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And now for the fourth game of the quadruple-header

It’s Reds at Dodgers, Game 2. Let’s get it on!

 

FINAL: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3

There will be at least three Game 3s on Thursday. A few hours after the Guardians and Padres forced a winner-take-all Game 3, the Yankees did the same Wednesday, outlasting the Red Sox 4-3 in Yankee Stadium. The game’s deciding blow was Austin Wells’ single in the bottom of the eighth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored all the way from first thanks to a fortunate carom off the side wall.

The Yankees took a 2-0 first inning lead on a Ben Rice home run. Rice, who wasn’t in the Game 1 lineup against Garrett Crochet, slugged 26 home runs during the regular season. Giancarlo Stanton’s early-season elbow trouble opened up DH at-bats and Rice took advantage. He was one of New York’s 3-4 best hitters this season.

Trevor Story was the offense for the Red Sox. He singled in two runs in the third and hit a game-tying solo homer in the sixth. He very nearly hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh, but the ball hung up long enough for Trent Grisham to catch on the center field warning track. The Yankees got three shutout innings from their much-maligned bullpen.

Game 3 is Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Rookie righty Cam Schlittler will start for the home team. The Red Sox have not yet announced their starting pitcher, though it is expected to be rookie lefty Connelly Early. Either way, both managers will have a short leash. You can’t wait for your starter to find it when your season is on the line.

 

Yankees have an 84.2% chance of closing out the win in Game 2. 

 

Yankees up 4-3

David Bednar coming in for the save. The Yankees are looking to be the third team to force a Game 3 today.

 

Ryan McMahon walked. Payton Tolle is coming in to face Trent Grisham. The Yankees have the bases loaded here.

 

Yankees take a 4-3 lead in the eighth

Jazz Chisholm Jr. worked a two-out walk, then Austin Wells singled to right. The ball hit the side wall in foul territory and didn’t go into the corner, so it took Nate Eaton a bit longer to retrieve it. That allowed Jazz to sprint home from first. He slid in just safe.

Anthony Volpe just singled, so the Yankees are still threatening here. They have two on with two outs.

 

I’m always surprised when a pitcher doesn’t throw the ball into center field on a 1-6-3 double play.

 

Here’s that Jazz play: 

 

Yankees escape the jam

Thanks to a popped up bunt and Jazz Chisholm Jr’s diving play, the Yankees stranded the bases loaded in the seventh. Trevor Story gave the final out a ride to center — I thought it had a chance to get out off the bat — but the catch was made on the warning track. It’s 3-3 going to the bottom of the seventh.

 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. just saved a run with a great diving grab on Masataka Yoshida’s grounder up the middle. Didn’t get an out, but kept it on the infield and the runner had to hold at third.

 

Red Sox in business in the seventh

A four-pitch walk and a four-pitch hit-by-pitch puts two on with no outs, ending Rodón’s night. The bottom of the order is coming up for Boston and they’ve given the Yankees trouble the last two nights. Fernando Cruz, who had one of the highest strikeout rates among full-time relievers this season, is coming in. It’s 2-2 here in the seventh.

 

Boston ties it right back up

Trevor Story goes deep to lead off the top of the sixth. Rodón threw a 2-0 fastball right down the middle.

Story has driven in all three Red Sox runs this game. He hit 25 home runs this season, his most since 2019 in Colorado.

 

Nothing good ever happens for the Yankees when the nonexistent blue D train wins the Great Subway Race.

 

Yankees take a 3-2 lead

Jarren Duran couldn’t complete the diving catch on Judge’s liner to right field here in the fifth. The ball drops in, Trent Grisham scores, and the Yankees have a 3-2 lead. Boston is bringing in another lefty for the Bellinger/Rice lane. This time it’s Steven Matz.

Judge is 4 for 7 in the series, albeit with four singles. Still, he’s looked locked in the plate these two games and really the last month or so. September was arguably his best month of the season.

Rodón is at a fairly economical 70 pitches through five innings. I have to think manager Aaron Boone is hoping to get him through at least seven innings.

 

Righty Justin Slaten coming in for Boston. It’s still 2-2 in the fifth inning.

 

Wilson escapes. Bellinger flies out to left (not deep enough to score the runner from third) and Rice lines out. It’s 2-2 going to the fourth.

 

Bello is done with one out in the third

Cora is going to Wilson, one of five lefty relievers on the roster, for the Bellinger/Rice lane with one out in the third. The Yankees have two on with one out in a 2-2 game.

 

The Red Sox have activity in the bullpen already. Lefty Justin Wilson is warming up. 

 

Red Sox tie it 2-2

After Rodón strikes out Refsnyder, Trevor Story lines a two-run single back up the middle. Not being able to put the bottom of the lineup away burned Luke Weaver last night, and it burned Rodón this inning.

Rodón got fan favorite Alex Bregman to bang into a 4-6-3 double play to limit the damage, but the game is tied. Rafaela had one the lowest walk rates in baseball, and Rodón walked him. No. 9 hitter Nick Sogard was giving himself up to advance the runners, and the Yankees couldn’t make the out. Unforced errors, those were.

Story had his best and healthiest season as a Red Sox this year, two things that are very much related.

 

Red Sox threatening in the third

Jarren Duran poked a leadoff single the other way, then Ceddanne Rafaela worked a walk. A sac bunt followed, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn’t handle the short-hop throw and everyone’s safe. Bases full of Red Sox with no outs, and the top of the lineup is coming up.

 

Six-pitch second inning for Rodón. He’s thrown 21 pitches through two innings. If the Yankees do advance, Rodón would not be able to start until Game 3 of the ALDS, when he would be on extra rest. Manager Aaron Boone might be willing to extend him more (115-ish pitches?) than he was with Max Fried last night. Fried could start Game 2 of the ALDS on normal rest.

 

Fun fact about Rice: He grew up in Massachusetts but was a Yankees fan. As a kid, he wrote “Yankees rule” on the Pesky Pole.

 

Rice gives the Yankees a 2-0 lead

Ben Rice, who was not in the lineup against Garrett Crochet in Game 1, sends the first pitch he sees in Game 2 into the right field seats for a two-run homer. It’s 2-0 Yankees after one inning. Cody Bellinger singled as the previous batter.

Rice had a terrific regular season, slugging 26 home runs with very strong strikeout and contact rates. He got an opportunity because Giancarlo Stanton started the season on the injured list with dual tennis elbows. Rice has had trouble with lefties at times this year, though he was much better against them in the second half. Seemed like a mistake to leave him on the bench in Game 1.

Boston’s bullpen is very lefty heavy. If Brayan Bello struggles, Alex Cora will be quick to bring in a southpaw and match up with all those lefties the Yankees have in there.

 

A 1-2-3 first inning on 15 pitches for Rodón.

 

Game 2 between the Yankees and Red Sox is underway

Carlos Rodón’s first pitch to former Yankees prospect Rob Refsnyder is a fastball for a called strike.

 

Game 2 FINAL: Padres 3, Cubs 0

The Padres forced a decisive Game 3 back at Wrigley Field on Thursday with their 3-0 win over the Cubs in Wednesday’s Game 2. 

The Padres struck early against Cubs “opener” Andrew Kittredge in the first with two singles, a double steal, and a sac fly. Dylan Cease, meantime, held the Cubs scoreless for 3 ⅔ strong innings followed by typically strong work by the San Diego bullpen – including a dominating 1 ⅔ innings from Mason Miller and his scarcely imaginable fastball. Then in the fifth Manny Machado gave the visitors some room to breathe with this two-out home run off Shota Imanaha, who had kept runs off the board up until that point: 

Machado in the prior half inning had come up limping after he slid into the Cubs’ dugout railing in pursuit of a foul ball. However, he certainly didn’t look compromised on that pivotal swing. It’s worth noting that first base was open after Luis Arraez sac-bunted Fernando Tatis Jr. to second base, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell could’ve ordered Machado intentionally walked. That would’ve given Imanaga a lefty-on-lefty matchup against Jackson Merrill with two outs. That, however, isn’t what happened, and perhaps partly because of that decision the best-of-three series is now tied. 

 

Tucker with a single. Tying run is on deck.

 

Cubs have two outs to get three runs. Game 3 looks far more likely.

 

Kyle Tucker is aboard with a one-out single. 

 

Yankees vs. Red Sox coming up

Chilly night in the Bronx. The Yankees need to win to force Game 3. A Red Sox win sends them to Toronto for the ALDS. Bernie Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The real first pitch is about 10 minutes away.

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