Yankees fall to Red Sox in finale, split series

BOSTON — The Yankees bobbled, threw away and blew a three-run lead Sunday night as the Red Sox rallied to beat them 11-6 at Fenway Park. With two errors and even more mistakes, the Yankees dropped their second straight game, losing two in a row for just the sixth time in the season.

The Red Sox hammered three homers off starter Jameson Taillon and chased him after five innings. Albert Abreu and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were charged with errors, but DJ LeMahieu made two costly, uncharacteristic mistakes.

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The Yankees (61-25) dropped to 17-7 after a loss, but maintained the best record in baseball. They have lost three straight games (they’re longest losing streak) just once this season. Despite winning the last two games to earn a series split, the Red Sox (47-39) pulled just 14 games within the Bombers in the American League East.

The Yankees began to completely unravel in the sixth with some uncharacteristically sloppy defense by DJ LeMahieu behind a shaky Aroldis Chapman. With the score tied Trevor Story led off with a “single,” when LeMahieu waved off Aaron Judge on a pop up to shallow right field. The ball was inside LeMahieu’s glove and rolled out, down his arm and dropped to the field. Chapman, trying to find his way back after spending five weeks on the injured list, walked Franchy Cordero and Rob Refsnyder, before striking out Bobby Dalbec. Jeter Downs, pinch hitting, popped up to shallow center. LeMahieu waved off Aaron Hicks, but couldn’t get himself under the ball. It dropped off the side of his glove, allowing Story to score the go-ahead run.

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The Yankees couldn’t hang on to their lead after a quick start. (Steven Senne/AP)

Chapman allowed a run on a hit and two walks. He struck out Vaszquez on a 101-mile an hour fastball to finish the inning.

Story pulled the thread to completely undo the Yankee in the seventh with a three-run double off Miguel Castro. Cordero laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Story and reached on Albert Abreu’s throwing error.

Jameson Taillon blew the  three-run lead he was handed early. He allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out three and allowed a career-high tying three homers. It was the third time he’s allowed three homers in a game over his career. This was the first time since June 29, 2021.

Taillon gave up a two-run shot to Cordero in the second and a solo shot to Christian Vazquez in the third. He worked around an Alex Verdugo single in the fourth, but gave up an RBI double to Vazquez and a two-run shot to J.D. Martinez to tie the game.

Over his last four starts, Taillon has allowed 20 earned runs in 20.2 innings pitched. That included the Astros and Red Sox with dangerous lineups, but also the A’s and the Pirates, who began Sunday a combined 43 games below .500.

Taillon’s struggles go deeper than that. Since taking a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Angels on June 2, Taillon has allowed 27 earned runs over 36.2 innings pitched.

Giancarlo Stanton, who has hinted that he will be in the Home Run Derby next week at the All-Star Game festivities, hit his 22nd homer of the season in the first inning. His two-run shot that went 393-feet to right center field.

In the second, the Bombers scored a run on a line drive single from Jose Trevino, who learned Sunday afternoon he had been tabbed for his first All-Star Game appearance. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa drove in the second of the inning on a ground ball up the middle.

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In the third, Matt Carpenter hit his 10th homer of the season on a fly ball to right field. The two-run shot was 391 feet to right field.