Red Sox jump Jhony Brito as Yankees sloppy play leads to 6th straight loss – The Denver Post

Happy to be home and in need of a win over a division rival and fellow wild card chaser, the Yankees lost their sixth consecutive game on Friday.

It didn’t take long for onlookers to realize that the pinstripers were on their way to another defeat, as the Red Sox jumped on Jhony Brito and scored four runs before the Yankees ever recorded an out. The first came off the bat of Justin Turner, who picked up an RBI single before Masataka Yoshida lined a three-run homer to right field.

The second inning then saw Gleyber Torres make an error on a routine grounder. That mistake preceded RBI singles from Rafael Devers, Turner and Yoshida. Just like that, Boston had far more runs than it needed in a 8-3 win.

Brito only lasted 2.1 innings. The right-handed rookie allowed nine hits and six earned runs over 46 pitches. He struck out one and walked none.

Brito faced an obstacle before the Red Sox stepped to the plate, as umpires informed the Yankees that they could not use PitchCom prior to first pitch, as Boston’s system experienced technical difficulties. Those issues were never resolved, and both teams played the game without the tech.

“Interesting timing of that right there, and not an ideal situation obviously right before you’re getting ready to throw the first pitch,” Aaron Boone said, though he attributed Brito’s struggles to poor execution and didn’t think there was any gamesmanship on Boston’s part.

Brito said much of the same.

“I wouldn’t say it was the issue with PitchCom,” he said of his evening. “I just think the execution of my pitches tonight could be better.”

While Brito looked awful, Ian Hamilton, the first man out of the Yankees’ bullpen, had a strong night on the mound. The reliever logged 3.2 scoreless innings and struck out five.

But Hamilton’s valiant effort made no difference, as Brayan Bello continued his run of dominance over the Yankees in his sophomore season.

The righty had already allowed just three earned runs over 14 innings against the Yankees this year. On Friday, Bello twirled six innings of one-run ball while striking out four over 98 pitches. He permitted six hits and one walk.

“He’s put together a really nice season,” Boone said of Bello. “And obviously, he runs out to a big lead, so he’s able to attack. I thought we made him work a little bit and got his pitch count up, but that sinker, especially for our righties, which really complements his other stuff — he can be tough.”

The Yankees’ only run off Bello came on a DJ LeMahieu groundout. Anthony Volpe, who previously doubled, scored on the play.

Aaron Judge added a two-run homer in the eighth, but the Yankees had already dug a deep hole.

Devers, meanwhile, plated another for Boston with a single in the ninth.

The Yankees, fresh off a 2-7 road trip, have scored just six runs in their last four games, a span that includes two shutouts and a one-hit evening in Atlanta. The Yanks are now 60-62 after losing to a Red Sox team that leads them in the race for the American League’s final wild card spot.

“It’s a difficult time for us,” Boone said. “Been a tough season. But again, this is also part of it. It’s easy when it’s going good and you’re rolling out there. This sport will make you reveal your character. For us right now, it’s about continuing to show up with an edge, ready to put in the work and trusting that today is the day that we start to get this thing rolling again.”

Boone has repeatedly said that the Yankees have the personnel, will to fight and work ethic to turn things around. Yet they haven’t.

Asked what’s been missing, the manager left that up to reporters to figure out.

“You know what? I’ll let you guys define that,” Boone said. “Our job is to get ready to play every day. Okay? And that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Volpe, when asked a similar question, wasn’t entirely sure what’s missing. But the rookie had an idea.

“If I could tell you, I’d hope we could turn it around,” Volpe said. “But probably just energy and fun and enjoying the game and enjoying playing with each other. It’s like the chicken or the egg. What’s gonna cause [the other] to change? But at the end of the day, everyone’s working. All hands are on-deck. Everyone’s grinding. We all want to turn it around more than anyone else in the world.”

With just 40 games left in the regular season, the Yankees’ odds of making the postseason are shrinking by the day, as they are 6.5 games out of that final wild card. The Red Sox are 2.5 games back. Furthermore, the Yankees are at risk of suffering their first sub-.500 season since 1992.

The Yankees will try to tie their series with Boston on Saturday when Gerrit Cole takes the mound. Kutter Crawford will start for the Red Sox.

Boston has not decided on a Sunday starter yet. Clarke Schmidt will pitch the series finale for the Yankees.

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