In the 2020 MLB season, the Boston Red Sox are beasts of the AL East, anyway.
The Boston Red Sox are a different team inside their own division.
With their Saturday and Sunday victories over the Yankees, the Sox stand 17-11 against their four AL East opponents, with winning records against all of them. But they are 20-25 against everybody else and hold a season edge only against the Twins and Athletics.
New York got away with the Friday game 8-6, surviving a near bullpen collapse after the eighth inning removal of Gerrit Cole. The Yanks led 8-1 when Cole, 6-5, came out, Aaron Judge having supported him with a pair of home runs and five RBIs.
But Tyler Lyons surrendered five runs – thanks to home runs by Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Mitch Moreland – narrowing the gap to two runs before Aroldis Chapman nailed down his 12th save.
That Red Sox home run bash may not have pulled out Friday’s game but it built momentum. On Saturday Devers homered in the first, third, and seventh innings, his last kayoing J.A. Happ. Devers had five RBIs for the day. Still, it took a Mitch Moreland walk-off double to settle the outcome in a 6-5 Boston victory.
Boston breezed to an 8-1 Sunday win behind Eduardo Rodriguez, 4-6. With relief help, Rodriguez held New York to four hits, and Alex Verdugo’s two singles pushed four runs across.
The Rays beat Baltimore 7-1 Friday, Yoshitorro Tsutsugo, and Yandy Diaz both providing three-run home runs. Tyler Glasnow got the victory, his fourth against six losses.
The Orioles rode Kohl Stewart top a 1-0 win Saturday, Hanser Alberto’s fourth-inning home run providing the difference. Stewart allowed the Rays three hits, the same number losing pitcher Charlie Morton, 4-6, gave the Orioles.
Tampa took the series 9-3 Sunday. Brandon Lowe was the offensive star with a home run, a single and four RBIs. Yonny Chirinos, 6-4, got the win.
W-L Pct GB
New York Yankees 41-32 .562 —
Toronto Blue Jays 39-33 .542 1.5
Boston Red Sox 37-36 .507 4
Tampa Bay Rays 33-40 .452 8
Baltimore Orioles 25-47 .347 15.5