The Red Sox turned a messy win into a needed one Thursday night, beating the Yankees 6-3 with six unearned runs and snapping both a seven-game slide against AL East opponents and a four-game home losing streak. They were back at Fenway Park on Friday night with left-hander Payton Tolle set to face right-hander Will Warren.
That matchup drew attention because Tolle had already seen the Yankees once. On April 23, he allowed one run on three hits and struck out 11 in six innings in a 4-2 loss, and he entered Friday with a 3-5 record and a 3.08 ERA. Warren, meanwhile, came in 7-2 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1-2 mark in three career starts against Boston.
Thursday’s win had a little help from the other side. Caleb Durbin went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, one day after dislocating his left pinkie finger diving into first base, and he said afterward that it was like it had not even happened Wednesday. He added that he did not know how it worked, but was thankful it felt better Thursday. Durbin had five homers in his last 13 games and had hit safely in 17 of his last 24, a stretch in which he was batting.329 with 14 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and a.976 OPS.
Boston’s offense has not needed much encouragement lately. The Red Sox had homered in 11 of their last 13 games and had hit 19 total home runs since June 10, while their starters had struck out at least nine batters in four straight games and run off eight consecutive quality starts, their longest such streak since Aug. 4-13, 2017. During that run, Boston starters went 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA.
The run of good pitching and the recent power surge make Friday more than a simple follow-up. Boston has a chance to turn one awkward, error-aided win into a firmer statement if Tolle can again hold down the Yankees, especially with José Caballero and Paul Goldschmidt carrying dangerous numbers in the opposing lineup. If the Red Sox keep getting the kind of support they got Thursday, the streaks they just ended may end up looking like the break point of their season rather than a one-night detour.
