Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
For the second straight night, the Sox roared back to take the lead in the late innings. But last night, unlike Monday night, they were able to hold onto that lead — barely — pushing themselves up to .500 with a a split of the two-game series in the Bronx.
They escaped, as Jonathan Papelbon stranded the tying run on third and the winning run on second, striking out Randy Winn to end the game. It was four hours and nine minutes after it had started, and the Sox took a breath and kept themselves from falling to 10 back in the loss column in the division.
The Yankees’ Marcus Thames went from Monday night’s hero to last night’s goat, allowing a ball off the bat of Marco Scutaro to slip through his arms on an ill-advised attempted basket catch in right field in the ninth. That put men on first and second, and they moved up on a groundout. Up came Jeremy Hermida, in for J.D. Drew, who had felt an issue with his right hamstring. And it was Hermida, yet again with two outs, doubling over the head of Winn to score the tie-breaking runs off Mariano Rivera, making it 7-5.
Globe - Perfect comeback by Sox
I didn't pay much attention to this game once the Celtics and Magic started up, minus flipping back during commercial breaks. Luckily they decided to play past midnight so I could catch the exciting conclusion.
It was a win (a resilient win), with the usual suspects stepping up - Youk, Drew, Papi, and the new Mr. Clutch - Hermida.
But I didn't like Papelbon going out there to shut it down. I know the competitor he is, and know he wanted to get back out there and prove the previous night was a fluke, but after pitching 2+ innings against Detroit, then the blow save, I think the man could use a little physical, and mental, rest. He wasn't terrible last night, but he didn't look stellar either. But we got the win, off of Rivera (which only makes it sweeter) and made Joba Chamberlain look like Chan-Ho Park. So, all in all, a great night.
On Page 2, The Yankees Are Telling Mom!
The New York Yankees protested their 7-6 loss to Boston on Tuesday night because they claimed there was no indication of an injury to Red Sox starter Josh Beckett before he came out in the fifth inning.
Relief pitcher Manny Delcarmen was given all the time he needed to warm up after Beckett was removed.
The Yankees filed their protest with umpire crew chief Larry Vanover after the fifth. New York was leading 5-0 at the time.
The Yankees have 24 hours to file a formal protest with the commissioner's office.
After Robinson Cano hit a two-run double, Boston pitching coach John Farrell visited the mound. After consulting with Beckett, he waved to the bullpen. Red Sox manager Terry Francona and a trainer then went to the mound.
Beckett skipped his previous turn in the rotation because of back spasms.
SI.com - Yankees protest loss against Red Sox
I wasn't watching when this happened, so I'm in no place to rake the Yankees over the coals on this... but I can give them a few quick jabs to the ribcage.
This reminds me of when High School teams lose their track and field medals because one of the losing coaches points out that one of the players wore a bracelet, or the wrong colored shorts. I understand that these two things are not quite the same, and, supposing the Sox did something shady here, it definitely was to their advantage... but it's still petty bullcrap.
If the game was close, or the Yankees were down at the time, it wouldn't appear so petty, but with a 5-0 lead, give us a break.
Of course, Delcarmen shut the Yankees down (despite his 3 walks) and the Sox ended up coming back, so maybe there's a point to all of this. I don't really know. I still don't like it.
Rest of the links:
Globe - Don’t make Epstein face the music for this | Battery’s power restored? | Same spot, better location for Papelbon | Herald - Red Sox bats take offense | It may be long summer | Back tightness KO’s Beckett | NESN - Red Sox Rally Late, Beat Rivera, Yankees 7-6 After Marcus Thames' Error | Jeremy Hermida Plays Hero as Red Sox Rally For Win (Video) | WEEI - Drew, Beckett optimistic regarding injuries
