BOSTON (AP) — Cam Schlittler limited the team he rooted for growing up to four hits over eight innings, and the New York Yankees rallied twice to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Thursday night for a three-game sweep and a season-high six-game winning streak.
With his family cheering on at Fenway Park, Schlittler (3-1) allowed two runs — one earned — while striking out five, walking one and lowering his ERA to 1.77.
It was the longest outing in 20 regular-season starts for the 25-year-old right-hander from Weymouth, who pitched eight shutout innings to beat the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in last year’s AL Wild Card Series.
David Bedner tossed a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances, dropping the last-place Red Sox (9-16) seven games back of New York with their fifth loss in six games. Boston scored three runs in the series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the score 1-1 for the AL-best Yankees (16-9) with a fifth-inning homer off rookie Payton Tolle. Chisholm’s first home run of the season was the shortest of his big league career, a 333-foot shot around the Pesky Pole in right.
Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double following shortstop José Caballero’s second-inning throwing error and Carlos Narváez’s fifth-inning homer twice provided leads for the Red Sox.
After New York loaded the bases in the seventh off Danny Coulombe (0-1) on three singles, Cody Bellinger put the Yankees ahead with a two-run single off former Yankee Greg Weissert for just his fifth hit in 31 at-bats as a pinch-hitter. The Yankees had not had a go-ahead pinch hit while trailing at Fenway since Elston Howard on April 23, 1967.
Aaron Judge followed with an RBI single.
Tolle, called up from Triple-A Worcester and making his first major league appearance this season, struck out a career-high 11 — including his first five batters. He allowed one run, three hits and one walk in six innings.
New York faced a left-handed starter for the fifth straight game for the first time since April 21-25, 2016.
The Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton struck out a season-high four times.
Boston’s Roman Anthony was sidelined for the second straight game with back tightness.
Up next
Yankees: RHP Will Warren (2-0, 2.49) starts Friday at Houston, which goes with RHP Lance McCullers (1-1, 6.20).
Red Sox: RHP Bryan Bello (1-2, 6.75) takes the mound Friday at Baltimore, which starts RHP Brandon Young (1-0, 0.00).
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