Yankees 9
Red Sox 4
It didn’t seem one of the worst nights of the season could get any more ugly for the Red Sox. Then David Ortiz, their most vital player, fouled a ball off his right shin in the ninth inning and had to be helped off the field.
A sellout crowd at Fenway Park, already agitated by the poor play of the Sox, fell silent when Ortiz slumped to one knee after swinging at a 99-miles-per-hour pitch from Dellin Betances.
With manager John Farrell and physical therapist Adam Thomas assisting him, Ortiz limped off the field and down the steps into the dugout.
An initial fluoroscan was negative and Ortiz was able to walk on his own afterward. It was the second time in a week he fouled a ball off the same spot.
“My heart sunk a little bit when I saw it but fortunately I just saw him back there and he’s doing much better,’’ president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.
The Red Sox also lost right fielder Mookie Betts in the eighth inning when he came out with a tight right calf. He missed two games last month with a sore right knee.
Betts will undergo testing on Thursday and is doubtful for the final game of the series.
“It was just kind of going on all day. Having some stiffness and just kind of gradually got a little worse so just precautionary,’’ Betts said.
Before the game, it was announced righthander Steven Wright would miss his next start with a shoulder injury that came via running the bases in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Three injuries to three All-Stars, it was almost enough to make the result of the game, a 9-4 loss, seem superfluous.
Of course, it’s not. The Red Sox, up, 4-1, after six innings, saw relievers Matt Barnes, Fernando Abad, Junichi Tazawa, and Robbie Ross Jr. allow eight runs on eight hits, three walks, and three wild pitches over only two innings.
“We as a bullpen let that one get away from us tonight,’’ Farrell said.
The Sox have lost five of their last eight games and are 12-13 since the All-Star break. A once-potent offense has averaged 3.6 runs in the last 14 games.
It was a year ago this week that Farrell learned he had lymphoma and had to step away from the team to pursue treatment. Bench coach Torey Lovullo managed the final 48 games.
The Sox have 50 games remaining this season and Lovullo could soon be managing again if the Sox cannot break out of what has been several weeks of desultory play.
Farrell tried changing his lineup, using Dustin Pedroia leading off with Xander Bogaerts and Betts ahead of Ortiz. The Yankees responded by walking Ortiz three times, twice intentionally, to get to slumping Hanley Ramirez. He was 0 for 5 and left six runners on base.
The Sox were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. That inefficiency came on a night when Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi left the game after one inning with a sore elbow. Manager Joe Girardi used seven relievers to secure the victory.
Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz went 5⅓ innings and allowed one run on six hits. But he has pitched only 25⅔ innings in five starts since being obtained from the San Diego Padres.
“I’d like to get deeper into the game,’’ said Pomeranz, who needed 93 pitches to get 16 outs. Pomeranz left with a 2-1 lead.
The Sox loaded the bases with one out in the third inning and scratched out a run when Betts grounded slowly to second base and was able to beat the double play. Ortiz then popped to left field.
The Sox again loaded the bases with one out in the third inning. This time Andrew Benintendi avoided a double play to drive in a run.
When the Sox loaded the bases in the fifth inning, they could have used another slow grounder. But Ramirez popped to left, Jackie Bradley Jr. fouled out, and pinch hitter Aaron Hill struck out.
The Sox took a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning as the reconfigured lineup clicked a bit. Sandy Leon drew a walk from former teammate Tommy Layne. Benintendi grounded a single into right and Leon went to third. Facing Tyler Clippard, Pedroia followed with a single to left, driving in Leon and sending Benintendi to third.
Benintendi scored when Bogaerts grounded into a force at second. Betts followed with his second double, a blast to center field. But Bogaerts was thrown out at the plate.
The Yankees intentionally walked Ortiz and Ramirez flied out to left field.
The lead did not last as the Yankees scored five runs on six hits in the seventh inning to take the lead.
Barnes, who got his first career save on Tuesday, started the inning and allowed groundball singles by Didi Gregorius, Gary Sanchez, and Austin Romine for one run.
To a chorus of boos, Alex Rodriguez pinch hit and flied to right field. That advanced Sanchez to third base.
Abad came in and struck out Brett Gardner. But the lefty specialist failed to get lefthanded hitting Jacoby Ellsbury, who singled in a run. Chase Headley did the same.
Tazawa walked Mark Teixeira and Starlin Castro followed with a two-run double down the line in left.
The eighth inning was more of the same. Tazawa, who also wore down in August last season, allowed a towering homer by Sanchez. When Ross came in, a series of poorly located pitches led to two more runs scoring.
