Cam Schlittler withstood five walks in 5 2/3 innings and Yankees outfielders started a pair of double plays during New York’s 1-0 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Paul Goldschmidt homered off Boston starter Patrick Sandoval (1-3) in the third inning, helping the Yankees move three games ahead of Boston for the American League’s top wild-card spot.
Schlittler (12-6) tied a career high with the five walks. He allowed two hits, struck out eight, and lowered his AL-leading ERA to 2.09. He allowed a double to Wilyer Abreu with two outs in the third, then struck out Willson Contreras. Schlittler also surpassed 200 strikeouts for the season, the first time he has reached that mark.
He allowed a single to Ceddanne Rafaela in the fifth, but the game stayed scoreless thanks to teammate Trent Grisham. The New York center fielder caught Abreu’s line drive, then threw to Jazz Chisholm Jr., and the second baseman’s throw to Goldschmidt at first doubled off Rafaela.
With one out in the seventh, the Red Sox had runners on second and third against Paul Blackburn. Contreras hit a fly ball to left field. Cody Bellinger moved in a few steps and made a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Austin Wells, who tagged out Rafaela as the runner fell to the dirt.
Goldschmidt gave the Yankees the lead with his first homer since July 24 when he hit Sandoval’s first-pitch sinker into the left field bleachers.
Schlittler exited after walking Caleb Durbin with two outs in the sixth, and the Red Sox deployed three right-handed pinch hitters against lefty Brent Headrick. Jahmai Jones walked and Eli White hit a slow infield single to load the bases. After Headrick fell behind Andruw Monasterio and reached a full count, the inning ended with a fly ball to right fielder Heliot Ramos.
In the bottom of the inning, New York loaded the bases with a single by Ben Rice and consecutive one-out walks by Ramos and Grisham. Sandoval then was replaced by Greg Weissert, who kept it a one-run game by getting George Lombard Jr. to line and before fanning Chisholm with a high fastball.
After Bellinger’s sixth outfield assist ended the seventh, Blackburn pitched a perfect eighth and David Bednar recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st save.
Sandoval allowed one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked four.
The Red Sox fell to 9-10 since a 32-5 run that included a four-game sweep of the Yankees in Boston and a 15-game winning streak.
–Field Level Media
