The Boston Red Sox Monday, August 21, 2017

* The Boston Globe

The pick here is Andrew Benintendi over Aaron Judge

Dan Shaughnessy

Aaron Judge vs. Andrew Benintendi.

Forget 2017 American League Rookie of the Year. I’m asking . . . which guy would you rather have on your team for the next 15 seasons?

We love these Yankee-Red Sox mano-a-manos. It’s as old as the rivalry itself.

Joe DiMagggio came to the bigs in 1936. Ted Williams burst on the scene three years later. Throughout the 1940s, it was a raging argument. We were even led to believe that the respective owners of the Sox and Yankees once made a late-night swap while in a drunken haze. The alleged trade was called off by dawn’s early light.

Remember when the Sox had Carlton Fisk and the Yanks had Thurman Munson? New York’s grumpy catcher was a league MVP before his career was tragically cut short when he crashed his plane in 1979. Fisk went on to become a Hall of Famer.

Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs were rivals of sorts in the 1980s and who can forget those early years of this new century when Nomar Garciaparra vs. Derek Jeter was a real debate.

Now we have Judge and Benintendi. Big Poison and Little Poison. It’s 6 feet 7 inches and 282 pounds vs. 5-10 and 170.

It’s not about Rookie of the Year anymore. Even though he is playing as badly as anyone can play at the moment, Judge pretty much retired the rookie trophy with his ridiculous first half. He has slumped badly since winning the Home Run Derby in Miami, but his 37 homers and 80 RBIs won’t be dismissed when the votes are tabulated after the end of the regular season.

It’s a mistake, of course, to take a small sample and make a rash judgment on the last thing you see. In that spirit, we must remind ourselves that what Benindenti did to the Yankees over the last two weekends and what Judge did not do vs. the Red Sox should not stand as the definition of either player.

But it’s hard to get the images out of your head. The Sox won four of six vs. the Bombers over the last two weekends and Benintendi was a mini-wrecking ball. He hit three homers in the first two games at Yankee Stadium and tacked on another three hits in the Sox’ two wins at Fenway this weekend. He had two singles in Sunday’s 5-1 series clincher. He has four homers and 12 RBIs vs. New York this year.

Judge, meanwhile, can’t get out of his big lumbering way against the Red Sox. He launched a homer into the Fenway bullpen in the Yankees’ first trip to Fenway in April, but has done nothing since. In the second half against the Red Sox, Judge is hitting .070 with three singles and 17 strikeouts in 43 at-bats.

Sunday was particularly embarrassing. Judge went 0 for 4 and struck out against Addison Reed in the eighth, giving him strikeouts in 37 consecutive games, a single-season big league record. He also was punked by Mookie Betts, who took third base after a fly ball out that Judge lazily chucked back to the infield. It was the second such episode in the series.

In his rookie season, Judge is hitting .155 (9 for 58) with one homer and two RBIs vs. the Red Sox. He has walked 11 times and struck out 25 times in 15 games vs. Boston.

Still, the overall numbers are the overall numbers. Judge is going to be Rookie of the Year and still has a chance to be MVP if he finds his first-half groove. Benintendi is hitting .277 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs.

But which guy do you want for the rest of his career?

Both have amazing talent. Benintendi is never going to be a 40-home run guy. Judge could be a 60-home run guy. Benintendi is faster and a better fielder. Both are polite, if a little dull.

And they have never met.

“We walked by each other the other day and I said ‘hi,’ ’’ Benintendi relayed late Sunday afternoon. “But we’ve never actually been introduced or anything.’’

I asked Benintendi he could relate to what is happening to Judge right now.

“Yeah, because I went through it,’’ said the Sox outfielder, referring to an earlier slump of his own. “It’s such a long season, it’s bound to happen to everybody.’’

Judge is a big topic in New York today. In a bad way. There’s clamoring for Joe Girardi to drop him from the No. 3 spot in the lineup.

“I’m not getting the job done,’’ said Judge. “I’m the No. 3 hitter and I have faith in the guys around me, but it’s a little disappointing. Still, you can’t pout. You’ve just got to keep working and move on.’’

He answered all the questions from the bloodthirsty pack — even the one about getting abused by Betts (“a mistake on my part”).

When there were no more questions, Judge made his way toward the trainer’s room in the cramped visitors clubhouse at Fenway. As he approached the training room door, an underpaid, overworked clubbie was struggling mightily with a gigantic equipment case. The rollers at the bottom of the case were snagged on a carpet, which had rolled up.

Judge said nothing. He just reached down, lifted the enormous case with one hand, and flattened out the rug beneath with his other hand so that the clubbie could roll the thing out the door.

Infinite grace. Made me hope things get better for the big guy.

But I’m taking Benintendi.

Rick Porcello, Red Sox beat Yankees to boost AL East lead to 5 games

Peter Abraham

The Red Sox intended to keep their rotation in order and pitch No. 5 starter Doug Fister against the Yankees on Sunday. Then manager John Farrell changed his mind, deciding his team should throw its best punch.

Rick Porcello was shifted into the series, Farrell banking that his experience against the Yankees would pay off.

The move worked. Porcello pitched six strong innings and Jackie Bradley Jr. drove in three runs in a 5-1 victory before a sellout crowd of 36,911 at Fenway Park.

The Sox took two of three from the Yankees and have won 14 of 17 overall. They now lead the American League East by five games.

The last 11 games have been against teams in contention for a playoff spot and the Sox have won eight of them.

Can they play any better?

“I don’t know,” Porcello said. “Let’s find out.”

With 39 games left, the Sox trail the Houston Astros by 4½ games for the best record in the league and top seed in the playoffs. That is a realistic goal considering the teams meet four times at Fenway to end the season.

Good competition seems to bring out this team’s best, a theory that will be further tested when they start a four-game series at Cleveland on Monday night.

“No doubt,” Bradley said. “When you play against teams with postseason aspirations, you get a feel for their best and they get a feel for your best. . . . We feel like we’ve been trending in the right direction.

“We just want to continue. Don’t put too much thought or pressure into doing too much. Just continue doing what we’re doing.”

Porcello (8-14) has won his last four starts and has a 3.47 earned run average in nine starts dating to July 3. He allowed one run on three hits on Sunday, holding the Yankees down after the Sox took an early lead.

“Trying to throw the right pitches to the right guys,” Porcello said.

If Porcello can continue around the corner he has turned, it would have a significant impact on the rest of the season.

A postseason rotation of Chris Sale, Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, and Eduardo Rodriguez would be formidable.

“He’s been able to work ahead in the count. His location continues to stay consistent. That’s the biggest key with Rick. He set the tone for us,” Farrell said.

Porcello has a 2.71 ERA in nine starts against the Yankees since joining the Red Sox, 1.51 in six starts at Fenway.

The only run Porcello allowed was in the fifth inning when Brett Gardner sneaked a home run around the Pesky Pole.

Porcello, Brandon Workman, Addison Reed, and Craig Kimbrel retired the final 14 Yankees in order.

Yankees starter Sonny Gray (7-8) worked so slowly it’s a wonder he didn’t nod off on the mound. He was done after five innings and 106 pitches.

Gray allowed two runs, both in the second inning. Xander Bogaerts and Sandy Leon had singles before Bradley lined a fastball to center field.

The ball rolled to the base of 420 sign in center for a triple as two runs scored.

Gray stranded runners in scoring position in the third and fifth innings. He has faced the Sox twice this season and allowed five runs over 11 innings.

Facing Adam Warren in the sixth inning, Mitch Moreland singled and moved up on a wild pitch. He took third on Leon’s ground out and scored when Bradley singled to right field.

Bradley is 6 of his last 14 with eight RBIs. A notoriously streaky hitter is heating up.

The Sox added two runs in the eighth inning on a double by Leon.

The last four hitters in the order — Bogaerts, Moreland, Leon, and Bradley — were 7 of 13 with five runs, five RBIs, three walks, and three extra-base hits.

“They were outstanding today,” Farrell said.

Would-be Yankees star Aaron Judge was 0 for 4 and is 9 of 58 (.155) against the Sox this season with one home run, two RBIs, and 25 strikeouts. He is 3 for 40 against the Sox since the All-Star break.

The Sox abused Judge on defense, too.

Mookie Betts was on second base in the seventh inning when Andrew Benintendi hit a routine fly ball to right field. When Judge made a casual throw back to the infield, Betts took third.

Bogaerts took an extra base on Judge on Saturday. The Sox have won five of their last seven games against the Yankees.

“We’re doing a lot things well right now,” Benintendi said. “We’re having a lot of fun playing.”

Red Sox need to make series in Cleveland count

Nick Cafardo

So what do four games in Cleveland in mid-August mean?

A lot.

The Red Sox are likely to face the Indians in the postseason if things stay status quo. What the Red Sox have to prevent is the Indians overtaking them for home-field advantage, as they did a year ago. We know how that turned out — a three-game sweep in the Division Series. The Red Sox lost five out of their last six regular-season games and pretty much packed it in. They had a comfortable lead for home-field advantage and they let it slip away.

“We obviously didn’t finish last year the way we wanted,” utilityman Brock Holt said. “[The Indians] are a good team this year also. They have good arms. We’re a good team, too. It’s going to be a good series. It’s going to be fun. Hopefully we can come out of there winning the series.”

Lessons learned?

“I think a lot of us hadn’t played in postseason before and we got a taste of it,” Holt said. “That’s the biggest take, I think. We got the experience. Hopefully we’ll be back to the postseason and we’ll have a better understanding of what’s expected.”

The Tribe had two pitchers absent from their playoff rotation and didn’t pitch ace Corey Kluber in Game 1. Terry Francona did a masterful job managing and used Andrew Miller in every high-leverage situation to offset not having his best starting pitchers.

This year, the Sox are dealing with rotation injuries; the signs of David Price returning are ominous at best. Both teams should have their respective aces — Chris Sale and Kluber — ready for Game 1 in the playoffs.

The Red Sox could get really hot, dominate the Astros in the final four games of the regular season, and overtake Houston for the league’s best record. But that appears to be a long shot. No, the Red Sox must stave off the Indians when it comes to having the better record. Having three games at Fenway for a five- game series is far better than three games at Progressive Field. The Red Sox have the best home record in the league (40-22).

Last season, the Red Sox convinced themselves they were a good road team and that home-field advantage wasn’t a major factor. Boy, were they wrong. They must learn from those mistakes. Even if they have a nice lead in the division heading into the final week, they must avoid a repeat of last season’s pathetic finish.

John Farrell thought he was doing the right thing in resting players (including David Ortiz) that final week after they had won 11 straight games, but it wound up being detrimental. The Sox clinched on that horrendous night in New York when Craig Kimbrel blew the save on a walkoff grand slam. You could tell right then that the Red Sox were struggling, and that played out in the playoffs. They ran out of gas, they had nothing left.

“Hopefully we can have home-field advantage this time,” Holt said.

“We were [a good road team] but you’d rather play at home. They were fired up and I think we caught Cleveland at a bad time. They finished the season pretty hot and they went into the playoffs on a streak feeling good about themselves. They ran through us, they ran through Toronto, and then they probably should have won the World Series.”

The Indians won four out of their last six in the regular season, including their last three, to finish with a 94-67 record. The Red Sox were 93-69.

“We didn’t finish strong at all last year,” Holt recalled. “It was a weird ending. We had that game in New York where we clinched when we lost on a walkoff grand slam, so everyone came into the clubhouse and we wondered, ‘Do we celebrate?’ That was kind of a weird thing.

“Our last series [at Fenway] we needed to win for home field, but that was bittersweet because it was David’s last hurrah and we had a lot of stuff going on before the games, and ended up losing two out of three to Toronto.

“We kind of backed into the playoffs rather than going in feeling good. I think finishing the season strong and being hot at the right time plays a big role in postseason success.”

The Red Sox enter Monday’s series opener in Cleveland with a 71-52 record and a five-game lead in the AL East. The Indians come in at 68-54, five games in front in the AL Central. This series pits two of the best pitching teams in the league.

Drew Pomeranz plans on making his scheduled start Wednesday after leaving his outing last Friday in the fourth inning because of back spasms. The Indians have Miller back after a DL stint.

“We’re not thinking about the playoffs or what transpired last year,” Farrell said. “I thought getting into the postseason was an important steppingstone for this young group. We’re in a stretch of games this month where the schedule is tough. Our guys are handling that stretch well right now, but we know we’re going to play a very tough team.”

This Red Sox-Indians series is extremely important. Boston must avoid the pitfalls of last season, when the Indians refused to lose and the Sox couldn’t stop their momentum.

‘I totally expect to beat this again,’ NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy says

Peter Abraham

Jerry Remy returned to Fenway Park on Sunday for the first time since undergoing surgery for lung cancer in June. In full voice, the popular NESN broadcaster told a cheering crowd that he would return on Opening Day next season.

But it’s clear that Remy, 64, faces significant challenges ahead. He starts chemotherapy on Tuesday to further treat what is his fifth bout with cancer. Doctors have told him that will take three months.

Remy said he was eager to get started in hopes of eradicating the disease.

“It’s a new challenge in my life. My life has been full of challenges. I totally expect to beat this again,” he said as the Sox were beating the Yankees, 5-1. “Hopefully this treatment will wash it away for good because I am tired of, really tired of it. I just want to go back to work.”

The Sox took the occasion of this being Remy’s 30th season with NESN to honor him on the field before the game against the Yankees.

With family, friends and co-workers alongside, Remy was presented with a number of gifts including a watch, two Fenway Park seats, and a large-screen television.

NESN’s Tom Caron then introduced Dustin Pedroia, who gave Remy a large glove signed by the Sox players. Remy’s medical team also joined him on the field.

Wearing his No. 2 jersey, the former All-Star second baseman threw out the first pitch to Christian Vazquez.

But what meant the most to Remy was the reaction of the crowd.

“There’s something special about this place, there really is,” he said. “The people are so great. . . . To be received like that is absolutely remarkable.”

Remy said he has been unable to watch the games since he stepped away from the booth.

“It’s not because I lost interest. It’s just that I feel guilty I’m not here doing my job,” he said. “I follow it through my phone and check the final score.”

Remy has felt better in recent weeks, a sharp improvement from his condition following the surgery. That’s what led doctors to delay the chemotherapy.

“I was feeling lousy. It was pretty serious surgery,” Remy said. “I really started to turn the corner a couple of weeks ago.”

Sox manager John Farrell, who overcame lymphoma in 2015, has spoken to Remy at length about his experiences.

“Jerry and I have had a conversation about the treatment he’s going to go through,” Farrell said. “It’s a daunting procedure. . . . Much like he calls a game, the conversation was very open, candid, and direct.”

Indians next The Sox start a four-game series at Cleveland on Monday. In the race for seeding in the American League playoffs, the Sox are in second place with the Indians 2½ games behind.

The second seed will have home-field advantage in the best-of-five Division Series. The Indians were the second seed last season and swept the Sox.

The Sox took two of three from the Indians at Fenway earlier this month.

The Sox expect to have Drew Pomeranz ready to start on Wednesday. He left his start on Friday night in the fourth inning because of back spasms but has recovered quickly.

Pomeranz played catch on Sunday and plans to throw his usual bullpen session on Monday.

“Once I was able to throw today, everything should be fine,” Pomeranz said. “It feels better every day.”

The Indians also have concerns for their Wednesday starter, Corey Kluber. He rolled his right ankle on Friday night and left the game.

Kluber threw for 10 minutes in the bullpen on Sunday in Kansas City.

“We’ll keep re-evaluating and talk to him multiple times about making sure he’s OK,” Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters. “I think he’s feeling pretty optimistic.”

The Sox adjusted their rotation for the series, moving Doug Fister back to Tuesday so he would fall between two lefthanders.

Nunez gets a day Eduardo Nunez had a day off for the first time since being obtained from the Giants. Nunez is 2 of his last 14 and hasn’t had an extra-base hit since Aug. 8. Brock Holt started at second base and hit leadoff. He was 2 for 5 . . . Rafael Devers had his first big rookie mistake, getting picked off first by the catcher to end the third inning. Worse, there was a runner on second . . . David Price went a fifth consecutive day without throwing. With 39 games left in the season, it’s increasingly unlikely he can return. “We can’t really begin to get attached to a date. The calendar is where we are,” Farrell said. “With each passing day we recognize that’s happening.” . . . NESN will have Jonny Gomes with Dave O’Brien for the Indians series. Caron is making the trip to serve as the field reporter . . . The Sox have had 17 consecutive sellouts at home and 41 overall out of 62 home dates . . . Katie Burt, one of the Red Sox ball girls, was the first overall pick in last week’s National Women’s Hockey League draft by the Boston Pride. Burt, a goalie, is entering her senior year at Boston College . . . The door that Farrell uses to enter the interview room from the clubhouse has been getting stuck all week and only opens with a loud rattle after he leans into it. It’s the Fenway Park version of Kramer bursting into Jerry’s apartment.

* The Boston Herald

Jerry Remy vows to return to booth after latest cancer fight

Matt Kalman

If the Red Sox needed any more inspiration for their game against the New York Yankees or the rest of their season, they got it from Jerry Remy yesterday in his first visit to Fenway Park since lung surgery in June.

“(I’m going to) be back in that booth next year when the Red Sox lift that pennant for another year,” Remy said near the conclusion of his speech that capped a ceremony to celebrate his 30 years as a broadcaster minutes before the Sox took on the Yankees.

Remy, who began as a color commentator for NESN in 1988, will begin chemotherapy tomorrow as part of his fifth battle with cancer. He hasn’t worked any games since just before the surgery and he has avoided watching the games while he’s been out.

“It’s not because I’ve lost interest, it’s just I feel guilty when I’m not here doing my job,” Remy said. “So I kind of follow it through my phone, check the final scores, check the box scores. That’s how I’ve been following.

“They’ve been pretty exciting wins and it’s kind of got the makings of something big could happen here.”

Remy said he’s felt better the last couple of weeks after feeling “lousy” for more than a month after the surgery. The 2006 Red Sox Hall of Fame inductee’s spirits were helped by the ceremony, which began less than 15 minutes before first pitch so that almost all of the 36,911 fans on hand could give Remy a rousing ovation.

“It means you’ve done something for a long time that people appreciate and like. It means that all the hard work you’ve put into your job has paid off in some way,” the Fall River native said. “It just makes me feel like I’m part of the Red Sox for life. It really does. And that’s a special feeling.”

During his 30 years in the NESN booth, Remy shared his on-field knowledge and his off-field trials and tribulations (everything from his thoughts on traffic to his battle with cancer). His frankness has endeared him to the public in ways all broadcasters hope they can connect.

Red Sox manager John Farrell joked that he only gets to hear Remy after he’s been ejected. But Farrell has an idea why Remy appeals to Sox fans.

“The same can be said for my interactions with Jerry, is that he’s very real, he’s very candid,” Farrell said before the game. “He doesn’t pretend to see something that’s not there. And he calls it like he sees it. The fact that he’s got so much personal experience playing to draw upon, and I don’t think he takes himself too seriously. He has fun with it and that’s what makes him approachable . . . and real.”

During the ceremony the Red Sox organization presented Remy with a Waterford crystal vase, a new watch, a pair of Fenway Park seats (one red, one blue, both number 2) and a gigantic new television, which elicited a celebratory jig by Remy.

Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia presented Remy with an oversized autographed baseball glove, and the Mass. General Hostpital staff that’s helping Remy with his fight was introduced. Then Remy, who admitted that he was nervous, made his speech and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

With the ceremony behind him, Remy can now focus on his treatment and his attempt to be back for Opening Day 2018.

“It’s a new challenge in my life,” he said. “My life has been full of challenges. I totally expect to beat this again and hopefully this treatment will wash it away for good because I am really tired of it, and I just want to get back to work.”

Rick Porcello, Red Sox roll past Yankees

Matt Kalman

The Red Sox didn’t add a starting pitcher before the non-waiver trade deadline, but the Rick Porcello who has pitched for them since July 4 has provided the same type of boost as adding an extra ace.

The 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner’s recent resurgence continued yesterday with another quality start and his fourth straight victory in a 5-1 win against the New York Yankees in the rubber game of a weekend series at Fenway Park.

The Sox have won four of their past five games against the Yankees and now lead the AL East by five games. Porcello gutted through six innings on 103 pitches, allowing one run on three hits, walking three and striking out four.

He has a 3.38 ERA in his past eight starts to lower his season ERA to 4.48.

“A mix of different pitches, nothing in particular was really on fire,” Porcello said after he improved to 8- 14 overall and 1-3 against the Yankees this season. “The walks were a little concerning but we were able to pitch out of it, and I can’t say enough about how our offense battled. They really grinded their starter down and did a hell of a job, and then we were able to get those runs across late in the game.”

Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI, and Sandy Leon was 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the eighth inning to make sure the work of Porcello and relievers Brandon Workman, Addison Reed and Craig Kimbrel (one perfect inning each) didn’t go to waste.

Bradley tripled home two runs in the second inning against Yankees starter Sonny Gray and then singled in a run in the sixth against reliever Adam Warren.

In the series win against the Yankees, Bradley was 5-for-10 with six RBI after going 3-for-21 in his prior seven games.

“It’s a start,” Bradley said. “You definitely want to be able to start swinging the bats well, be productive and help the team any way you possibly can. And I hope it continues.”

Gray was the Yankees’ marquee pickup before the trade deadline in a deal with Oakland. In his first start against the Sox with New York he threw 106 pitches in five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out none — the first time in his career he failed to strike out anyone in a start.

Porcello only allowed two baserunners in an inning twice and he escaped both times, including a first-and- second jam with one out in the top of the fourth. Porcello got Todd Frazier to pop out, then he struck out Tyler Austin.

Brett Gardner hit a one-out, line-drive homer to right field in the top of the fifth for the lone Yankees run.

“The numbers show that he’s winning more games,” Sox manager John Farrell said about Porcello. “But that’s been a combination of a few things. He’s maintained the strike zone. He’s been better to the overall quality in the strike zone with command. And we’ve scored runs for him.”

Porcello’s 43 quality starts since the start of 2016 ties him with teammate Chris Sale and Detroit’s Justin Verlander for the most in the AL. More importantly, he helped the Sox build a cushion for the division lead.

“Well, we’d much rather be in this position than being five games back, that’s for sure,” Porcello said. “But everybody knows there’s a lot of baseball left to be played even heading into September. Especially in this division, no lead is big enough.”

Red Sox looking comfortable, confident and as good as ever

Chad Jennings

With time comes experience. With experience comes comfort. With comfort comes consistency. And with consistency comes a Red Sox team that’s won 14-of-17 games since the trade deadline.

This has not been the easiest part of the schedule, but it’s been illuminating. By taking two-of-three against the Yankees this weekend, the Red Sox have pushed their division lead to five games, and they’ve pulled within five wins of the Astros’ best record in the American League. They just might be the pennant favorites at this point.

What’s made the difference?

Perhaps it’s simply the passage of time, with a reminder that this is still a relatively young roster and many of its veterans are relatively new to the party.

“Every day is another day of experience,” said Mookie Betts. “So, we can always use yesterday to understand what to do or what not to do today. I’m sure it plays some type of factor.”

Four everyday players, including Betts, are 24 or younger. At 30, Eduardo Nunez is older than three- quarters of his new teammates. Of the eight oldest players to suit up for the Red Sox this season, only three are currently on the active roster, with injured Dustin Pedroia and David Price among the missing.

Is it possible that this team is simply getting more familiar, more comfortable and more confident?

“I’m sure subconsciously,” Betts said. “I don’t think we’re going out there any more confident than where we started, but maybe subconsciously. I know that we know we’re a good team, and I think we’re just showing it.”

Manager John Farrell, in a way, brought up the idea of maturity and experience after yesterday’s 5-1 win against the Yankees.

The pitching staff allowed just three hits and the offense amassed all its RBI from the last two spots in the order. Farrell was asked about the upcoming series in Cleveland, where the Red Sox will play four games on the road against a first-place team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

Does another crack at the Indians, at this point in the season, carry extra meaning? Farrell suggested it was actually last year’s Division Series sweep that might carry extra meaning.

“I thought last year, getting into the postseason was an important stepping stone for this young group,” Farrell said. “We’ve added to that young group. We’re in a stretch of games this month — for the better part of a month or more — where the schedule is tough. Our guys are handling that challenge great right now, but we know we’re going in to play a very good team in Cleveland.”

In the past three weeks, the Red Sox have taken care of business. They swept a terrible White Sox team and won two-of-three against the Indians at home. They’ve swept two-game sets against the Cardinals and Rays, who were fighting for playoff spots, and they’ve now won a pair of three-game series, on consecutive weekends, against these rival Yankees.

A few factors:

• Rick Porcello is winning again. Diminished performance and under-whelming run support have left Porcello with the most losses in the American League, but he’s won his last four starts and has a 3.47 ERA since the end of June.

• Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting again. Notoriously streaky, Bradley was dumped to ninth in the order this month because he was hitting .198 in his previous 23 games. Since then, he’s hit .265 with a .390 on-base percentage, and he had six RBI this weekend.

• Brandon Workman is relevant again. After a two-year absence, the former rotation prospect has finally returned from Tommy John surgery to become a key piece of the Red Sox bullpen. After another clean inning yesterday, he has a 0.60 WHIP in the month of August, which is even better than Craig Kimbrel.

• Aaron Judge is not a problem. He’s always a potential problem, but he hasn’t been a problem for the Red Sox. In 15 games this season, the presumptive Rookie of the Year has hit just .155 with 25 strikeouts and two extra-base hits.

• Rafael Devers is not overwhelmed. This is pretty obvious, but it can’t be ignored. The 20-year-old kid who was supposed to hit at the bottom of the order to get his feet wet has become a tremendous No. 5 hitter with eight home runs in his first 21 games. Smaller sample size, but his slash line is comparable to Judge’s in the first half.

Veterans are hitting their stride. Rookies are thriving. Deadline additions are plugging the holes. And the Red Sox are looking as good as ever.

Maybe it was just a matter of time.

“It may be something different each and every day that helps us win,” Betts said. “But I think we’re just kind of figuring what that thing is and sticking to it.”

Red Sox notebook: David Price goes another day without throwing the ball

Chad Jennings

For the fifth day in a row, David Price did not play catch yesterday. At this point, his rehab from left elbow inflammation is not so much a march toward recovery. It’s more of a race against the clock.

The Red Sox have 39 games left to play in the final six weeks of the regular season. Price hasn’t thrown off a mound in nearly a month since his last start on July 22, and there’s not even a timetable for him to resume long toss, much less throw a bullpen session, begin a rehab assignment or get back in a game.

Manager John Farrell acknowledged that the Red Sox “loosely” have begun to count backward to figure out the latest dates at which Price could hit certain steps in order to keep alive the possibility of getting him back on the active roster this season.

“And I say loosely only because with David showing some ability to throw long toss while we were in New York (last weekend), that’s not been the case the last few days,” Farrell said. “So, it’s been so fluid that it can’t really begin to get attached to a date. The calendar is where we are, and with each passing day, we recognize that’s happening. But our focus is what David is capable of, and what’s best for him at this point.”

Price reached 120 feet of long toss at Yankee Stadium last weekend, then he had a scheduled day off and played catch again Tuesday. But he hasn’t thrown since then. A week ago, it seemed he was getting close to a bullpen, but his latest pause in his rehab has brought fresh uncertainty about his return.

Presumably, he could shorten his rehab by working as a reliever instead of a starter — he wouldn’t have to be stretched out if he were pitching out of the bullpen — and Price has been an effective reliever in the past, including a postseason run as a rookie in 2008, but Farrell said the Red Sox aren’t deep enough in the process to consider that possibility just yet.

“Have not even entertained that thought,” Farrell said. “Just for the simple fact of getting back to where there’s a mound progression at that point. We’ll see what unfolds.”

Pomeranz on track

There’s much better Red Sox rotation news concerning Drew Pomeranz, who left Friday’s game with back spasms but remains on track to throw a bullpen today. Assuming he gets through the bullpen without trouble, Pomeranz will make his next scheduled start Wednesday in Cleveland.

“He’s responded really well to treatment,” Farrell said. “Expect him to go out and play catch today. He’s, I would say, right at full range of motion. The intent would be for him to get on a mound tomorrow in Cleveland in anticipation of his start on Wednesday. Right now, that’s our goal, where our target is, for him to pitch on Wednesday.”

Pomeranz would be matched up against Corey Kluber, who’s Chris Sale’s primary competition for the Cy Young Award.

Pedroia staying behind

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia will not be with the Red Sox for their four-game series in Cleveland, but he’s expected to get on the field at Fenway Park.

“He will remain here, but he will start to initiate baseball activity,” Farrell said. “Whether it is throwing, starting to swing the bat in the cage. That is all happening this week. . . . He’s making progress, yes.”

In Pedroia’s place, Brock Holt started at second base instead of Eduardo Nunez yesterday and had two hits, matching a season high. Nunez was out of the lineup for the first time since his trade from San Francisco.

“Down day (for Nunez),” Farrell said. “Felt like he’s been going every day. Looked like he could use a day. Wanted to get another left-hander with Brock and get some fresh legs with he and Mitch (Moreland) on the field today.”

Mild rotation change

Although Farrell said this is what he intended all along, the Red Sox scheduled rotation has a slight change for the series against the Indians. Instead of Doug Fister pitching tonight’s series opener, it will be Eduardo Rodriguez, with Fister getting the ball tomorrow.

“When we made the change to put Rick (Porcello) into today, we wanted Eddy to be in between the two right-handers,” Farrell said. “So, we haven’t changed it a second time. This is initially how it was going to be right from the get-go.”

* The Providence Journal

Red Sox hitting their stride at right time

Kevin McNamara

BOSTON — There are still 39 games left in this baseball season, an eternity in a sport that can take more twists and turns than the old Corkscrew roller coaster that once turned stomachs so many summers ago at Rocky Point Park.

Yet, as a sellout crowd of 36,911 exited venerable Fenway Park Sunday afternoon, it was hard not to feel that the Red Sox took a giant step ahead of the Yankees in what is one of the closest races in years between the two bitter rivals. The Sox made all the right moves in a tight, well-played 5-1 win that wore an October feel most of the way.

This seemed like a true swing game in the long schedule. A loss would have emboldened the young Yankees and cut Boston’s American League East lead to just three games. Instead, the Sox took two of three in the Bronx Bombers’ final trip to Beantown this season and now lead by a comfortable five games.

“I think we’re starting to go out there and just expect to win,” said rookie Andrew Benintendi. “It seems like everything is kind of clicking right now. I feel like everyone is contributing.”

Over the last two weekends, the Sox and Yanks squared off six times. Boston took two of three at Yankee Stadium and now at Fenway. With any luck, we’ll see more of this matchup in October.

“It’s not what you want,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “Obviously we need to continue to play well so when they come to our place [Labor Day weekend] it means something. We probably had a chance to win four of the six and we wound up winning two. That’s frustrating, but I still think we’re playing pretty decent baseball and we need that to continue.”

Sunday’s win extended an impressive hot streak for a Red Sox team that’s playing better than anyone in the American League this month. Since July 31, the Sox are 14-3 and flashing the stuff that often translates to the bright lights of October. They’ve continued to pitch well, begun to see hitting up and down the lineup and found some late-inning pixie dust. The team has nine walk-off wins this season, six more than a year ago.

And this team also seems more likeable now. Most of that comes with winning, of course, but it’s certainly easier to get excited about watching sizzling hot rookie Rafael Devers hit than watch disgruntled (and currently injured) pitcher David Price pitch. After a first half that saw a slew of hitters underachieve, bats belonging to Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. (8 RBI in last six games) and Mitch Moreland (7-for-15) are waking up in unison.

All of that extra mustard was on display over what was the usual entertaining, drama-filled series with the Yankees.

The first two games of the series unfolded directly against hardball form. On Friday night, the Yanks’ talented bullpen couldn’t close the door on a 6-3 lead, a blown lead that relieved New York’s Aroldis Chapman of his closer’s duties. On Saturday, Sox ace lefty Chris Sale gave up homers to rookie Tyler Austin and Todd Frazier, and with Dellin Betances in relief, New York nailed down a 4-3 win.

That set up a major swing game on a beautiful August summer afternoon at the Fens. Rick Porcello (8-14) continued to put his first-half troubles behind him as he won his fourth straight start with perhaps his best (3 hits, 1 run) outing of the season. An early triple by Bradley spotted Porcello a 2-0 lead and before long a tight, 3-1 game after seven innings had ballooned into an easy win.

The Yankees have to be asking themselves if they’ve peaked. As the Bombers packed for a trip to Detroit, much of the chatter in their clubhouse centered on the slumping Aaron Judge. After emerging as the leading candidate for American League MVP in the first half, the rookie slugger has hit the skids. In the six recent games against the Red Sox, Judge is 2-for-22 with 11 strikeouts. He whiffed in the eighth inning Sunday to extend his major-league record to 37 consecutive games with a strikeout and helped the Sox to the important swing victory.

“To win the series, home, road, wherever it might be, those are critically important, particularly in our division,” said Sox manager John Farrell. “We know we’re going into what will be a tough four-game series [in Cleveland] so to add to a lead in this particular series in the standings was important in our minds.”

If there is any fandom that knows not to look too far ahead it’s the one that packs the stands in Boston. The franchise has endured several epic collapses, the most recent coming in 2011 when a nine-game September lead melted away in a heap of chicken and beer parties.

This team doesn’t have that look. With an ace like Sale, a lights-out closer in Craig Kimbrel and a fresh, exciting lineup headlined by the emergence of the 20-year-old Devers, the Red Sox look like a group ready to ride out the twists and turns that lie ahead.

* The Springfield Republican

Jackie Bradley Jr. triples, drives in three runs capping big weekend series for Red Sox vs. Yankees

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - After hitting .353 in the month of June, Jackie Bradley Jr. has been searching for similar consistency.

The Red Sox centerfielder has a .228 average over the last 40 games, but this past weekend agains the Yankees proved Bradley might be on the upswing.

Bradley drove in three runs on Sunday, including a two-run triple in the second, to spur the Red Sox to a 5- 1 victory over the Yankees.

The win moved Boston five games up on New York for first in the American League East.

Over the three games, Bradley went 5-for-10 and drove in six runs.

"It's a start," he said. "Definitely want to be able to start swinging the bat well, be productive and help the team any way you possibly can and I hope it continues."

Bradley added an RBI single in the sixth an inning after the Yankees had pulled within 2-1.

"A number of really good swings," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He's in a really good place right now, and we've talked about his streakiness in the past. He's on the good side of one of those right now."

It hasn't just been this weekend though. Over his last eight games, Bradley his 8-for-24 (.333) and has driven in six runs. He's also showed more patience at the plate with six walks and six strikeouts in that stretch.

"When he gets pitches early in the count in the strike zone, he's not missing them," Farrell said. "He's an aggressive hitter. Sometimes there may be a borderline overagressiveness, but you see today he took a walk. He's had a couple of walks inside this. So, he's seeing the ball well. And then when he's getting his pitches in the strike zone, he's not missing them."

Bradley's superb defense already makes him nearly irreplaceable to the Red Sox, but if he can ride an offensive high to the end of the season, the Red Sox will take it.

Boston Red Sox have something to prove vs. Indians before almost inevitable playoff rematch

Christopher Smith

CLEVELAND -- The MLB playoffs are six weeks away and John Farrell's Boston Red Sox are hottest American League team with a 14-3 record since the trade deadline.

They hold a commanding five-game lead over the second-place Yankees in the AL East after taking two of three games vs. New York this past weekend.

Now it's time for another test.

It's time to prove they can beat Terry Francona's Cleveland Indians, the defending AL champs who swept Boston out of the 2016 postseason.

The Red Sox and Indians open a four-game series at Progressive Field today at 7:10 p.m.

If the regular season ended today, these two ballclubs would meet in the ALDS for the second straight year.

Boston recently won two of three games against the Indians at Fenway Park. But it has lost nine of its past 11 games at Progressive Field, including defeats there in Games 1 and 2 of the 2016 ALDS when their offense went silent.

The Astros own the AL's best record (76-48) but the Red Sox and Indians arguably are the two best AL clubs. And the Indians still should be the league's favorite come playoff time considering how Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller pitched last postseason.

Kluber, an AL Cy Young candidate, starts here Wednesday vs. Boston. He went 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts (34 1/3 innings) during the 2016 postseason. He hurled 7 shutout innings vs. Boston in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Miller won the ALCS MVP and allowed three runs in 19 1/3 innings overall during the playoffs. He tossed 4 scoreless innings in three victories over the Sox.

The Indians of course have added two sluggers, Edwin Encarnacion and Jay Bruce, since losing to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.

Their bullpen leads the majors with a 2.93 ERA. Their starters rank fourth in the majors and first in the AL with a 3.96 ERA.

The Indians are a well-balanced club. They do pretty much everything well. Now the Red Sox need to show they can stick with them in Cleveland.

These games also are crucial because the No. 2 seed is up for grabs and we saw last year how crucial home- field is during the playoffs.

The Red Sox lost the second seed to the Indians on the final day of the 2016 season. As a result, Boston had to play the first two games of the ALDS in Cleveland instead of at home.

We saw how that impacted Boston. Rick Porcello -- who lost only one game at Fenway Park during 2016 -- gave up five earned on three homers in 4 1/3 innings in Game 1.

The Red Sox hold a 2 1/2 game lead over Cleveland for the second seed. They are 4 1/2 games behind the Astros for the top seed and should be aiming to overtake Houston.

Boston plays better at home like almost every team. And certainly holding home-field advantage at hitter- friendly Fenway Park would benefit a Red Sox offense that hasn't produced its typical league-leading totals this year following the retirement of David Ortiz.

Boston has a team batting average 23 points higher and a team on-base percentage 26 points higher at home than on the road.

Chris Sale himself has something to prove in his final start vs. the Indians before he'll likely see them in the playoffs. He has struggled vs. Cleveland throughout his career with a 5-7 record, 4.44 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 28 outings (17 starts).

Sale gave up seven runs on eight hits (two homers) and one walk while striking out five in 5 innings against the Indians on Aug. 1 at Fenway Park.

Since the trade deadline, the Red Sox are 14-3, the Indians are 11-8, the Yankees are 10-10 and the Astros are 8-12.

Boston did a nice job taking four of six games against the Yankees the past two weekends. Don't give games back this week while New York is playing a much weaker opponent, the Detroit Tigers (15 games below .500).

Don't let your guard down now. Make another statement vs. Tito's team.

Boston Red Sox Rick Porcello happy with mix of pitches in 5-1 win over New York Yankees

Nathan Rubenstein

BOSTON -- Rick Porcello was pleased with his outing Saturday afternoon against the New York Yankees as he walked away with his eighth win of the year. The Red Sox right-hander has now won four games in a row.

"A mix of different pitches, nothing, in particular, was really on fire," Porcello said after the game. "The walks were a little concerning, but we were able to pitch out of it and I can't say enough about the way our offense battled."

Porcello's day ended after the sixth inning, recording four strikeouts and only one earned run. His one hiccup came in the top of the fifth inning, giving up a solo home run to Yankees' left fielder, Brett Gardner.

The performance marked his first start allowing three or fewer hits and no more than one run since August 14, 2016, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"This is four consecutive times out for Rick where he's come out, he's been able to work ahead in the count, his location continues to stay consistent and that's the biggest key with Rick," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "I thought he had a good curveball here today, but he set the tone for us."

Brandon Workman, Addison Reed and Craig Kimbrel finished the rest of the game on the mound for the Red Sox.

Jackie Bradley Jr. with three-RBI performance, Rick Porcello has strong outing to lead Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees, 5-1

Nathan Rubestein

BOSTON -- Rick Porcello had a solid performance in Saturday's matinee as the Boston Red Sox took down the New York Yankees, 5-1, in the final game of the three-game series.

Finishing with four strikeouts, three walks, three hits allowed and one earned run through six innings, Porcello earned his eighth victory of the year.

With the win, the Red Sox increase their lead in the American League East back to five games over the Yankees. Boston will now travel to Cleveland to take on the Indians.

Porcello kept the batters guessing during his outing, mixing up his pitches and forcing a lot of routine outs from the defense behind him. His one mistake came in the fifth inning when Brett Gardner shelled a pitch into the right field seats for a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr. produced all three runs for the Red Sox, ripping a two-RBI triple to center in the second inning, and then a single to right field that drove home Mitch Moreland. The Red Sox outfielder finished the day two-for-three with two RBI and a walk.

Sandy Leon gave the Red Sox closer, Craig Kimbrel, some cushion in the ninth inning by driving in another two runs with a RBI double into right field.

Game one of the Red Sox series with the Indians is set for Monday, August 20 with a first pitch time of 7:10 p.m.

David Price still not throwing; running out of time to return to Red Sox rotation before end of season

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - David Price hasn't thrown since Tuesday due to arm stiffness and it doesn't appear like he'll be throwing anytime soon.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said on Friday that the club had pulled back on Price's progression because of arm stiffness he experienced following a flat-ground session last week.

With roughly six weeks left in the regular season, Price is running out of time to return.

The lefty threw three times two weeks ago which seems to have created discomfort and set him back.

Farrell has avoided setting a timetable for Price's return, but acknowledge the striking timeframe.

"It's been so fluid that it can't really begin to get attached to a date," Farrell said. "The calendar is where we are, and with each passing day, we recognize that's happening. But our focus is what David is capable of, and what's best for him at this point."

Drew Pomeranz injury: Red Sox pitcher has responded 'really well to treatment'

Nathan Rubenstein

BOSTON -- Drew Pomeranz experienced back spasms during his start Friday against the New York Yankees and was removed from the game in the fourth inning.

Pomeranz is expected to throw Monday, August 21 in Cleveland in preparation for his start against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, August 23.

"He's responded really well to treatment," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We expect him to go out and play catch here today. He's, I would say, right at full range of motion.

"The intent would be for him to get on the mound tomorrow in Cleveland, in anticipation for the start on Wednesday."

Jerry Remy tells Red Sox crowd he will return for Opening Day 2018 during pregame ceremony

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Jerry Remy expects to return to the Red Sox broadcast booth by Opening Day next season.

On Sunday afternoon, The Red Sox celebrated the 30th season of Remy's career as the club's color commentator on NESN.

Remy hasn't been in the booth since before the All-Star break following a grueling surgery June 26 for lung cancer followed by several weeks of recovery.

Remy said the surgery was so taxing, doctors extended his recovery time before beginning chemotherapy to help him gain more strength. He is scheduled for his first chemo session on Tuesday.

"Today, I had my doctors on the field and have so much trust and belief in them that I'm totally confident that I'm going to beat it," Remy said after the ceremony. "It's going to be a process that's going to last about three months and I'm lucky forward to starting, but I am because I want to get it by me and I want to get moving on with my life. My goal obviously is I'm done for this year but I want to be back here next year on Opening Day."

Remy said he's talked with a number of people about dealing with cancer (this is his fifth bout with the disease), including Red Sox manager John Farrell.

Remy said it's been hard to watch the TV broadcast of the Red Sox games because he feels guilty he's not working.

"I've not watched a pitch since the day I got operated on, which was in June, and it's not because I lost interest, it's just because I feel guilty when I'm not here doing my job," he said. "So I kind of follow it through my phone, check the final scores, check the boxscores, read you, and that's how I've been following the club. I know one thing, they've had pretty exciting wins. It's kind of got the makings of something big could happen here."

Remy, who was emotional at times, was grateful support from fans and the team.

"It's absolutely stunning," he said. "I guess a lot of people have gone through what I have gone through worse. They get an idea. They know. I think those people reach out with open prayers. I have got so much stuff on Twitter and it's overwhelming. Boxes and boxes of mail. I am surprised there still is mail, but I have boxes at home. It means to me I have done something right over the last 30 years. What that is, I'm not quite sure."

* The Lawrence Eagle Tribune

Porcello inspires confidence that Red Sox can run away with AL East

Chris Mason

BOSTON – There’s reason to believe this Red Sox team will hold onto its lead and win the AL East.

Well, three reasons, and they’re at the top of the rotation.

Since May, the Red Sox have known what they’re going to get every time Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz take the mound: a top-end effort and chance to win.

Rick Porcello has joined that club.

Porcello endured a rocky first half, but since the All-Star break he’s been a different pitcher. He was in total control of a crucial contest with Yankees yesterday, and the Sox walked away 5-1 winners.

Porcello’s reemergence has taken the Red Sox rotation to another level.

Since the Fourth of July, his ERA is 3.38. He’s won his last four starts, but the sinkerballer’s successes run deeper than that stat alone.

“The numbers show that he’s winning more games, but that’s been a combination of a few things,” manager John Farrell said. “He’s maintained the strike zone. He’s been better to the overall quality in the strike zone with command. And we’ve scored runs for him. (When) you start to rack them up in the win column, it’s a combination of things.”

After splitting the first two with the Yankees, yesterday’s rubber match was a game that could have swung things in a big way. New York could have closed the gap to three games in the AL East, with a monster four-game set still looming at Yankee Stadium.

Instead, Porcello was dominant. New York’s three hits tied the fewest Porcello had allowed all season, and the Sox opened a five-game lead with 40 to play.

“Well we’d much rather be in this position than being five games back, that’s for sure,” Porcello said. “But everybody knows there’s a lot of baseball left to be played and even heading into September, especially in this division, no lead is big enough. I’ve been on a team where we had a six game lead going into September and it didn’t work out. So we’ve just got to keep grinding it out every night. We’re five games up, it’s a great spot to be in, but at the same time nothing is over. We’ve still got a lot of baseball to play.”

There is a long way to go, but it’s easier to be confident in the Sox now that Porcello is pitching to his potential.

Less than two months ago, Porcello was 4-10 with an ERA north of 5.00. Now he’s looking more like the guy that won the Cy Young Award last season.

What’s changed?

“He’s been able to get ahead in the count, his location continues to stay consistent. And that’s the biggest key with Rick,” Farrell said. “I thought he had a good curveball here, but he sets the tone for us. We score a couple of runs, he goes out and puts up a big zero to maintain the momentum. So, good to see him be on the roll that he’s on where we’re starting to score some runs when he’s been on the mound, most importantly.”

Porcello was asked directly how satisfying it’s been to get back on track.

“I think we all feel good as a ballclub,” Porcello said. “We’re just going out there and trying to win games.”

With Porcello’s return to reliability, the Sox have the top-end pitching to win the AL East, too.

* The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Red Sox 5, Yankees 1: Boston takes 5-game lead in AL East

Bill Ballou

BOSTON — Rick Porcello did not pitch a perfect game Sunday but the Red Sox played one.

They beat the Yankees, 5-1, and aside from a couple of missed scoring opportunities, the Sox did almost everything right — on the mound, in the field, at the plate, on the basepaths. Boston looked like a first- place team should look, and the victory moved the Sox to five games ahead of New York in the A.L. East standings with 39 to play.

They are 14-3 in their last 17 games.

Of the sundry and varied contributors to the triumph, Porcello’s portion of the victory pie was the largest. He held the Yankees to one run over six innings to post his fourth win in his last four starts.

It has been a remarkable return from the abyss for Porcello, who improved his record to 8-14. Coming off a Cy Young Award year, he was 4-14 at the end of July, not far removed from being a 20-game loser, on the verge of being a late-night talk show joke.

Clearly, 2016 was an outlier season for him. Porcello has always been a housepainter, not a gallery artist. And housepainters are good things because just about everybody lives in a house of some kind, but not everyone can afford a visit to a gallery.

So, while he’s not really as good as his 2016 performance, Porcello was not really as bad as what happened to him early this year. Some of those losses were a result of his teammates scoring no runs for him, and now they are — 27 in 24 1/3 innings during the winning streak.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said that consistent location inside the strike zone has been a crucial part of Porcello’s turnaround. He has several good pitches but no knockout punch, which is why he gives up so many home runs. This year, that number has been 29 and New York’s only run Sunday was via Brett Gardner’s solo homer.

“I had a mix of pitches, but nothing really on fire,” Porcello said. “The walks were a concern. I’m just trying to throw the right pitch to the right guy.” He allowed three bases on balls, more than normal, but none of them came back to haunt him.

Pitching statistics are skewed in favor of relievers, which is why some of them can throw 70 innings a year and win a Cy Young Award, and Porcello’s won-loss record is a bit deceptive. While he is 8-14, Boston is 12-14 when he starts. In only three of his 26 starts could you say he left the game with the Sox hopelessly behind.

Boston never trailed as it beat Sonny Gray, who fell to 7-8 including 1-3 with the Yankees. Gray is one of those 21st-century pitchers who deserves to lose considering that you could fit one of those “Kars for Kids” commercials in between his every delivery.

The Sox scored twice in the second, once in the sixth and twice more in the eighth.

The bullpen was perfect, and as the schedule reaches the home stretch the Red Sox have begun to separate the Plan A from the We Give Up relievers. Sunday’s trio of Brandon Workman, Addison Reed and Craig Kimbrel combined for perfection — nine up, nine down — in support of Porcello.

“They’ve been fantastic. It’s been a huge lift for us,” the starter said.

Workman has been a revelation. He has not allowed a run in his last 12 appearances spanning 14 2/3 innings. In his first 10 games back from the minors, Farrell used him in one win and nine losses. Since then Workman has been in seven wins and one loss.

“It’s been a while,” Workman said of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. “Some of my stuff wasn’t where it was supposed to be, and it’s nice to have more bullets in the gun now.”

Same for Porcello. After firing blanks for four long, miserable months he is on target again, and that is a big reason the Red Sox keep finding ways to stay on top of the A.L. East.

Bradley doing it all in field and at plate

Bill Doyle

BOSTON — So, what does Jackie Bradley Jr. enjoy more — making a leaping catch against the center- field wall like he did Saturday night or producing a clutch hit like he did twice on Sunday?

“I’m greedy,” Bradley admitted. “I like both.”

The streaky Bradley had a pair of clutch, two-out hits — a two-run triple in the second and a run-scoring single in the sixth to help the Red Sox beat the Yankees, 5-1, Sunday at Fenway Park.

The Sox improved to 14-1 in games in which Bradley has tripled in his career.

The first-place Sox took two out of three from the second-place Yankees for the second consecutive weekend and lead them by five games in the AL East. In the series, Bradley went 5-for-10 and drove in six runs.

“It was very intense all weekend,” Bradley said. “Fans were really in it.”

On Friday, he ripped a two-run single off Aroldis Chapman to complete the scoring in a 9-6 victory. The next day, Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced that Chapman would no longer close for New York.

On Saturday, Bradley leaped against the garage door in center to rob Tyler Austin of an extra-base hit and he went 2-for-4, including a run-scoring single, in a 4-3 Sox loss. On Sunday, he went 2-for-3 with a walk and drove in three.

Bradley has knocked in eight runs in his last five games to give him 53 RBI on the season, tied with Mitch Moreland for fourth on the team. The streaky Bradley could be on the verge of another groove.

“It’s a start,” Bradley said.

“When he gets pitches early in the count in the strike zone,” Sox manager John Farrell said, “he’s not missing them. He’s an aggressive hitter. Sometimes there may be a borderline over-aggressiveness, but you see today he took a walk. He’s had a couple of walks inside this, so he’s seeing the ball well, and then when he’s getting his pitch inside the strike zone, he’s not missing it. I think that can be said for pretty much any hitter, though.”

“Jackie’s been great for us,” said Brock Holt, who had two hits. “Obviously, we know what he can do in center field. He’s the best in baseball in all of our eyes and in a lot of other people’s eyes. He makes everything look so easy defensively. He throws really well, gets the best reads, the best jumps on balls. Offensively, he can carry us when he gets hot and he’s done that multiple times this year. He’s swinging the bat real well right now.”

Bradley has made more than his share of great catches and he was impressed by the grab in the Junior League Baseball World Series that has been the rage of the Internet. The young center fielder jumped over the fence to save a home run.

“Yeah, that was sick,” he said. “That guy’s going to be on the red carpet.”

Would Bradley have made that catch?

“Only because I might be a little bit taller than him,” Bradley said with a smile, “but he had a great jump.”

Bradley’s .333 average (31 for 93) against left-handed pitchers is best in the American League among left- handed hitters, but he did his damage on Sunday against righties, tripling off Yankees starter Sonny Gray and singling off reliever Adam Warren. Bradley ripped a 2-0 fastball for his triple.

“I always like to look as I’m running,” Bradley said, “and I think he had probably just grabbed it when I was maybe one or two steps from second base. It’s just difficult to be able to get the ball in from that deep and hit the relay man, and for the relay man to make a perfect throw to third.”

For the season, Bradley is hitting .261 with 13 home runs and 53 runs batted in. Not bad for someone who bats at the end of the order. Does Bradley consider himself to be a No. 9 batter?

“That’s a tricky question,” he said. “I like to consider myself a hitter who can produce in any part of the order. You’ve got to go up there and hit. The pitcher’s not throwing to a spot in the order. The pitcher’s throwing to a batter. The spot in the order isn’t swinging the bat. The person who’s up there is swinging the bat. It all goes down to the pitcher has to make the pitch and the hitter has to make that swing.”

* RedSox.com

JBJ, Porcello push Sox's lead over Yanks to 5

Ian Browne and Bryan Hoch

BOSTON -- For the second straight weekend, the Red Sox were successful in their quest of preventing the Yankees from making a dent in the American League East standings.

Backed by a pair of two-out RBI hits by Jackie Bradley Jr. and a strong pitching performance from the resurgent Rick Porcello, Boston once again took two out of three from New York, opening up a five-game lead in the division with a 5-1 victory on Sunday at Fenway Park.

"To win a series -- home, road, wherever it may be -- those are critically important, particularly in our division," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "We know we're going into a tough four-game series [in Cleveland]. So, to add to a lead in this particular series in the standings was important in our minds."

In less than two weeks, the rivals will meet again for their final series of the regular season, a four-game set that starts in the Bronx on Aug. 31. Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said that he believes there is still time to put pressure on the Red Sox.

"You can make up five games in two weeks," said Gardner, whose team holds the top AL Wild Card spot. "You don't want to be five games back or even two games back, but we've still got six weeks left to play. There's plenty of time left to catch them. We don't need to worry about what they're doing or who they're playing. We need to worry about ourselves, and it starts with that."

Porcello won his fourth straight start, holding the Yankees to three hits and a run over six innings. The only damaging hit against the righty was a solo homer by Gardner in the fifth.

"We'd much rather be in this position than being five games back, that's for sure," said Porcello. "But everybody knows there's a lot of baseball left to be played, and even heading into September, especially in this division, no lead is big enough."

Losing pitcher Sonny Gray minimized the damage over his five-inning performance, allowing seven hits and two runs while throwing 106 pitches. It was the first time in Gray's 116 career starts that he didn't register a strikeout.

"I thought I made some good pitches with two strikes," Gray said. "I don't know how many foul balls they had, but it seemed like every time I made a quality pitch, they put together really good at-bats and fouled it off. They put a lot of good at-bats together and made it difficult."

Bradley gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead with a two-run triple, and extended the lead back to two runs with an RBI single in the sixth. It was a tight game for most of the afternoon, but Sandy Leon created breathing room for Boston by mashing a two-run double to right in the bottom of the eighth.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED JBJ's triple an early separator: Porcello was able to pitch with a lead for most of his start thanks to Bradley, who smashed a key two-out, two-run triple to right-center to snap a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second. Bradley unloaded on Gray's 2-0 fastball for a gapper that had an exit velocity of 109.2 mph. It was Bradley's third triple of the season.

"I got ahead in the count, got a 2-0 fastball and I was able to handle it," said Bradley. "Put some good barrel on it and it was really big to get those runs early."

Porcello settles down: The only time Porcello seemed in real danger was the top of the fourth, when he issued back-to-back one-out walks to Gary Sanchez and Chase Headley. Porcello looked upset with some of the calls by home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale, and pitching coach Carl Willis came to the mound to visit. Porcello got the job done immediately after, inducing Todd Frazier into a popup and striking out Tyler Austin.

"I mean, it's just the emotions of pitch to pitch to pitch," Porcello said. "It didn't take me out of my game. It goes on every night. They were probably balls and then they were close. I'm throwing a ball and it looks like a strike, but I go back and look at it and it's just off here and there. I thought Lance called a really good game. Just do whatever you can to get that call. So maybe it's not the right way to go about it, I just got a little excited there, but overall a good win for us."

HOLT, MORELAND COMBINE ON NIFTY PLAY When it was still a close game at 3-1, Gardner tried to jump-start a rally for the Yankees with a hard grounder to lead off the eighth. But second baseman Brock Holt ranged far to his left on the grass for a diving stop, and fired to first baseman Mitch Moreland, who made a nice pick himself to complete the out.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Red Sox won their 22nd game without hitting a home run, which leads the Majors.

QUOTABLE "It was very intense all weekend. Fans were really into it. We were able to take a series this weekend and it's off to Cleveland now." -- Bradley, on the latest rivalry series

WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: Following an off-day on Monday, the Yankees will open a three-game series against the Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (8-10, 4.92 ERA) will be activated from the 10-day disabled list to face left-hander Matthew Boyd (5-6, 5.70 ERA).

Red Sox: The Red Sox and Indians will square off for the start of a four-game series on Monday night in Cleveland. The two division leaders are currently on pace to meet in the AL Division Series for the second straight October. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez draws the assignment for Monday's 7:10 p.m. ET contest opposite Cleveland righty Mike Clevinger.

Porcello's 2nd-half resurgence good sign for Sox

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Though Rick Porcello won't need to clear space for another Cy Young Award trophy for his body of work in 2017, his recovery after a slow start has been a key element for the red-hot Red Sox.

Porcello (six innings, three hits, one earned run, four strikeouts) pitched Boston to a 5-1 victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, giving him a 4-0 record in his last four starts to coincide with the 14-3 roll his team is on.

"The numbers show that he's winning more games," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "But that's been a combination of a few things. He's maintained the strike zone. He's been better to the overall quality in the strike zone with command. And we've scored runs for him."

Given that there's no certainty David Price (left elbow injury) will pitch again this season, Porcello's rebound could be key for Boston.

The truth is that Porcello's in-season resurgence started before the wins started piling up again. From April through June, Porcello was 4-10 with a 5.06 ERA. In July and August, he is 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA.

"I think he was bound to be a little more fortunate on balls in play in the second half," said Red Sox assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister. "The first half didn't go his way. I think he's continued to evolve as a pitcher and kind of re-define himself in the second half. He's changed his mix up a little bit. He's attacking different areas of the strike zone more often, and I just think he's put himself in a good position to have a really strong second half."

In the first half, Porcello's BAPIP was .346. He has reduced it to .283 since the All-Star break.

"He's getting ahead in the count and making all four of his pitches, and making his secondary pitches the last five or six starts," said Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon. "He's been fighting all season and competing and is one of the best pitchers we have."

When Porcello was asked about his own turnaround after Sunday's game, he instead changed the subject to his team.

"Yeah, I think we all feel good as a ballclub," said Porcello.

The even-keeled demeanor Porcello has always been known for again served him well after his tough start this season.

"The thing that I look at the most is he's Top 10 in the Major Leagues in innings pitched," said Bannister. "That's the kind of pitcher you want on your staff. He's out there giving us six or seven every time out, and the win-loss record doesn't back that up, but a lot of that is out of a pitchers' control. He's continued to just give us steady innings. I think you're seeing him build some momentum and some confidence and the ball is going his way right now."

Though the overall numbers (8-14, 4.48 ERA) for Porcello aren't going to wow anyone, he is fourth in MLB with 164 2/3 innings.

"Very special," said Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. "He's been able to come in, execute, get the job done, and it's been a lot of fun playing behind him."

Remy feted by Red Sox for 30 years in booth

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- An emotional Jerry Remy addressed his legions of fans at Fenway Park during a Sunday ceremony in celebration of his 30 years of broadcasting games for NESN, and he gave them a message they were thrilled to hear.

"I'm fully confident that I'll be back in that booth next year for Opening Day when the Red Sox lift a pennant for another year," said Remy.

The ceremony prior to Sunday's game against the Yankees took place seven weeks after Remy had surgery for lung cancer, and two days before he will begin chemotherapy treatments. This is the fifth time Remy has had lung cancer.

"Starting on Tuesday, I start a chapter of new therapy for cancer. It's a tough opponent. It's a sneaky opponent. It slides and goes wherever it wants to go. But I've got these people," said Remy, as he pointed to his doctors.

Moments later, Remy came up to the press box and spoke to the media. "Today, I had my doctors on the field and have so much trust and belief in them that I'm totally confident that I'm going to beat it," Remy said.

The treatments will take place over a three-month span.

"I'm looking forward to starting, which sounds strange, but I am, because I want to get it by me and I want to get moving on with my life," said Remy. "I'm done for this year [on TV], but I want to be back here next year on Opening Day."

Red Sox manager John Farrell, who battled lymphoma two years ago, was glad that Remy would receive a warm reception from the Fenway faithful as he heads into this challenging stage of his recovery.

"I think it's vitally important. Jerry and I have had a conversation about the treatment he is going to go through here coming up. It is a daunting procedure," said Farrell. "I don't know how you can know about it until you get into it, that being chemo. Much like when he calls the game, the conversation we had was very open, candid and direct. I think today will be a big boost and he will recognize how much he means to people who watch us every day."

Remy enjoyed the reception, and seeing all the familiar faces.

"Really good," said Remy. "There's something special about this place, there really is. The people are so great. To be able to spend 30 years of my career here as a broadcaster and almost 40 in the organization, to be received like that is just absolutely remarkable."

Until Sunday, when he made a cameo in the booth with broadcast partner Dave O'Brien, Remy hadn't watched an inning of Red Sox baseball since taking his medical leave.

"It's not because I lost interest, it's just because I feel guilty when I'm not here doing my job," said Remy. "So I kind of follow it through my phone, check the final scores, check the box scores, and that's how I've been following the club. I know one thing, they've had pretty exciting wins. It's kind of got the makings of something big that could be happening here."

How is Remy feeling these days?

"Actually the last couple weeks, pretty good," he said. "The first four weeks after the surgery, five weeks, I was feeling lousy. It was pretty serious surgery and I really started to turn a corner a couple of weeks ago. That's one of the reasons they held off with chemotherapy, because they wanted to give me a few more weeks to try to get a little bit stronger. So that's what I've done."

Remy is determined to make another comeback.

"I feel much, much better now than I did a couple of weeks ago, so it's a challenge in my life," Remy said. "My life has been full of challenges. I fully expect to beat this again and hopefully this treatment will wash it away for good, because I'm tired of it, I'm really tired of it. And I just want to go back to work."

Leon to honor son on Players Weekend

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon and his wife Liliana are expecting their first child in late October or early November and are hopeful they will have a World Series baby.

But Leon will get to honor his son in a unique way well before the birth. MLB is holding an inaugural Players Weekend from Aug. 25-27, and all players can choose whatever name they want on the back of their jerseys.

While most are going with nicknames, Leon will have "Noah" on his during the Red Sox-Orioles series at Fenway Park.

"It makes me proud to be able to put my son's name on my jersey," said Leon. "That makes me feel good. My wife and I made that decision together. I don't have a nickname so I figured my son's name is perfect." When Noah Leon is fully grown, perhaps he can throw that jersey on some day.

"We'll save the jersey so he can see it and be able to appreciate it in a couple of years," Sandy Leon said. What led Sandy and Liliana to pick Noah as the name for their first child?

"We're Christians," Sandy Leon said. "My father-in-law and mother-in-law, they're pastors in Colombia, so we read the Bible, and we like the name."

The nickname is just part of the unique concept of Players Weekend. All players will wear colorful, non- traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs.

The players also get to wear and use uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher's masks and bats.

Players will wear specially designed caps by New Era, and unique socks from Stance. During pregame workouts and postgame interviews, they will wear T-shirts highlighting a charity or cause of their choice. "I think it's great," Leon said. "That's what it's all about, is playing the game and enjoying it, and it's a great idea to do something like this with the names on the jerseys. I really like it."

Their jerseys feature white space that players can use to honor family members or coaches who helped advance their careers.

Wearing Noah's name on his jersey will only heighten Sandy's excitement for becoming a father. "Of course, we can't wait. And it will almost be the offseason when he is born, so you can spend a lot of time with the baby," Leon said. "And hopefully we are playing in the World Series when he is born."

Game-worn, Players Weekend jerseys will be auctioned at MLB.com/auctions with 100 percent of net proceeds donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort established in July 2015 by MLB and the MLBPA with an initial commitment of $30 million focused on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the U.S. and Canada.

The uniforms will first be worn by the Pirates and Cardinals during the MLB Little League Classic to be played in Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday, Aug. 20, during the 2017 Little League World Series. That game will take place at Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, a Phillies affiliate in the short- season Class A New York-Penn League.

* ESPNBoston.com

Red Sox keep Yankees at a safe distance, but have little time for revelry

Scott Lauber

BOSTON -- For the second weekend in a row, the Boston Red Sox were able to keep their closest pursuer in the race for the American League East crown safely at arm's length.

Now, they will take the measure of another formidable opponent.

By silencing Aaron Judge (again), getting to Sonny Gray for two early runs and pulling away in the late innings Sunday, the Red Sox scored a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. It was the second consecutive weekend they took two of three games and emerged from a showdown with the Yanks having expanded their division lead by one game.

But there wasn't much time for revelry. After the game, the Sox jetted to Cleveland, where they will open a four-game series Monday night against the Indians. It will be their first visit in 10 months, since their promising 2016 season hit a considerable speed bump en route to a sweep in the American League Division Series.

And although the Red Sox faced the Indians -- and beat them in two of three games -- recently at Fenway, the return trip to Progressive Field will be an opportunity to prove they have learned from last October, a message that wouldn't be insignificant considering the teams appear to be on course for an ALDS rematch.

"I thought last year, getting into the postseason was an important steppingstone for this young group," manager John Farrell said. "We've added to that young group. We're in a stretch of games this month where the schedule is tough. Our guys are handling that challenge great right now, but we know we're going in to play a very good team in Cleveland."

Indeed, after an inconsistent first half of the season, the Indians have won 20 of their past 29 games to seize a five-game lead in the AL Central. In some ways, their season has paralleled that of the Red Sox, who have widened their division lead to five games over the Yankees by winning 14 of 17 games.

It turns out the Indians and Red Sox are exactly what we thought they were -- the best teams in their divisions and among the three best clubs in the league.

Both teams are led by their starting rotation and both have legitimate aces at the top. Corey Kluber is slated to start Wednesday night for Cleveland, one day before Boston's Chris Sale, although we can keep dreaming about a Kluber-Sale matchup in Game 1 of a division series. Both lineups are capable of putting together big innings, too. Last winter, the Indians signed free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, and the Red Sox have gotten a jolt this summer from rookie third baseman Rafael Devers.

Having kept the Yankees at bay over the weekend, the Red Sox head to Cleveland for a series ripe for memories and rife with implications. AP Photo/Steven Senne And although the Sox aren't interested in discussing it before they actually clinch the division title -- "We're not thinking about the playoffs or what transpired last year," Farrell insisted -- they do believe they are better suited for a deep postseason run now that Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and the rest of their talented young corps have gotten a taste of the playoffs.

"I would like to think so," Bradley said. "I think we can play better. We're always looking for ways to improve, and we've been on a pretty good run and glad to be winning."

The Yankees had back-to-back chances to cut into the AL East margin. But just like last weekend at Yankee Stadium, they were unable to win a series, even after they defeated Sale on Saturday night.

In his introduction to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, Gray slowed New York's momentum ... literally. He gave up only two runs in five innings, but worked at such a deliberate pace in dealing with several jams that the Yankees never seemed to get into the flow of the game.

And in a series that was more vital to the Yankees than the Red Sox, Judge went 1-for-12 with five strikeouts, extending his major-league record streak to 37 consecutive games with at least one whiff. He's 9-for-58 (.155) this season against the Red Sox, who have kept him from homering in 71 straight plate appearances. He also lazily tossed a ball in from left field Sunday, allowing Betts to alertly tag up and take third base.

With four games remaining between the teams on Labor Day weekend, the Red Sox are in complete control of the division, not that they're taking it for granted.

"We'd much rather be in this position than being five games back, that's for sure, but everybody knows there's a lot of baseball left to be played," said Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello, who tossed six solid innings to win his fourth consecutive start. "Even heading into September, especially in this division, no lead is big enough. I've been on a team where we had a six-game lead going into September and it didn't work out."

Facing the Indians will make it easy for the Red Sox to keep their foot on the gas.

* WEEI.com

Red Sox 5, Yankees 1: Why Sunday's win was so important

Ryan Hannable

A two-game difference doesn’t seem like much in the standings, but when it comes to the Red Sox and Yankees down the stretch it means a lot.

Sunday’s rubber match of the three-game weekend series between the two teams was very important in the standings and the Red Sox came away with a 5-1 win to extend their lead in the American League East to five games.

Click here for a complete game recap.

If the Red Sox had lost, it would have been only three games with the team heading to Cleveland for four games against one of the best teams in the American League this week.

With only 39 games left, a five-game lead isn’t safe by any means, especially when the two teams meet for four games over Labor Day weekend, but it certainly is a lot better than three games. The four games over Labor Day weekend could very well have a huge impact on who wins the division and if the Red Sox can maintain a four or five-game lead before that series, they should feel pretty good about themselves going into it.

“To win a series – home, road, wherever it may be – those are critically important, particularly in our division," manager John Farrell said. "We know we’re going into a four-game, which will be a tough four- game series. So, to add to a lead in this particular series in the standings was important in our minds.”

The Red Sox have now won four out of their last five games against the Yankees after a tough start to the year.

Sunday’s star was Jackie Bradley Jr., who contributed to the first three Red Sox runs. The center fielder went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. In the second inning he smoked a triple to center scoring two runs and then in the sixth had a two-out single, which scored Mitch Moreland. Sandy Leon's two-RBI double in the eighth contributed to the other two runs.

Bradley Jr. now has eight RBIs in his last five games. With runners in scoring position he is five for his last five with two walks and in the month of August he's 9-for-15.

"It’s a start," he said. "Definitely want to be able to start swinging the bat well, be productive and help the team any way you possibly can and I hope it continues."

Red Sox starter Rick Porcello wasn't at his best, but grinded through to pick up the win.

The right-hander went six innings and allowed one run on three hits, while walking three and striking out four. The one run allowed was a cheap homer to right field off the bat of Brett Gardner in the fifth inning. Porcello's ERA is now 4.48 on the year and has a 2.71 ERA in his nine starts against the Yankees since joining the Red Sox.

“Again, this is four consecutive times out for Rick where he’s come out, he’s been able to get ahead in the count, his location continues to stay consistent," Farrell said. "And that’s the biggest key with Rick. I thought he had a good curveball here today, but he sets the tone for us. We score a couple of runs, he goes out and puts up a big zero, which is always a momentum … to maintain the momentum. So, good to see him be on the roll that he’s on where we’re starting to score some runs when he’s been on the mound, most importantly.”

Although it's only Aug. 20, Sunday's win could go a long way for the Red Sox when it comes to deciding the AL East.

Jerry Remy: 'I want to be back here next year on Opening Day'

Ryan Hannable

Before Sunday's Red Sox-Yankees game, NESN analyst Jerry Remy was celebrated for his 30th season of broadcasting.

The 64-year-old is currently taking time away to recover from surgery after being diagnosed with lung cancer, his fifth battle with the disease. Remy is scheduled to begin a course of chemotherapy this week. He will not return to the booth this year, but vowed to be ready for Opening Day in 2018.

“I’m very confident," he said after the ceremony. "Today, I had my doctors on the field and have so much trust and belief in them that I’m totally confident that I’m going to beat it and we’re going to start chemotherapy on Tuesday and it’s going to be a process that’s going to last about three months and I’m looking forward to starting, but I am because I want to get it by me and I want to get moving on with my life. My goal obviously is I’m done for this year but I want to be back here next year on Opening Day.”

Remy said he hasn't watched any of the games since his surgery because he feels guilty not being able to work. Not working has been the hardest part.

"It’s interesting, I’ve not watched a pitch since the day I got operated on, which was in June, and it’s not because I lost interest, it’s just because I feel guilty when I’m not here doing my job," he said. "So I kind of follow it through my phone, check the final scores, check the box scores, read you, and that’s how I’ve been following the club. I know one thing, they’ve had pretty exciting wins. It’s kind of got the makings of something big could happen here. The thing about not watching the games, it’s just so hard for me to sit home and put the game on and know that I’m supposed to be working and I can’t. It’s just something I can’t get by. So I’m following it every which way I can.”

The long-time Red Sox second baseman said he's been feeling much better of late than he did following the surgery.

"Actually the last couple weeks pretty good," he said. "The first four weeks after the surgery, five weeks, I was feeling lousy. It was pretty serious surgery and I really started to turn a corner a couple of weeks ago. That’s one of the reasons they held off with chemotherapy because they wanted to give me a few more weeks to try to get a little bit stronger. So that’s what I’ve done. I feel much, much better now than I did a couple of weeks ago so it’s a challenge in my life. My life has been full of challenges. I fully expect to beat this again and hopefully this treatment will wash it away for good because I’m tired of it, really tired of it. And I just want to go back to work."

Remy is grateful for all the support he's been shown by Red Sox Nation with tweets, messages and even actual mail.

“It’s absolutely stunning," he said. "I guess a lot of people have gone through what I have gone through worse. They get an idea. They know. I think those people reach out with open prayers. I have got so much stuff on Twitter and it’s overwhelming. Boxes and boxes of mail. I am surprised there still is mail, but I have boxes at home. It means to me I have done something right over the last 30 years. What that is, I’m not quite sure.”

* CSNNE.com

Red Sox hope offense doesn't lose its way in Cleveland

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- A year ago, Cleveland is where the best offense in the majors went to die. The Red Sox’ first visit back is a chance to hold a seance.

The 2016 team had the most threatening lineup anywhere. No one was better. But the Sox missed out on home-field advantage. Once the Division Series began in Cleveland, they lost their way at the plate too.

It’s true that Rick Porcello’s poor postseason outing — anomalous compared to his 2016 Cy Young campaign — could not have come at a worse time. David Price didn’t get the job done either.

But the Sox offense ghosted everyone. The engine of a 93-win team collapsed.

“Given how we performed as an offensive team throughout the year, and it's not to take anything away from their pitching, but I think there was no more than one run we were able to score in any one inning,” Sox manager John Farrell said the night the Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the Indians, October 10. “The inability to string some hits together, generate the bigger inning, that wasn't there.”

It’s been there lately. The Red Sox entered Sunday averaging 6.07 runs per game in August, a full run more than the Indians’ 4.94.

On one hand, with wins in 14 of 17 games, the Sox would appear almost bound to cool off. But simply from a psychological perspective, the timing of a drop-off in Cleveland would be unfortunate.

“I’ll be honest with you, we’re not thinking about the playoffs,” Farrell said Sunday at Fenway Park. “We’re not thinking about what transpired a year ago. I thought last year, getting into the postseason was an important stepping stone for this young group. We’ve added to that young group. We’re in a stretch of games this month — for the better part of a month or more — where the schedule is tough. Our guys are handling that challenge great right now, but we know we’re going in to play a very good team in Cleveland.”

Indeed, the focus should be on the task at hand, which is to not only win the division, but actually secure home field advantage this time. But this four-game set is a small-sample size forum to show off growth.

The young group Farrell referred to has had growing pains this year. The offense has been, as expected, a lesser entity without David Ortiz.

Maybe Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers, who weren’t around for last year’s wilting, will be the icebreakers for the Sox in Cleveland. Maybe they don’t need any ice breaker and will score 10 runs in the first inning Monday.

However it gets done, with the looming likelihood of another playoff match-up between these two teams, the Sox would do well to hit this time in Cleveland. At the very least, a bushel of runs will dampen outside noise, and lessen the number of questions the team may face later on. There's probably also a boost of confidence to be gained for players who participated in last year’s disappearing act.

* NESN.com

Red Sox Wrap: Jackie Bradley Jr.’s Big Day Lifts Boston To 5-1 Win Vs. Yankees

Joshua Shrock

Jackie Bradley Jr. has not been enjoying the same scorching hot August that many of his teammates are, but the Boston Red Sox center fielder delivered two clutch hits Sunday at Fenway Park.

Bradley had been hitting .220 in the month coming into Sunday, but he went 2-for-3 and drove in three of the Red Sox’s five runs in a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees. Rick Porcello stifled the Yankees lineup for six innings, en route to his fourth consecutive win, while Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray got his first taste of the rivalry, giving up two runs in five solid innings.

The Red Sox improved to 71-52 with the win, while the Yankees dropped to 66-57. Here’s how it all went down.

GAME IN A WORD Crucial.

The Red Sox entered the matchup with a four-game lead in the American League East standings, and a loss would have trimmed it to three with a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians looming. As it stands, Boston will take a five-game division lead into a critical series against the AL Central-leading Indians.

IT WAS OVER WHEN… Sandy Leon shot a two-run double down the right field line to give Boston a four-run lead in the eighth inning. The Yankees would not threaten against the Red Sox’s bullpen in the ninth.

ON THE BUMP — Porcello continued his dominant stretch, as the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner used an effective curveball and devastating sinker to baffle the Yankees lineup for most of Sunday afternoon. The Red Sox right-hander cruised through the first four innings with relative ease, but the Yankees got to him in the fifth when Brett Gardner roped a solo home run around the Pesky Pole to cut Boston’s lead to one. Porcello worked a scoreless sixth to finish his outing having allowed one run on three hits while striking out four and walking three. The right-hander tossed 103 pitches, 67 for strikes in another effective outing. — Brandon Workman recorded a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

— Addison Reed worked a perfect eighth inning.

— Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX — Bradley got the scoring started when he laced a two-out, two-run triple to the right-center field gap in the second inning. The triple chased home Xander Bogaerts and Leon to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

— The Red Sox had Gray on the ropes in the fifth when they put runners on first and second with one out. But the Yankees right-hander got Hanley Ramirez to line out to center field and induced a groundout from Rafael Devers to keep the score at 2-1.

— Bradley struck again when he blooped an RBI single into right field to give the Sox a two-run lead in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-3 with a triple, a single, a walk and three RBIs.

— Leon laced a two-run double to right in the eighth to extend Boston’s lead to 5-1. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

— Andrew Benintendi went 2-for-5.

— Bogaerts went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and a run scored.

— Mitch Moreland went 2-for-4 with a single, a double and a run scored.

— Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a double.

— Mookie Betts and Devers went hitless for Boston.

Jerry Remy Eyeing Opening Day 2018 Return To Broadcasting Booth

Joshua Schrock

Jerry Remy already has turned the page to 2018.

The longtime NESN broadcaster was honored before the Boston Red Sox’s 5-1 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday at Fenway Park. But Remy, who has been out of the booth since June as he battles lung cancer, is planning to be back in the booth on Opening Day of next season.

“I’m very confident,” Remy said, per WEEI. “(Sunday), I had my doctors on the field and have so much trust and belief in them that I’m totally confident that I’m going to beat it. And we’re going to start chemotherapy on Tuesday, and it’s going to be a process that’s going to last about three months and I’m lucky forward to starting, but I am because I want to get it by me and I want to get moving on with my life. My goal, obviously, is I’m done for this year but I want to be back here next year on Opening Day.”

The Red Sox celebrated Remy’s 30 years in the booth Sunday, and the fans gave him a roaring applause as he stepped out of the dugout and on to the field. The former Red Sox second baseman hasn’t watched a game since he took his leave of absence. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been following the Red Sox’s red-hot run in August, though.

“It’s interesting, I’ve not watched a pitch since the day I got operated on, which was in June, and it’s not because I lost interest, it’s just because I feel guilty when I’m not here doing my job,” Remy said.

“So I kind of follow it through my phone, check the final scores, check the box scores, read you, and that’s how I’ve been following the club. I know one thing, they’ve had pretty exciting wins. It’s kind of got the makings of something big could happen here.”

Everyone in Red Sox Nation can’t wait to see Remy back in the booth in 2018.

* The New York Times

Yankees Fall to Red Sox as Aaron Judge’s Struggles Continue

Billy Witz

BOSTON — Imagine if, week after week, as the Yankees chased a playoff berth, they anchored their lineup with Chris Carter, the often-booed, twice-released, feast-or-mostly-famine slugger.

The back pages of the tabloids would shriek, and Twitter would be afire.

But that is essentially what the Yankees have done for more than five weeks. Since Aaron Judge returned from the All-Star Game in Miami, he has barely resembled the rookie power hitter who became the belle of baseball.

Instead, he has looked a lot like the long-gone Carter. Judge has struck out at a prodigious rate, has flashed his tremendous power only on rare occasions and, as the third man in the batting order, has generally been a drag on the Yankees’ offense.

His struggles at the plate continued on Sunday, when the Yankees were throttled by Rick Porcello and three relievers in a 5-1 loss to the division-leading Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Yankees lost two of the three games to the Red Sox for the second straight weekend and left town trailing them by five games in the American League East.

Judge had one hit in the series — a single on Friday night. In his final at-bat, he struck out, waving at a slider from Addison Reed and extending his major-league-record strikeout streak to 37 games.

Afterward, Judge repeated his usual bromides about treating each day as its own entity and brushed aside questions about whether the strikeout streak or his current funk were weighing on him. But he did allow that he was disappointed about letting his teammates down.

“As the 3 hitter, I want to be that guy in position with runners on every single time,” Judge said. “It’s a little disappointing not being able to get the job done, but there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t pout. You can’t cry. You’ve just got to keep working and move on.”

Judge also committed a rare mental blunder, lobbing a throw from shallow right to the infield and allowing Mookie Betts to race to third. Aroldis Chapman, pitching for the first time since he was demoted from the closer’s job on Saturday, absolved Judge by retiring Hanley Ramirez on a pop fly and striking out Rafael Devers.

Starter Sonny Gray kept the Yankees close, though the game ended up being the first of his major-league career in which he did not strike out a batter. Gray (7-8) allowed only two runs — on a two-out, second- inning triple by Jackie Bradley Jr., who drove in another run with a two-out single off Adam Warren in the seventh.

The Red Sox tacked on two runs in the eighth with a two-run double by Sandy Leon off Tommy Kahnle. The only real offense the Yankees could muster was Brett Gardner’s fifth-inning solo home run, which he tucked about 10 feet inside the right-field foul pole. It was the last of the Yankees’ three hits.

It is hard to quantify just how much Judge’s decline has affected the Yankees. It has not helped that two other middle-of-the-order hitters, Starlin Castro and Matt Holliday, have been injured and ineffective. But the team’s offensive production has dipped significantly in the second half, by 1.33 runs per game entering Sunday.

At the All-Star break, the Yankees ranked third in runs scored in the majors, and since then they have been 22nd. Their on-base-plus-slugging percentage, .794 at the break, has been .734 since.

Girardi said that as players like Holliday, Castro and Greg Bird were near returning from injuries, he might have more options to use in the middle of the order. But he also said Judge would remain in the No. 3 spot on Tuesday in Detroit.

“Everyone has to carry their weight,” Girardi said. “If you’re relying on one guy, it’s going to be a long year. He’s going to have his ups and downs like everybody else.”

But Judge’s slump is now in its sixth week. Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have gotten just nine extra-base hits out of him, and his batting average has plummeted nearly 50 points, from .329 to .282.

His slash line in the second half entering Sunday (.175 batting average/.338 on-base average/.367 slugging average) was not markedly different from Carter’s (.201/.284/.370) in early July, when he was released for the second time.

While Girardi believes Judge’s problems can be traced to the mechanics of his swing, the hitting coach Alan Cockrell believes they are more related to Judge’s lack of adjustment to how pitchers have changed their plans of attack since the break. Cockrell declined to go into details, but he hinted that the sequencing of pitches used against Judge has been different. Mostly, though, he said Judge was pressing.

“You can mentally get a little — I don’t know if fatigue is the right word, but you end up trying to do a little more, a little extra,” Cockrell said. “He wants to win. He wants to contribute. You get back to swinging at the same pitches you were swinging at earlier and being ready to hit those pitches hard, I think you’ll be fine. He’s a very determined, very hard-working kid. But it’s a hard season and a tough league. You can’t try to do extra.”

Many veterans taper their training later in a season, but Judge said he had not altered his routine. He still lifts weights and does core exercises for about 30 minutes after games, and he has not switched to a lighter bat, as experienced players sometimes do at this time of year.

Some players cut back on batting practice, but Judge took early extra sessions at least twice during the Yankees’ most recent homestand.

Judge said on Friday that he did not feel worn down.

“If I don’t work out, I feel like I get weak,” he said. “If I’m working out every day, making sure my core is strong, make sure I’m stretching, I feel like I put my body in the best position to go out there and play every day.”

The Yankees are waiting for his bat to follow suit.

* The New York Daily News

Sonny Gray struggles, Yankees offense quieted in 5-1 loss to Red Sox

Mike Mazzeo

BOSTON — Aaron Judge has had his worst struggles against the Red Sox.

Judge went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a rare mental lapse in the field on Sunday afternoon, and the Yankees lost 5-1 to Boston in the rubber game of their three-game series at Fenway Park.

The Bombers are now five games behind the Red Sox in the AL East standings.

Judge went 1-for-12 with five strikeouts in the series — and is 3-for-40 with 17 strikeouts against Boston in the second half, with no homers and no RBI. His MLB-record strikeout streak stands at 37 straight games.

Aaron Judge will stay at top of Yankees lineup despite struggles Joe Girardi said on Saturday that he isn’t considering removing his 25-year-old rookie from the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

In the seventh, Mookie Betts deked Judge into throwing to the cutoff man after he caught a fly ball in right, as Betts advanced to third. The Red Sox executed a similar play against Judge on Saturday.

Sonny Gray labored through five innings, requiring 106 pitches. He allowed two runs on six hits with two walks. Gray had gone at least six innings in his previous nine starts. He allowed Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two- run triple with two outs in the second.

As usual, since being traded to New York, he got no run support. In Gray’s four starts, the Bombers have scored seven runs — five of them on Aug. 15.

The legend of Sonny Gray: Revealing the drive of the new Yankee Brett Gardner got the Yankees within 2-1 when he cracked his 20th homer of the year around Pesky’s Pole in right. But that was it, as Bradley Jr. added an RBI single with two outs in the sixth while Sandy Leon provided a two-run double in the eighth.

Demoted closer Aroldis Chapman entered after Bradley Jr.’s run-scoring hit and recorded four outs for his first scoreless appearance since Aug. 5. Chapman did walk Betts leading off the seventh and uncorked a wild pitch that really should've been a passed ball against Gary Sanchez.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Aaron Hicks dove to rob Mitch Moreland of a hit in center for the second out of the second inning. Hicks had quite an adventure out there, fighting some balls but still catching them.

TURNING POINT

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s two-run triple with two outs in the second that gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. It more than held up for Rick Porcello and the rest of Boston’s relief corps.

Aroldis Chapman yanked from closer gig, Girardi changes strategy STAR OF THE GAME

Jackie Bradley Jr., who had five hits and six RBI in the series.

STAT OF THE DAY

Sonny Gray didn’t record a strikeout during his start for the first time in his career.

UNSUNG HERO

Rick Porcello gave up just one run on three hits in six innings.

M.I.A.

Tommy Kahnle gave up two runs and a walk in one inning of relief for the Yanks.

UP NEXT

Tuesday at Detroit, 7:10 p.m. Masahiro Tanaka (8-10, 4.92 ERA) vs. Matthew Boyd (5-6, 5.70)

* The New York Post

Yankees blow AL East chance as Red Sox start getting away

George A. King III

BOSTON — With all due respect to Meatloaf, two out of three ain’t good.

At least it wasn’t for the Yankees during a weekend stay at Fenway Park, where they dropped two of three games and left New England’s living room five games back of the Red Sox in the AL East.

After flushing a late three-run lead Friday night and swallowing a killer loss, the Yankees rebounded for a one-run victory Saturday evening that gave them a chance to slice the pennant-race deficit to three lengths on Sunday.

Instead a 5-1 defeat that was witnessed by 36,911 pushed them five lengths out, and with 39 games remaining in the regular season the 66-57 Yankees’ chances of getting into the postseason are a lot stronger through the back door provided by two wild-card tickets than as AL East champs.

Of course the Yankees don’t want to hear that chatter, but watching them struggle to score runs Saturday and Sunday when Aaron Judge’s post All-Star break blues continued, it’s difficult to believe that all of a sudden the runs faucet will go from a slow drip to a gusher.

“You can make up five games in two weeks,’’ Brett Gardner said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t want to be five games back or two games back. We have six weeks left to play and plenty of time to catch them. We don’t need to worry about what they are doing or who they are playing. We need to worry about ourselves.’’

The biggest worry in the Yankees’ universe has to be Judge’s struggles that started July 14 at Fenway. Since then Judge is batting .169 (21-for-124) with seven homers, 14 RBIs and has struck out 58 times in 35 games.

Judge says the elongated slump isn’t turning his mind into goo, that every day is a new chance. Yet, he did admit that the horrific slide has him feeling guilty about letting his mates down.

“Yeah, I am not getting the job done. I am a three hitter and I am in the middle of the order and I have to be that guy for the team. Our model all year has been pass the baton, so I trust the guys behind me to get the job done,’’ said Judge, who went 0-for-4 and extended his consecutive-game strikeout streak to a MLB record 37 with a whiff in the eighth. “But as a three hitter it’s a little disappointing to not get the job done. There is nothing you can do about it. You can’t pout and you can’t cry. You have to keep working and move on.’’

As it has been in three of Sonny Gray’s four starts since being acquired from the A’s, the Yankees didn’t provide enough bat support and that saddled the right-hander with a third loss since being arriving at the trade deadline. In those three defeats the Yankees have scored two runs.

A Yankees lineup that has more dead bats than just the one Judge is swinging was held to a run and three hits by Rick Porcello, the 2016 AL Cy Young winner who has 14 losses this year. Porcello, who has won four straight and is 8-14, walked three and fanned four in six innings.

“He was staying out of the middle of the plate. He doesn’t do anything funky but he knows how to pitch,’’ Gardner said of the Seton Hall Prep product. “We didn’t get a whole lot going against him.’’

Any chance the Yankees had of coming back from trailing 3-1 vanished when Tommy Kahnle’s second game in Fenway resembled his first on Friday night. He issued a walk and two doubles to the first three batters in the eighth that led to two runs and was replaced by Aroldis Chapman.

Gardner is correct in saying there is time to catch the Red Sox, but after dropping two of three to the Red Sox on consecutive weekends it’s easier to view the Yankees as wild-card entrants instead of AL East champs.

* The USA Today

Sluggish offense sinks Yankees in loss to Red Sox

Chris Iseman

BOSTON — The Yankees arrived at Fenway Park this weekend with an opportunity to make up ground on the Red Sox, something they failed to do when they dropped a series against Boston at home last week.

But once this three-game set ended on Sunday, they were left frustrated and disappointed once again as bullpen struggles and a lack of offense spoiled the series.

Instead of closing in on the first-place Red Sox, they left Boston trailing by five games in the American League East following Sunday's 5-1 loss before 36,911 fans.

"I don’t love the position that we’re in but we’re well within striking distance," said Brett Gardner, who's fifth inning solo home run represented the Yankees' lone run. "We play these guys again obviously and hopefully can get back to playing our best baseball."

The Yanks had a chance to earn a comeback win on Friday before Aroldis Chapman and the bullpen imploded and ultimately cost the Yankees the game. They bounced back on Saturday to pick up a victory against Chris Sale, but returned a day later and struggled to get anything going against Red Sox starter Rick Porcello.

Joe Girardi's club finished with just three hits.

"He didn’t really give us very many pitches to hit today," Girardi said.

That meant the Yankees couldn't bail out Sonny Gray, who yielded two runs on seven hits in five innings in a laborious outing. He threw 106 pitches without recording a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr., went 2-for-3 with three RBI, including a two-run triple in the second inning.

Tommy Kahnle gave up two runs in the eighth, which capped the scoring for the Red Sox.

The only real positive for the Yankees was that Aroldis Chapman, who was demoted from the closer role on Saturday, pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings after entering with two outs in the sixth.

Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot for the Yankees to feel good about as they headed into an off day before beginning a three-game series at Detroit on Tuesday.

Their lineup hasn't been consistently producing, and that includes the ongoing struggles of Aaron Judge. He's hitting .169 (21-for-124) with seven home runs and 14 RBI since the All-Star break.

Judge has also struck out in 37 consecutive games, which ties a major league record.

Girardi has been saying that he believes Judge is on the cusp of breaking out of the slump because he's been hitting the ball hard and putting good at-bats together, but he's just hitting the ball right at people.

"We’re moving in the right direction," Judge said. "It’s taking a little longer than I wanted to but you’ve just got to keep working."

The Yankees play the Red Sox, who have won 14 of their last 17 games, once more this season in a four- game series at Yankee Stadium later this month.

They're remaining optimistic that there's enough time to catch Boston in the standings, just as long as they get back to playing well consistently.

"I think so for sure, I mean you can make up five games in two weeks. It’s one of those things where you don’t want to be five games back or you don’t even want to be two games back. But we’ve still got six weeks left to play," Gardner said. "We don’t need to worry about what they’re doing or who they’re playing. We need to worry about ourselves. It starts with that. We just have to play better baseball.

* The Bergen Record

"I thought I made some good pitches with two strikes – I don’t know how many foul balls they had but it seemed like every time I made a quality pitch that they put together really good at-bats and fouled it off," Gray said after the Yankees' 5-1 loss to the Red Sox Sunday at Fenway Park. "They put a lot of good at- bats together and it made it pretty difficult."

Gray allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and didn't record a strikeout in the 106- pitch start. It was Gray's first career major league appearance without a strikeout.

"They just put long at-bats on him," manager Joe Girardi said.

This was Gray's fourth start with the Yankees since they acquired him in a trade with Oakland. The right- hander has allowed two earned runs in each of those outings and is 1-3 with a 3.13 ERA over those four starts.

"Again he gives up the two runs in the five innings," Girardi said, "which we didn’t get the distance we wanted out of him but he kept it within reach and they just made him really work."

Early arrival

Aroldis Chapman entered Sunday's game with one out in the sixth inning and went on to pitch 1⅓ scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two.

It was an encouraging outing for the flame-throwing left-hander after he was demoted from the closer role on Saturday.

"Physically I’ve always said it that I felt pretty good," Chapman said through an interpreter. "Today I didn’t allow a run so that’s a positive right there."

Injury updates

Matt Holliday went 0-for-4 in his third rehab game with Class A Tampa on Sunday. Holliday, who's been on the disabled list since Aug. 6 with a left lumbar strain, is 0-for-10 in the three games.

Starlin Castro went 1-for-4 in his third rehab game with Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Castro, who's been out since July 23 with a right hamstring strain, is 1-for-11 on the rehab assignment.

* The Star-Ledger

Yankees can't touch Red Sox in loss

Brendan Kuty

BOSTON -- Nothing wrong with the Yankees talking about taking the division.

As long as they privately know it's not actually going to happen.

Instead of closing the gap between them and the Red Sox this weekend, they widened it with a 5-1 loss to a superior Boston team at Fenway Park on Sunday.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Yankees fell to five games behind the first-place Red Sox in the American League East. They started the three-game series four games back Friday, losing that night and winning Saturday.

The Yankees still have plenty of reason to fight, though. They started the day leading the Twins and the Angels by 3 1/2 games in the Wild Card race.

TURNING POINT

The easy route would be to say the turning point was the moment Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello took the mound, considering how badly the Yankees looked at the plate most of the day.

But when Jackie Bradley Jr. served a triple to deep center field, scoring Xander Bogaerts and Sandy Leon to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the second inning, it seemed just about over.

Boston tacked on a run when Bradley singled on a liner to right field off reliever Adam Warren in the sixth inning. The lefty swinger did it with ex-closer Aroldis Chapman warming up in the bullpen. It was unclear why manager Joe Girardi didn't go with the lefty-lefty matchup there.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Yankees had just three hits. Brett Gardner had two of them. Headley doubled. And they were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Aaron Judge didn't get a hit in four at-bats and struck out once.

Brett Gardner hit a solo homer around the Pesky Pole in right field for the Yankees' first run in the fifth inning. The Red Sox retired 14 straight Yankees after that.

Aroldis Chapman, no longer the closer as of Saturday, got an out in the sixth inning and shut out the Red Sox in the seventh -- though he made it dicey with a pair of walks and a wild pitch.

Reliever Tommy Kahnle gave up a two-run double to Sandy Leon in the eighth to make it 5-1 Boston.

GRAY DAY

Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray was outdueled by Porcello. Gray didn't appear to have his characteristic movement and saw a lot of hard contact, giving up seven hits while walking a pair. He also didn't strike out a batter -- the first time in his career he didn't register a whiff in a start.

Gray lasted five innings and gave up two runs.

NEXT

Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka (8-10, 4.92 ERA) will come off the disabled list to face Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd (5-6, 5.70 ERA) at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday at Comerica Park.