Red Sox rookie Rodriguez halts Yankess' playoff push
NEW YORK - Eduardo Rodriguez became the first Red Sox rookie left-hander to win 10 games in 43 years, and Boston slowed the New York Yankees' march toward a postseason berth with a 5-1 victory Monday night.
The Yankees had a chance to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2012 with a win - what would've been their 10,000th franchise victory - and losses by Minnesota, Texas and the Angels.
But scoreboard watching was rendered unnecessary when Travis Shaw and Jackie Bradley Jr. each hit two-run homers off Ivan Nova. New York managed little offense after Alex Rodriguez's sacrifice fly in the first ended Boston pitchers' 29-inning scoreless stretch. New York dropped five games behind Toronto in the AL East with six to play.
The Yankees' fourth loss in 10 games came in front of 39,476 fans, the smallest crowd for a matchup in the Bronx between these rivals since May 27, 1999, according to STATS.
Eduardo Rodriguez gave up seven hits, six singles, in supplanting John Curtis, who went 11-8 in 1972, as the most recent Boston rookie lefty to reach 10 wins. Rodriguez walked one and struck out five in six innings of what interim manager Torey Lovullo said would be the 22-year-old's final start of the season. Lovullo said Rodriguez ''deserves a lot of consideration to be one of our mainstays next year.''