What’d I tell you about those middle innings? CC Sabathia just can’t quite figure ’em out.
After threatening all night, the Sox pushed across a pair of runs against New York’s ace southpaw in the fourth. Carl Crawford started things off by hooking a first pitch slider that was about as dead-center as possible into the stands past the bullpens for a solo shot.
The difficulties didn’t end there for Sabathia, however, as both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Darnell McDonald followed him immediately with singles. Jacoby Ellsbury took a called strike three for the second out, but Marco Scutaro ripped a double into left field, scoring Saltalamacchia from second and bringing the Sox within one. Unfortunately, the threat ended there, as Adrian Gonzalez was once again struck out by Sabathia on a slider that ended well outside.