NEW YORK — Masahiro Tanaka outpitched David Price in their first matchup to win his fourth straight decision, and the New York Yankees ended Boston’s six-game winning streak Sunday night with a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox.
Starlin Castro keyed New York’s three-run fourth inning with an RBI double that scored Didi Gregorius from first base. No. 9 batter Austin Romine and Jacoby Ellsbury each added a run-scoring single with two outs off Price, who gave up 11 hits in 5-2/3 innings as the Yankees prevented a three-game sweep.
Following his team’s loss on Saturday, Manager Joe Girardi said the Yankees needed to turn things around immediately and called Sunday night “probably as important (a) game that we’ve had in July in a long time.”
New York (45-46) responded with excellent pitching and a handful of timely hits.
Dustin Pedroia homered in the first inning for Boston, which remained two games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.
Tanaka (7-2) fanned seven and walked one over six innings of three-hit ball in his latest stingy performance on extra rest. Pitching with six days between starts, the Japanese right-hander improved to 6-0 in 11 starts with more than four days off. He is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA in his other eight games.
Tanaka had Red Sox hitters in baseball’s highest-scoring lineup chasing sliders and splitters below the strike zone. He threw just 87 pitches – but that was all the Yankees needed because their three big bullpen arms were all fresh and ready to go.
Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman combined for three hitless innings. Chapman worked the ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances, and the Yankees upped their record to 17-1 when all three pitch in the same game.
New York’s bullpen has thrown 19 straight shutout innings.
Boston hasn’t swept a series at Yankee Stadium since June 2011, and the Red Sox haven’t won seven in a row overall since June 1, 2014.
Price, who leads the AL with 141 strikeouts, fell to 14-9 in 34 career games (33 starts) against the Yankees.
TRAINER’S ROOM
RED SOX: Right-hander Junichi Tazawa (shoulder impingement) threw all his stuff in a 40-pitch bullpen session. But the team would like Tazawa to face hitters in a simulated game – likely Tuesday – before activating him from the 15-day disabled list, Manager John Farrell said. … Outfielder Chris Young, on the disabled since June 24 because of a strained right hamstring, has started to swing off a tee but there is no timetable for a minor league rehab assignment yet, Farrell said. … Catcher Blake Swihart (sprained left ankle) is taking batting practice from both sides of the plate, and the club hopes he can begin a rehab assignment sometime around next weekend. Swihart probably will start off playing in the outfield before moving behind the plate, Farrell said.
YANKEES: Slumping first baseman Mark Teixeira sat out after fouling a ball off his left foot Saturday. He had a CT scan that was negative. Rob Refsnyder played first and batted eighth. … Catcher Brian McCann was rested in favor of Romine, even though McCann is 10 for 29 (.345) with three homers vs. Price.
UP NEXT
RED SOX: Following a day off, right-hander Rick Porcello (11-2, 3.66 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Fenway Park against former Boston right-hander Jake Peavy (5-7, 5.09) and the major league-leading San Francisco Giants in the opener of a nine-game homestand. That begins a stretch of 43 scheduled games in 44 days for the Red Sox. Boston’s next 20 games are against teams outside the AL East. Farrell said the team thought Porcello would benefit from a few extra days of rest out of the All-Star break.
YANKEES: Right-hander Ivan Nova (6-5, 5.18 ERA) will pitch on 10 days’ rest when he starts the opener of a four-game series Monday night against Baltimore right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-6, 4.15). Nova hasn’t lasted six innings in any of his past five starts.
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