Yankees’ Clint Frazier goes off again, but DJ LeMahieu hurt in rout of Red Sox | Rapid reaction

And the beat goes on for the mighty Yankees, who keep losing players while continuing to beat up on the hapless Red Sox.

As thrilling as it was for the Yankees seeing Clint Frazier do a lot more raking and flash some glove in Saturday night’s 11-5 mashing at Yankee Stadium, this night was anything but totally enjoyable because star second baseman DJ LeMahieu was forced out of the game after six innings with a sprained left thumb.

The Yankees already sent two stars from their powerhouse lineup to the injured list in the last few days. Aaron Judge, the majors’ home run leader, went on the IL on Friday with a right calf strain and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was lost for 4-to-6 weeks on Aug. 8 due to a left hamstring strain.

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Now the Yanks could be playing for a while without LeMahieu, who was hurt taking an awkward swing-and-miss during a fourth-inning at-bat against Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury to LeMahieu, who leads the American League in batting with a .411 average.

Stanton’s departure led to Frazier being recalled from the Yankees’ alternate site, and ever since the flashy redhead has been showing everyone that he belonged in the majors all along.

Frazier was 3-for-3 with a walk, double, three-run homer, two-run single and career-best five RBI on Saturday to hike his three-game average to .636 with two homers and eight RBI in three games. After being used at designated hitter in his first two games, Frazier played right field on Saturday and made a nifty diving catch with two on and one out in the first inning to save a run.

The Yanks were only up 4-3 in the sixth when Frazier ignited a four-run uprising with a three-run homer to left off Eovaldi.

By winning, the Yanks improved to 5-0 this season against the Red Sox, 8-0 overall and 15-1 since last July 29. The Yanks lead the AL East with a 14-6 record, while the Red Sox are last with a 6-15 mark.

NOTABLE

— Gary Sanchez homered for the third game in a row, giving him four for the season, but he still is batting .125 for the season after his 1-for-3 game.

— Gio Urshela also homered for the Yanks, who have hit 12 homers in five games against Boston this season.

— James Paxton allowed three runs over five innings to improve to 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA in four starts.

— The Yanks improved to 8-0 at home for the second time in franchise history. They were 10-0 in 1987, a season in which they missed the playoffs.

— The Yanks have outscored the Red Sox 41-20 in their five meetings this season.

LOOKING AHEAD

Sunday: Red Sox at Yankees, 7:08 p.m., ESPN. TBA vs. LHP J.A. Happ (0-1, 10.29).

Monday: Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES & MLB Network (out of market). LHP Martin Perez (2-2, 2.38) vs TBA.

Tuesday: Tampa Bay Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES & ESPN. TBA vs. TBA.

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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