Red Sox Bats Stymied Again in 5-0 Loss to New York Yankees

The Red Sox offense awoke last weekend in Baltimore, but it has gone back into snooze control in Tampa and New York City.

The NY Yankees two big-money free agents from last winter have shut down the Olde Towne Team in each of the last two ballgames, tossing back-to-back shutouts, and recording 24 consecutive scoreless innings—including fifteen innings on Friday night.

On Friday night, right-hander AJ Burnett and five relievers shut out the Red Sox. Burnett allowed a base hit to the first batter of the ballgame (Jacoby Ellsbury) and then pitched 7 and two-thirds innings of no-hit ball.

Last night, Yankees ace CC Sabathia had a no-hitter in place going into the sixth inning. The left-hander was pulled with the Yankees holding a 3-0 lead. He allowed only two hits and two walks in 7 and two-thirds innings pitched, and he struck out nine Red Sox hitter in his outing.

Relievers Phillip Hughes (one-third IP) and David Robertson (1 IP) were called upon to wrap up the Yankees 5-0 win.

New York’s shutout streak against the Red Sox is its longest against the good guys since a 33-inning stretch in September, 1952. The Yankees back-to-back shutouts against the Red Sox in home games in one season were a first since 1963.

The Red Sox won their first eight games against the Yankees this season, but lost all four in the set in the Bronx.

The Sox are 3-for-33 with runners in scoring position for the series. Their last Sox extra-base hit was Casey Kotchman’s two-run homer in the fourth inning of Game One (a 13-6 loss).

After the game, manager Terry Francona said, “The last two nights, we’ve done nothing. We’ve faced two really good pitchers, and we’ve done nothing."

Jacoby Ellsbury has done his part. In the last two games, he is 4-for-9 (.444)—while the remaining players are a combined 4-for-67 (.060).

After having the only hit against Burnett in the first inning on Friday night, he broke up Sabathia’s no-hit effort with a clean single in the top of the sixth inning.

Sox starter Clay Buchholz (pictured) rebounded from three consecutive sub-standard performances to provide a nice outing, though he struggled with his control. He limited the Yankees to two runs over six innings, despite allowing 11 baserunners (six hits and five walks).

Ramon Ramirez replaced Buchholz in the seventh, and was ejected after hitting Alex Rodriguez on the left arm with one out.

Two nights after Yanks reliever Mark Melancon hit Dustin Pedroia high on the shoulder in the eighth inning, both teams were warned after Buchholz threw a pitch behind Rodriguez in the first. Ramirez threw a fastball up and in to Mark Teixeira before Rodriguez came to the plate. He was then ejected after hitting A-Rod.

Teixeira hit an RBI-single in the third inning to open the scoring. Jose Molina hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, and RF Nick Swisher drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.

Derek Jeter finished off the scoring with a two-run home run off recently-promoted Enrique Gonzalez in the eighth inning.

David Ortiz went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the aftermath of the press conference in which he addressed the NY Times report that he failed a random drug test in 2003. He is batting just .171 (6-for-35), with two homers and six RBI since the July 30 Times report.

Jon Lester and Andy Pettitte will face off on ESPN on Sunday night in the series finale.