GAME #122, NEW YORK YANKEES AT BOSTON RED SOX

[Bear]

YANKEES V RED SOX

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2017, 7 PM AT FENWAY PARK

TV:  NESN, YES, MLBN, (OUT-OF-MARKET ONLY)

NEW YORK, (65-56).................................................................................BOSTON, (70-51)

NEW YORK:

CC SABATHIA, LHP, 9-5, 4.05 ERA, 80K

Sabathia is expected to come off the disabled list to start Saturday's contest at
Fenway.  He last started on August 8 at Toronto and was limited to three innings
(right-knee pain).  Sabathia had a series of injections in the knee in order to recover.

BOSTON:

CHRIS SALE, LHP, 14-4, 2.51 ERA, 241K

Despite being dominant (1.19  ERA) in all of his three starts vs the Yankees in 2017,
Sale is still looking at his first rivalry wirl.  Sale has held the Bombers to a 1.88 average in
the three starts.  He is 4-2 with a 1.18 ERA lifetime vs New York.

Sale looks to extend dominance vs. Yanks, CC

Brian Hoch

True to form, Chris Sale has dominated the Yankees each of the three times that he has faced them this season, yet those efforts have yet to be rewarded with a victory. He will try again on Saturday at Fenway Park as the Red Sox host their closest American League East challengers in the second game of a three-game series.

The AL Cy Young Award favorite will square off against CC Sabathia, having held New York to four runs (three earned) in 22 2/3 innings (1.19 ERA), striking out 35. Still, if Rafael Devers hadn't hit a late homer off Aroldis Chapman last weekend in the Bronx, Boston could have fallen to 0-3 in Sale's starts against the Yanks, who trail the Red Sox by five games in the AL East.

"I think we expect games to be very similar [to what] we had in New York," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.
"They're going to be hard-fought, they're going to be well-played. They've done a very good job of keeping us at bay with men in scoring position. To me, that's kind of the overriding thing throughout the first 12 games we've played."

Sale struck out 12 and allowed one run over seven innings in that Sunday effort, permitting just four hits and two walks, and the left-hander is on pace to shatter Pedro Martinez's single-season club record of 313 strikeouts, set in 1999. Sale has 241 whiffs going into Saturday's start.

"I'm actually a little bit shocked because I've never seen something like it," Martinez said. "I know that you guys said you saw it in me but I never saw what I was doing, really. I never stopped to look at what was going on. Now that I'm seeing Chris Sale, I can now understand why the Boston fans got so excited every time I went out."

Sabathia has excelled against the Red Sox this season, winning both of his starts while hurling 14 scoreless innings. He is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list, having been limited to just three innings in his last outing on Aug. 8 at Toronto due to an arthritic right knee that will eventually require surgery. The pain was so intense, a crestfallen Sabathia later acknowledged that he considered the possibility that his season -- and perhaps even his career -- might be over.

"Because it hurt. It's just not worth it," Sabathia said. "I go out there and I could throw four innings and hurt. I've pitched for a long time now, so I'm not doing this for money or anything like that. I'm doing this for fun and to try to win a championship. If I can't have fun and help this team win, then there's no need for me to be out there."

An MRI taken in New York revealed no significant damage to the knee, and Sabathia's discomfort was quelled in part by injections of cortisone, platelet-rich plasma and stem cells. Sabathia said that he is excited to get back on the mound, and that he shouldn't be affected by facing a pitcher of Sale's caliber.

"I've been pitching a long time," Sabathia said. "I've faced Pedro and [other] Hall of Famers, so I had to learn that lesson, that you're not really going up against that guy. You're going up against their lineup. You just kind of go out and stay the course."

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Chase Headley is one of the few Yankees who has hit Sale well in his career. Headley is 7-for-23 (.304) with a double, two homers and two RBIs against Sale, who has also allowed seven hits in 19 at-bats (.368) to Aaron Hicks.

• Sabathia has faced Jackie Bradley Jr. (5-for-26, .192) and Xander Bogaerts (4-for-24, .167) more than any other active Red Sox players, and both have struggled. Mookie Betts (6-for-17, .353) has been a tough matchup for the veteran.

• Former Yankee Eduardo Nunez is hitting .361 (30-for-83) with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBIs in 18 games with the Red Sox since being acquired from the Giants.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170818249291308/sale-looks-to-extend-dominance-vs-yanks-cc/?game_pk=491936

[Bear]

Tonight vs NYY.

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

Sale LHP.

[Bill-806]

  Saturday night BASEBALL at its best !!   Red Sox ,  YANK$ and Chris Sale !!!   Go SOX, keep the train moving !!! thumb_u rofl

[longgame]

  Saturday night BASEBALL at its best !!   Red Sox ,  YANK$ and Chris Sale !!!   Go SOX, keep the train moving !!! thumb_u rofl

At least with Sale pitching they should be able to keep it under 4 hours tonight.

[Bear]

They're long game but you don't see anyone moving out early.
Go Sox

[SeaBeachFred]

Please, no letup tonight.  Keep the line moving in our direction.  Sabathia has been tough on us this year and we owe him one, and more important the Red Sox owe themselves a chance to widen their lead in the division after failing until recently to make a real move in that direction.  Let's win tonight and take the series and then tomorrow who knows.  Do NOT let the Yankees to do us what we did to them last weekend the last two games between us.  Time to really strap it on.  We need another top notch performance from Chris Sale and some real batting support to sustain him.

[Bill-806]

Please, no letup tonight.  Keep the line moving in our direction.  Sabathia has been tough on us this year and we owe him one, and more important the Red Sox owe themselves a chance to widen their lead in the division after failing until recently to make a real move in that direction.  Let's win tonight and take the series and then tomorrow who knows.  Do NOT let the Yankees to do us what we did to them last weekend the last two games between us.  Time to really strap it on.  We need another top notch performance from Chris Sale and some real batting support to sustain him.

Sabatha is broken down & at the end of the line.... SOX should have him outer there by the end of the 4th inning !!!  GO SOX, STOMP those YANK$  !! thumb_u rofl

[SeaBeachFred]

Please, no letup tonight.  Keep the line moving in our direction.  Sabathia has been tough on us this year and we owe him one, and more important the Red Sox owe themselves a chance to widen their lead in the division after failing until recently to make a real move in that direction.  Let's win tonight and take the series and then tomorrow who knows.  Do NOT let the Yankees to do us what we did to them last weekend the last two games between us.  Time to really strap it on.  We need another top notch performance from Chris Sale and some real batting support to sustain him.

Sabatha is broken down & at the end of the line.... SOX should have him outer there by the end of the 4th inning !!!  GO SOX, STOMP those YANK$  !! thumb_u rofl

I wish you to be right but it's the Yankees and when we play them most anything goes.  We have taken turns on breaking each other's hearts the past dozen or so years.  Take nothing for granted and bear down.   That is the best and only way I know to give us a better than even chance to come out on top tonight.

[Bill-806]

Please, no letup tonight.  Keep the line moving in our direction.  Sabathia has been tough on us this year and we owe him one, and more important the Red Sox owe themselves a chance to widen their lead in the division after failing until recently to make a real move in that direction.  Let's win tonight and take the series and then tomorrow who knows.  Do NOT let the Yankees to do us what we did to them last weekend the last two games between us.  Time to really strap it on.  We need another top notch performance from Chris Sale and some real batting support to sustain him.

Sabatha is broken down & at the end of the line.... SOX should have him outer there by the end of the 4th inning !!!  GO SOX, STOMP those YANK$  !! thumb_u rofl

I wish you to be right but it's the Yankees and when we play them most anything goes.  We have taken turns on breaking each other's hearts the past dozen or so years.  Take nothing for granted and bear down.   That is the best and only way I know to give us a better than even chance to come out on top tonight.

  B I N G O  dat.... Keep your eye on the BALL, it should be fun !! thumb_u rofl

[markj]

This ain't supposed to be happening.

[elktonnick]

This Ump has missed at least four pitches so far.

[markj]

This Ump has missed at least four pitches so far.

Judging from the score, the Sox batters have missed a lot more pitches than that.

[markj]

Leon gets the Sox on the board.

[markj]

JBJ drives in another one.

[markj]

Sale picked a bad night to have a bad night.