Analysis of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees series

Red Sox/Yankees Game Two Thoughts

• This was a very Nick Pivetta performance. There were times where he looked fantastic, pitching off one of the best curveballs in the game and spotting his fastball and slider with precision. As the game went along, however, his command wavered, and he was forced to challenge hitters with his straight-as-an arrow fastball. It’s extremely difficult for Pivetta, who doesn’t have a cutter or use his changeup, to get lefties out, as Rizzo and Joey Gallo combined to reach base in their five of their six plate appearances
• Verdugo has looked really good so far this season. He reached base in three of his four plate appearances on this day and played more great defense in left field. It’s hard to know exactly how much Verdugo’s history of hamstring injuries have affected his game in his first two years in Boston, but he looks really healthy this season.
• As impressive as Devers’ home run against Cole was on Friday, his hit on Saturday may have been even more impressive. He smacked a backdoor slider from Severino off the wall in left field, missing a home run by a matter of feet. There are very few hitters in the game who could do that, and it was just another example of Devers proving how special he is.
• There’s no way to know for sure how Bogaerts’ hamstring injury affected him, but he looked terrible at the plate. He struck out in both plate appearances against Severino, and got schooled on three straight pitches by Clay Holmes. It’s probably nothing, and he looked much better on Sunday, but it’s something to take note of
• I’ve always liked Philips Valdez. He may not be flashy, but he pounds the zone and is able to generate ground-balls with his heavy sinker. There is always use for a pitcher like that.