NEW YORK – Javier Vazquez was to earn himself the respect of his cynical fan base.
In the days leading up to this start, Vazquez relished the chance to face the Red Sox after having the Yankees skip him back in May for fear him completely losing his confidence.
Friday night did nothing the crowd, or Vazquez.
While poor defense played a role, the Yankees right-hander did not do himself any favors by allowing the game to get away from him early and see the Red Sox close him out late as they took the first of the four game series 6-3 in front of 49,555 at Yankee Stadium.
Vazquez, who statistically has been the Yankees second best pitcher since May when count the absence of Andy Pettitte, found trouble right from the start of the game. After getting the first two outs on ground balls, David Ortiz took an outside pitch and crushed it over the center field fence near
Monument Park for his 24th blast of the season that gave Boston the early lead.
Mark Teixeira would counter in the bottom half, drilling a two-run homer into the right field bleachers to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. It was the fourth game in a row in which they had a two-run first inning homerun.
In the second inning, the Red Sox would add to their lead. After Adrian Beltre double to begin the frame, JD Drew popped out and the same was going to be said of Mike Lowell just to the right of the first base bag. Vazquez called for it initially, but catcher Francisco Cervelli took charge and the ball bounced off his glove in fair territory, allowing Beltre to go to third.
“Someone’s got to catch it. That’s the bottom line,” Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said.
Ryan Kalish struck out, but then Vazquez walked light hitting Jed Lowrie on four pitches to load the bases. Jacoby Ellsbury would also work a walk when a 3-1 pitch sailed outside, allowing Beltre to score from third to tie the game at two.
A hanging changeup to Marco Scutaro was hammered down into the left field corner for a two-run double to extend the Boston lead to 4-2 as the denizens at Yankee Stadium would cascade boos on the Yankees enigmatic right hander.
Because of the error, Vazquez was not charged with any earned runs. However, he could have picked up Cervelli after he got the second out instead of walking Lowrie to load the bases, walk Ellsbury to tie the score and the yield a two-run double to Scutaro that gave the Red Sox the lead.
Having a two-run advantage, Boston starter Clay Buchholz went to work. He has been among the league’s best pitchers this season and after struggling against the Yankees back in May, he sought a chance to redeem himself.
Working at a quick pace and throwing strikes, many Yankee hitters came to the plate and quickly went back to the dugout after the Teixeira homerun. He kept the Yankees scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Alex Rodriguez’s RBI single scored Derek Jeter from third to cut the margin to 4-3.
Vazquez had settled down from his bad second inning and put up zeroes for the next three frames. However, needing just one more scoreless to come away with a respectable outing, he was unable to do so.
Drew flied out, but then Mike Lowell singled and Kalish would drill a two-run homer into the Yankees bullpen to build the Red Sox lead back to 6-3. Vazquez would then walk Lowrie and Manager Joe Girardi made that slow walk to the mound, marking the end of his night.
In 5 1/3 innings, Vazquez allowed six runs (three earned) and six hits, walking four and striking out five in 109 pitches to fall to 9-8 on the season.
Buchholz kept his pitch count low and departed with one out in the eighth inning throwing only 97 pitches before giving up a double to Robinson Cano, giving up only three runs and scattering nine hits while walking no one and striking out four to improve to 12-5.
Daniel Bard got the final two outs of the eighth to get the ball to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. The Yankees bullpen kept them in the game with 3 2/3 scoreless innings of pitching from Joba Chamberlain, Kerry Wood, Boone Logan and Chad Gaudin.
Papelbon got the first two outs quickly before Jeter worked a 12 pitch at-bat for a walk. The game would end when Swisher flied out softly to left field as the Red Sox came away with a win, determined to not suffer the same fate when they were swept in four straight games last August, thus eliminating them from the AL East race.
“It’s pretty big, yeah. Everyone has high hopes going into tomorrow,” Buchholz said. “We lose this one, and then lose that one, everyone knows where that goes.”
Boston closed within five games of the Yankees and on Saturday has John Lackey going to the mound against CC Sabathia.
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