GAME #117, BOSTON RED SOX AT NEW YORK YANKEES

[Bear]

RED SOX V YANKEES

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017, 8 PM AT YANKEE STADIUM

TV:  ESPN

BOSTON, (66-50)..............................................................................................NEW YORK, (61-54)

BOSTON:

CHRIS SALE, LHP, 14-4, 2.57 ERA, 229K

With 13 punchouts vs the Rays on Tuesday, Sale picked up his 15th double-digit-
strikeout game of the year.  That's the most in a season since 2002, when Randy Johnson
also had 15 such games.  Sale struck out 13 Yankees when he last saw them.

NEW YORK:

JORDAN MONTGOMERY, LHP, 7-6, 4.05 ERA, 111K

Montgomery was recalled from Triple-A and will start against the Sox on Sunday in
place of CC Sabathia, who was placed on the 10-Day DL on Friday with right knee
inflammation.  Montgomery tossed five frames of one-run ball on three hits vs the Tribe

Red Sox turn to Sale for rubber game vs. Yanks

Matthew Martell

For the Yankees to win their weekend series vs. the Red Sox in Sunday night's rubber match, they'll have to do it against left-hander Chris Sale, who has not only been the Red Sox's ace this season, but he's also been arguably the best pitcher in the American League.

Rookie Jordan Montgomery is expected to take the mound for the Yankees, despite being hit in the head with a line drive while signing autographs during the Red Sox's batting practice before Saturday's game. Sunday's contest begins at 8:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox hold a 4 1/2-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East after Saturday's win.

Sale (14-4, 2.57 ERA) pitched well in his first two outings against the Yankees this season, though the Red Sox have lost both games. The 28-year-old southpaw is 0-1 with a 1.15 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings this season against New York.

What makes Sale so dominant is he has two put-away pitches. Both his four-seam fastball and his slider rank in the top five of MLB in terms of strikeouts by pitch, according to Statcast. Of his MLB-leading 229 strikeouts, 104 have come via his four-seam fastball and 98 have come against his slider.

Sale has been so good this season that Red Sox manager John Farrell thinks he should be an AL MVP Award candidate.

"Great debate," Farrell said. "A lot of people say there's no way a starting pitcher can be. I'd refute that. And as dominant as he's been, with the exception of an outing or two, we're talking about a difference-maker in the standings. In the feel of the team, what he means to our team, yeah, he should be in that conversation."

The Yankees will need better pitching from Montgomery than they received on Saturday from Luis Severino, who allowed 10 runs (eight earned) in 4 1/3 innings.

Montgomery (7-6, 4.05 ERA) struggled in his only outing against the Red Sox, tossing four innings of three-run ball on July 14 at Fenway Park. The lefty is making the start in place of CC Sabathia, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right knee inflammation on Friday.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Sale is 4-2 with a 1.17 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) lifetime vs. the Yankees.

• Yankees first baseman Chase Headley is hitting .300 (6-for-20) with two homers lifetime against Sale.

• Gary Sanchez's homer in Saturday's game was his first opposite-field home run of the season.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170812248035776/red-sox-turn-to-sale-for-rubber-game-vs-yanks/?game_pk=491850

[Bear]

Rubber match in Bronx:

Núñez 3B,
Betts RF,
Benintendi LF,
Ramirez 1B,
Young DH,
Bogaerts SS,
Holt 2B,
Leon C,
Bradley Jr. CF,

Sale LHP

[markj]

In Sale We Trust. Just give him some run support, please.

[Rob from Mass]

Huge game!!
3 game lead or 5 GAME LEAD!!!!!

[Bill-806]

Huge game!!
3 game lead or 5 GAME LEAD!!!!!

  That's a BINGO, a BIG  B I N G O !!! thumb_u rofl

[elktonnick]

It ought to be a great game.  The only drawback is we have to listen to that awful trio of ESPN announcers.  While O'Brien quite frankly drives me crazy with his constant repletion.  He is better than the three from ESPN.

[BoSoxFanNY]

It ought to be a great game.  The only drawback is we have to listen to that awful trio of ESPN announcers.  While O'Brien quite frankly drives me crazy with his constant repletion.  He is better than the three from ESPN.

I plan to watch with the volume down!
GO SOX!

[longgame]

I'll be interested to see the lineup.

Sunday night games are always such an ordeal.  The good news is it goes up against Game of Thrones so I'll watch the game until about 9:30, watch Game of Thrones, then come back and watch what I missed, skipping commercials and slow pitchers!

[ojdidit]

Sale is "only" 1-1 at NY, but his era is 1.80. 30 IP had just five walks and 28 K's.

[Rob from Mass]

Sale is "only" 1-1 at NY, but his era is 1.80. 30 IP had just five walks and 28 K's.

Which means we need THE BATS BIG TIME TONIGHT.

[Bear]

When our games are covered by ESPN, Silence is Golden.

[Bill-806]

Rubber match in Bronx:

Núñez 3B,
Betts RF,
Benintendi LF,
Ramirez 1B,
Young DH,
Bogaerts SS,
Holt 2B,
Leon C,
Bradley Jr. CF,

Sale LHP

  DAD & Bill-806 are good with this lineup !!!   Heck, we knocked out to nights starter LAST NIGHT !!! thumb_u rofl

[Bill-806]

Brock Holt is always a POSITIVE in the lineup !!! thumb_u rofl

[MongoLikeSox]

When our games are covered by ESPN, Silence is Golden.

I just love it how the ESPN trio does such an exceptional job or reinforcing each other's razor share analysis because it's very difficult to understand why something happens without someone expounding on what another just said because the analysis is very difficult to interpret without one another reinforcing what the other one just said due to the other person describing it in a manner that should be duplicated because repeating stuff is so good because we should not have to do without someone reinforcing the opinion of what the other one just said because it so important to get the same picture painted in an entire un-different way because it's so important to understand what the first person just got done explaining and the second person explaining it again puts such a similar explanation on it as to reinforce what the first one just said about the previous first person's comments which need no explanation because of what the previous first person's second person's reiterate just said regardless of the existence or absence of any possible real (or implied) game action going on.

<assume scarcasm/suicide button pressing as rendered until they shut up>

[ipot]

In Sale We Trust. Just give him some run support, please.

Ditto that.