees in A.L. East by three games heading into the final weekend of the season. On the final Friday, the Astros beat Boston in their 160th game, and the Yankees beat Toronto, meaning the Yankees could have still caught up with Boston in the last two games. (Beyond forcing Boston to play their best players, the Astros were also fighting with the for the top record in the A.L., giving them another incentive to win.)

In its 161st game, with Boston still fighting for the A.L. East, Houston used virtually the same lineup that it used to win Game 7 of the World Series. But Boston won that game, 6-3, to finally clinch the division title.

Had the Red Sox lost, they might have turned to their ace, Chris Sale, in the final game of the season. That would have prevented Sale from pitching twice against the Astros in the divisional round, which was Houston’s primary aim.

“Last year, I knew the Red Sox were still trying to get the division, so we had a few goals in mind,” Cora said. “One of them was to try to push them to use Chris on the last day of the season, which we didn’t accomplish. But we pushed them almost to the limit. That was good, because they had to play and there was a lot of information that we got from that series.”

The desire to block Sale from starting twice in the five-game division series proved unwarranted. Houston ended up clobbering Sale in an 8-2 victory in Game 1, and the series lasted just four games (Sale pitched in relief in Game 4).

Cora noted other benefits of forcing the Red Sox to play full-strength. The Astros were able to cull useful scouting information in that final series to employ during the playoffs.

The Red Sox and Yankees, of course, already know each other well, but teams and players evolve over a season and every little data point helps. Hitters, for example, get hot or cold and sometimes develop late- season vulnerabilities. Pitchers might lose some late break on their sliders or start relying more on changeups to right-handed batters.

Such information can be like gold for teams seeking the slightest edge in the postseason.

“It’s pretty similar,” Cora said, comparing this season and last year. “We played the Red Sox and then we had to play them again. And now we’re playing the Yankees, and we might have to play them again to finish the job. That part is too similar, and hopefully it has the same end.”

* The New York Daily News

Luke Voit continues to crush it for Yankees; plus Justus Sheffield reacts to MLB debut

Kristie Ackert

Luke Voit isn’t wasting his second chance.

The first baseman had gone 0-fer in his first series of his first call-up with the Yankees, during the four- game sweep by the Red Sox in Boston.

Not this time around.

The slugger went 4-for-4 Wednesday night, crushing two home runs to lead the Yankees’ offense to a 10-1 rout of their rival Red Sox.

“I kind of had a bad taste because the first time when I got called up here we got swept and stuff,” Voit said. “We really want to take it to these guys because, obviously, probably down the line in the playoffs we’re going to face them again. We want to get hot at the right time going into those games and it’s nice to have a big night, we’re going to get this offense going, been dragging these last couple weeks. A big game for us.”

With a home run from Miguel Andujar and two from Voit Wednesday, the Yankees tied the franchise record for home runs in a season with 245. That is the eighth-highest in MLB history. The Bombers are on pace to hit 263 this season, one shy of the Mariners’ record set in 1997.

Voit, who the Cardinals had given up on and traded to the Yankees before the non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July, has been one of the few sluggers the Bronx Bombers could rely on as they struggled through the last two months. In 29 games with the Yankees, Voit is hitting .322 with 20 RBI and nine homers, each of which he has celebrated with an expressive trot around the bases.

“I like when he hits a big homer, whatever antics he has running around the bases, I like to see the guys react and imitate what he is doing,” Yankee manager Aaron Boone said laughing. “Buttons are flying off him or whatever….I like what he does well.”

Ackert: Luis Severino dominates Red Sox, but Yankees ace still hasn't shown enough to warrant wild card start » Voit has hit well enough that he has seemingly usurped Greg Bird as a lock to platoon with Neil Walker at first in the postseason. That playoff run is something that Voit is looking forward to.

“We haven’t been ourselves, the New York Yankees lately,” Voit said. “It’s huge for us to get (Aaron) Judge, Didi (Gregorius) back healthy, Gary (Sanchez) back and (Aroldis) Chapman back today. It’s scary how good this team is going to be. We’re going to do some damage in the playoffs.”

WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUE Justus Sheffield made it an interesting major-league debut.

The Yankees’ top pitching prospect had to wiggle out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth before he could seemingly catch his breath.

“My legs felt like jello,” Sheffield said. “I told myself ‘don’t trip running to the mound, just get out there.’ Once i got out there, I felt like, I got on the mound and just settled down a little bit. Nerves and just adrenaline was pumping, heavy. I was glad I was able to go out there and get my first inning.”

Sheffield, who the Yankees acquired in a 2016 deal that sent to Cleveland, walked one and scattered two hits. He survived his first big league inning thanks to a game-ending double play.

“I can’t even describe it. There were so many emotions through my head, before the game and when I was out there,” the lefty said. “A lot of excitement, a lot of nerves The fans were awesome, I even heard my name. That’s how I know I wasn’t really locked on. It was awesome.”

The Yankees are back to full strength now.

Aroldis Chapman was activated off the disabled list before Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox.

“We’ve got an elite closer back,” Yankee manager Aaron Boone said about the impact of having Chapman back in the bullpen. “I think he’s done really good in his comeback, kind of passed all the checkmarks and whatnot, just excited to add him to what we think is a really good bullpen. It just lengthens our pen, adds to our ability to what we believe is to shorten our game.”

The left-handed closer had been in the DL since Aug.22 with left knee tendinitis. Chapman has 31 saves and a 2.11 ERA in 50 appearances this season.

“Initially just want to get him into a game in some shape or form. We’ll kind of let the role evolve, obviously, eventually he’ll go back in our closer spot,” Boone said.

And in these final 12 games, Boone wants to make sure he gets into some big spots.

“We want to keep him working regularly. Want to get him back in the mix, back in the flow and kind of in his role. Sooner rather than later,” Boone said. “So we’ll make sure we’ll try to get him regular work. We also want to make sure, we’re using him in big spot here down the stretch, get him to where he’s really firing on all cylinders as we head into October.”

DAILY JUDGEMENT Judge singled in his second game back in the lineup coming off missing 45 with a fractured right wrist. The slugger was the DH and Boone pinch hit Greg Bird for him in the eighth to try and ease him back into the flow.

“I was just trying to get some guys out of there. I almost got him out of there the last couple of innings last night, just trying to steal an inning here or two where I can for different guys,” Boone said. “With Judge coming back, almost more about the legs, just trying to build him up.”

* The New York Post

David Price’s Yankees nightmare is only getting worse

Dan Martin

David Price entered Wednesday 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break, but his run of excellence came to a screeching halt against the Yankees — and not surprisingly, it happened in The Bronx.

Yankee Stadium continued to be a nightmare for the left-hander, who gave up six runs — four earned — in 5 ¹/₃ innings in the Yankees’ 10-1 victory.

Price also allowed eight runs — and five homers — in a loss at the Stadium on July 1, and his woes against the Yankees have gone on for years.

With a potential ALDS matchup between the two rivals looming, Price’s problems pitching in New York may not be an issue, since the Red Sox could opt to start him at Fenway Park in Game 2 behind their ace, Chris Sale.

But even there, the Yankees pounded Price for four runs in just one inning on April 11, when Price complained of numbness in his fingers.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Price’s struggles against the Yankees won’t affect the Red Sox rotation if the teams meet in the ALDS.

“Not really,’’ Cora said. “We know where we’re at with those two guys [Sale and Price] going 1-2. I honestly feel although [Price] didn’t have his great stuff compared to his last nine [outings] he still battled.”

Price insisted his problems in The Bronx haven’t impacted how he approaches his starts.

“Not at all,’’ Price said. “I expect to go out there and be great every fifth day. It doesn’t matter who I’m pitching against or the ballpark I’m pitching in. That hasn’t been the case here in Yankee Stadium the past year or two, but I’ll get over that.”

On Wednesday, Price was also the victim of some bad fortune, as Eduardo Nunez made a critical error on a routine Aaron Judge grounder that should have ended the second inning, but instead scored two runs to make it 3-0.

That followed a Miguel Andujar homer with one out in the inning that just cleared the wall in right.

Luke Voit also went the other way for a short homer to start the bottom of the fourth and the first baseman went deep again with one out in the sixth, a two-run shot that just cleared the wall in right.

All three homers likely would have been outs in any other park, but they showed how ill-suited Price is to pitch in The Bronx.

“I left some balls up late in the count and they did what you’re supposed to do with those pitches,’’ Price said. “A pitch above the zone, [Andujar] hits a pop-up to right and it’s a home run. I’ve got to make a better pitch. … Any time you give up a home run it’s frustrating, but everybody’s playing in the same park.”

“It doesn’t really matter where you play,’’ Cora said. “We know where we’re playing. We hit in the same place. They hit three home runs to right field.”

Boston locals return Red Sox banner, get nothing in return

Chris Perez

The Red Sox have gotten back the 2018 division title banner that was being held hostage Wednesday by two local Bostonians — and the guys got nothing.

Officials told The Boston Globe that the banner was dropped off at around 4 p.m., just hours before the team takes the field against the Yankees and attempts to clinch the AL East crown.

They plan to unfurl it outside Fenway if the Red Sox win.

Two men, identified as Louie Iacuzzi and James Amaral, had given the team an ultimatum earlier in the day after “finding” the banner in the street. Either hook them up with playoff tickets, they said, or never see it again.

Red Sox officials told the Globe that the pair eventually backed off and decided to bring back the banner — without getting anything in return.

“I was never looking for money or fame or anything,” Iacuzzi said, speaking to the paper outside his house. “I wanted to return it ever since I seen it.”

* The USA Today

Fans find Red Sox AL East title banner in street outside Boston

Jesse Yomtov

With a 10½-game lead, It's no secret the Boston Red Sox are going to win the American League East title.

Still, several fans in Massachusetts were stunned to find a banner honoring the team's imminent third consecutive division title.

Getting coffee in Somerville, just north of Boston, Louie Iacuzzi, James Amaral and Randy Baldasarri spotted a large object in the street.

"One person ran it over and hit it a little bit, and then I'm like, 'Pull over. What is it?'" Iacuzzi told WFXT- TV.

A Red Sox spokesman told the station that the banner had fallen off a delivery truck and the club was planning on sending a courier to pick up the banner on Wednesday.

Boston can clinch the division Wednesday night with a win against the New York Yankees.

* The Bergen Record

Luis Severino goes seven, Luke Voit hits two homers as Yankees beat Boston

Pete Caldera

NEW YORK — Luis Severino became an 18-game winner on Wednesday night, yet he might still be running third in a three-man contest to be the Yankees’ wild-card game starter.

Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ have made strong bids for that honor.

Still, Severino's strong seven innings at Yankee Stadium provided a fresh reminder of his value against the potent Red Sox, or any potential October opponent.

And the visitor's clubhouse remained dry as Luke Voit went 4-for-4 with two home runs in the Yankees' 10-1 victory, postponing Boston’s AL East clinching party for a second straight night.

“You want to get hot at the right time,’’ Voit said of peaking toward October. With the likes of Aaron Judge and Aroldis Chapman active again, “It’s scary how good this team is going to be. We’re looking to do some damage in the playoffs.’’

And Severino (18-8) is part of that conversation.

“Every time we face the Red Sox, it’s a huge game. (It brings out) the best of everybody,’’ said Severino, who completed seven innings for just the second time since July 1. "More importantly, “I’m getting on track again.’’

And even with a record of 103-49, the Red Sox have areas of concern should the two clubs meet in a best- of-five Division Series.

Boston’s setup relief wasn’t up to the task again, though the Yankees had already clubbed three more home runs off lefty David Price, who owns a 9.79 ERA – with 13 home runs allowed – in six Bronx starts as a Red Sox.

Miguel Andujar put the Yankees on the board with a solo homer to right in the second, his 25th of the year.

Andujar followed that with his 41st double of the year and the AL Rookie of the Year candidate just missed two more extra-base hits with deep drives that were caught at the track and at the wall.

And a two-out error by ex-Yankee Eduardo Nunez accounted for two second-inning runs.

Playing third base, Nunez watched Aaron Judge’s bullet ground ball go through his legs and into left field, giving the Yanks (93-58) an early 3-0 lead.

The Luke Voit Show

Voit hit two patented Yankee Stadium homers, going opposite field to the front row of right field seats.

The second homer survived a video replay review, after a fan corralled the ball atop the fence. It was also the Yankees’ 245th homer of the year, matching the franchise record set in 2012.

Having claimed the first base job, with nine homers in his last 22 games, Voit’s ascension has put the postseason roster spot of Greg Bird (4 hits in his last 45 at-bats) in serious question.

Voit’s ninth homer of the year ended the night for Price, who lasted 5.1 innings.

"Just having fun, man. Just being myself,’’ Voit said of his excitable jumps out of the batter’s box and leaping high-fives with third base coach Phil Nevin on his home run trot.

In the eighth, Voit’s single elicited more low chants of “Luuuuke’’ from a crowd of 43,297. It also marked his first four-hit game in the majors.

“It’s unbelievable, especially running the bases,’’ Voit said of the fans’ reaction. “That’s partially why I’ve got all that enthusiasm.’’

With one more home run this year, Voit will become the 12th Yankee this year to reach double digits in home runs, which would set an MLB seasonal record.

Severino began the night by throwing six straight pitches out of the strike zone, yet he escaped a one-out, second and third jam with an effective use of his change-up.

Severino gave up just one run over his seven innings, yielding six hits and striking out six Red Sox.

When it comes to deciding which starter to choose for an elimination wild card game, “I would say they factor in,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier Wednesday of evaluating his pitchers’ final regulr season starts.

“It all kind of goes into the cake as we’ve started to talk about it a little bit in earnest the last couple of days,'' Boone said. “I would say that these next 12 days will play a role in that.’’

Extra bases Along the way, the designated hitter Judge singled in the sixth, his first hit since returning Tuesday to the Yankees’ lineup, having rehabbed from a right wrist fracture.

Judge and Andrew McCutchen (two walks, single) scored on Aaron Hicks’ triple off Joe Kelly.

And lefty Justus Sheffield made his MLB debut, tossing a scoreless ninth inning, getting out of a bases- loaded jam.

The Yankees’ No. 1 organizational pitching prospect, Sheffield will be a bullpen option down the stretch – and possibly into October.

By next spring, he could be in the Yankees’ rotation.

* Associated Press

Price struggles again in Bronx; Voit, Yanks top Red Sox 10-1

NEW YORK -- David Price has been pummeled over and over at Yankee Stadium.

This time, it was Luke Voit's turn -- with a big assist from the short right-field porch.

Voit hit two homers off Price, Miguel Andujar popped another one barely into the right-field seats and the New York Yankees stalled Boston's division-clinching celebration by beating the Red Sox 10-1 on Wednesday night.

Voit's homers cleared the right-field fence by about two yards combined. The second was close enough that umpires reviewed it on video for potential fan interference.

"Everybody's playing in the same park," said Price, who has allowed eight homers in two starts at Yankee Stadium this season. "It's not like the fences move back when we hit or move forward when they hit, so it's part of it."

Luis Severino (18-8) pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and the Yankees had no need for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on the day they activated him from the disabled list. Chapman had been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis. He watched the end of the game from the dugout.

Mookie Betts had two strikeouts and no hits in his return to Boston's lineup. He pulled a possible just foul in the ninth before grounding into a game-ending double play. The AL MVP contender sat out Tuesday after injuring his left side two days earlier, but came back to bat leadoff as the designated hitter.

The Yankees will try to send Boston packing Thursday with the AL East still undecided. The Red Sox lead the division by 9 1/2 games and entered this three-game series needing one victory to lock up the division crown.

New York remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Oakland for the top AL wild card. The A's beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-0. The Yankees had dropped 10 of 17 before rallying to beat the Red Sox 3-2 on Tuesday night in Aaron Judge's return from the DL.

Voit had his second multihomer game with New York and has nine homers in 29 games since being acquired from St. Louis. The stout slugger bowled back into the dugout after the second shot, grinning amid a barrage of high-fives and fist bumps. His next homer would give the Yankees a major league-record 12 players with at least 10.

Fans chanted "Luuuuuke!" after Voit singled in the eighth for his career-high fourth hit. Teammates joked with Voit after the game that they were jealous of the fans' affection for him.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "Especially rounding the bases, my heart's racing. That's honestly why I bring all that enthusiasm out, too, is because the fans got my back and they want to see that. Who doesn't like home runs?"

PRICE CHECK

Price (15-7) entered the game 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break, but he has rarely been that sharp at Yankee Stadium. He came into Wednesday with a 4.75 ERA at the park over 20 starts -- the worst mark for him in any stadium where he's pitched at least 10 times.

Price surrendered three homers this time -- narrowly. Andujar hit his 25th just over the wall for a 1-0 lead in the second, and Voit added solo shots in the fourth and sixth to nearly the same spot.

"There's definitely cheap home runs," Voit said of his new home park. "But I mean, you have to take advantage of it."

Boston trailed 6-1 when manager Alex Cora pulled Price following Voit's second homer with one out in the fifth. Yankee Stadium fans jeered as Price walked slowly to the dugout.

"I honestly feel that although he didn't have his great stuff compared to the last eight, nine, I guess, he still battled," Cora said.

SMELLING IT

Severino made his second straight encouraging start, ending a second-half slide that had jeopardized his place atop the rotation. He entered Wednesday with a 6.35 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game that Masahiro Tanaka or J.A. Happ could start the AL wild-card game instead of Severino, depending on what happens the rest of the season.

Severino took a big step toward reclaiming ace status. Boone was especially encouraged by the development of his slider. Severino used the pitch to freeze Betts to end the seventh.

"He kind of kept smelling it," Boone said. "Got into a really good groove, and a really exciting outing for him."

BRONX BOMBERS

New York has hit 245 home runs this season, matching the franchise record set in 2012. The Yankees are on pace for 263 homers, one shy of the major league record set by the 1997 .

NEW KID

Top Yankees prospect Justus Sheffield loaded the bases in the ninth but escaped for a scoreless inning in his major league debut. Before the inning, he stopped and looked around for a moment from the bullpen gate, then said he was afraid he'd trip running to the mound.

"My legs felt like Jell-O," he said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: LF Sam Travis robbed Andujar of another extra-base hit, slamming into the wall on a running grab in the seventh, but then left the game with dizziness. Boston said Travis did not have a concussion. ... 3B Eduardo Nunez asked for a pinch-runner after running out an infield single in the ninth. He's been dealing with right knee soreness recently and will get Thursday off. ... Cora said ace Chris Sale will start Friday at Cleveland, lining him up to face Baltimore next Wednesday and then throw a simulated game or bullpen on the final weekend of the season. Sale is still building back up after missing time with a left shoulder issue.

Yankees: Boone wants to get Chapman in full swing before the postseason. His goal is to get Chapman back into a traditional closer role, then use relievers Dellin Betances, Zach Britton, David Robertson and in more fluid roles starting as early as the fifth inning, depending on matchups.

UP NEXT

Tanaka (12-5, 3.47 ERA) starts against Boston LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 3.53). Tanaka has a 2.09 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break. Rodriguez has allowed one run or fewer in five of his past six starts.

Shield your eyes, Yankees: Fans find Red Sox division title banner in street

Settle down, Red Sox.

The division isn't yours just yet.

But a banner marking the inevitable Boston AL East crown has already been accidentally unveiled.

Boston-area friends Louie Iacuzzi, James Amaral and Randy Baldasarri say they found the banner on a road Monday morning after it apparently fell off a delivery truck in Somerville, Massachusetts.

But the trio held onto the banner for two days, hoping they'd be rewarded with game tickets or a chance to meet their favorite players.

Instead, the Boston Globe reports , the men brought the banner to Fenway Park Wednesday afternoon and returned empty handed.

Iacuzzi said he always intended to return the banner and rejected accusations he stole it.

The team can clinch the division if they defeat the Yankees on Thursday night.