BOSTON (AP) — After all their history, the New York Yankees didn’t expect the Boston Red Sox to roll over just because they have given up on defending their World Series title.
“You know this is a competitive team,” Yankees third baseman Chase Headly said Friday night after Boston won 4-3 for just its second victory in 10 games. “Regardless of what kind of moves they made, they’re going to come out and give you everything they have.”
One day after the trading deadline that signaled the Red Sox surrender of the 2014 season, Boston bounced back against their rivals with a lineup featuring a pitcher making his major league debut and three other rookies.
The Yankees also had some new players: Stephen Drew, who was traded from Boston to New York on Thursday, made his Yankees debut and played second base for the first time in his career; and Martin Prado, who was acquired from Arizona for a prospect.
“I’m pleased with the additions that we’ve made,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “These are two guys who really know how to play the game and can impact the game in a lot of different ways.”
Anthony Ranaudo pitched six solid innings in his major league debut and Dustin Pedroia drove in two runs as Boston snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ranaudo (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits, including a solo homer Carlos Beltran hit into the New York bullpen in the fourth. Ranaudo walked four and struck out two, and he scattered the few mistakes he made well enough for Boston to hang on after taking a 2-0 lead in the third.
Derek Jeter led off the eighth with a shot over the Green Monster to pull the Yankees within 4-3, but they failed to drive in Mark Teixeira for the tying run after his ground-rule double with one out.
Koji Uehara pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
The Red Sox, mired deep in last place in the AL East after losing eight of nine, have won three straight over the Yankees.
Boston got to Chris Capuano (1-2) in the third when Brock Holt hit a one-out triple down the right-field line, then scored when Pedroia followed with a drive over Jacoby Ellsbury’s head in center. The ball bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double and Pedroia scored easily from second on a single by David Ortiz.
After Beltran’s 13th homer of the season cut the lead to 2-1, the Red Sox got an RBI single from David Ross in the fourth and added an insurance run in the seventh when Pedroia singled home Mookie Betts, who led off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice.
Capuano pitched 6 1-3 innings for New York, allowing four runs and eight hits. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Michael Pineda will start in Triple-A Scranton on Sunday with a limit of about four innings or 65 pitches. Doctors will evaluate Masahiro Tanaka on Monday, three weeks after he was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in his torn ulnar collateral ligament as an alternative to surgery.
Red Sox: Will Middlebrooks returned for Boston after missing 67 games with a broken finger and started at third base. Ross came up limping when he grounded out to end the sixth. He left the game and was replaced by Christian Vazquez.
ON DECK
Yankees: Shane Greene (2-1) makes his fifth start in the same ballpark where he made his major league debut on April 24. Greene got plenty of run support as the Yankees routed the Red Sox 14-5. It will be the 49th game a rookie has started for the Yankees this season.
Red Sox: Allen Webster (1-0) makes his second start of the season as the Red Sox try to re-establish the rotation after trading starters Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jake Peavy and Felix Doubront. Webster went 5 1-3 innings last week against the Rays, allowing two runs and five hits and getting the victory as Boston snapped a five-game losing streak.
FURTHER REVIEW
Ellsbury was called out attempting to steal second after a leadoff walk in the sixth. The Yankees challenged and won, leading to a run when Ellsbury scored on Beltran’s single to Boston’s lead to 3-2. Ellsbury appeared to have an extra-base hit in the eighth on a drive to his former territory in the center-field triangle, but was robbed on a lunging catch by Mookie Betts — an infielder who’s getting a chance in the outfield.
“For a guy who’s transitioning positions, it’s a very athletic play,” Farrell said.
MOVING DAY
The Yankees made three roster moves before the game, designating INF Brian Roberts for assignment and optioning INF Zelous Wheeler and OF Zoilo Almonte to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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