Red Sox outclass Yankees, who lose 4th straight | Rapid reaction

Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi shut down the Yankees, his former team, as Boston beat New York, 4-1, despite Chance Adams’ respectable effort.

BOSTON — Early Saturday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone talked about feeling a “sense of urgency” every day.

It took his team — in its biggest moment yet, on its biggest stage so far — until the very last second to look like it finally stopped sleepwalking after three straight garbage efforts.

Wasn’t enough.

The Yankees scored a run and loaded the bases against Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth, but couldn’t capitalize in a 4-1 loss at Fenway Park.

What it means

The Yankees continued their lurch toward the dreaded American League Wild Card Game.

It was their fourth-straight loss — a season-high.

They fell 8 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. They will face them Sunday and then six times in September — three at home, three at Fenway to end the season.

Also, the Yankees have scored just two runs in their last 18 innings — Miguel Andujar hit a solo shot Friday. They didn’t record their first hit off Eovaldi, who pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016, until Brett Gardner led off with a single in the third inning.

How the late rally started

Giancarlo Stanton drubbed his second double of the day — this to center field — and Didi Gregorius rocked a double down the right-field line to drive him in.

Kimbrel then walked Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres to fill the bags. Bird ended it with a lazy fly ball.

Too little offense

Stanton was the only Yankee to reach scoring position through the first 9 2/3 innings. He doubled to start the seventh, only for the Yankees to make three straight outs.

The Yankees are playing without sluggers Aaron Judge (fractured wrist) and Gary Sanchez (right groin strain). Light-hitting Shane Robinson was forced into the lineup, starting in right field, as Boone gave Stanton a day off his feet at designated hitter.

Adams seizes Chance

Adams gave the Yankees just what they hoped.

He didn’t looked rattled by Fenway Park. He didn’t look nervous pitching before a packed crowd.

He gave up three runs in five innings, had little problem throwing strikes, except that when he missed, he missed big.

Adams surrendered two homers. The two-run blast he gave up to Mitch Moreland in the first inning was an 82-mph slider that hung knee high over the plate. The other was a 92-mph fastball that was about chest high that J.D. Martinez smoked for a solo bomb in the fourth.

Adams needed 83 pitches to get through Boston’s lineup twice. Boone didn’t give him a chance to see it three times, going to reliever Chad Green to start the sixth.

The 23-year-old was much better than Luis Severino and CC Sabathia were in the first two games of the series. Sabathia went just three innings Thursday night and Severino lasted only 5 2/3 in Friday’s loss.

He became the first Yankees starting pitcher to make his big-league debut in Boston since Randy Keisler in 2000.

Eovaldi struck out four and walked one.

Next

Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka (9-2, 3.84 ERA) vs. Red Sox lefty David Price (11-6, 3.97 ERA) at 8:05 p.m. Sunday at Fenway Park.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.