Posada doubled to open the inning, then watched as Nick Swisher battled through an 11-pitch at-bat only to ground out. Brett Gardner singled to left, but Posada didn’t advance. Then, after Curtis Granderson flied out, the Sox had a chance to get out of the inning.
That was when Derek Jeter hit a ball in the hole, where shortstop Marco Scutaro grabbed it. He bounced the throw to Kevin Youkilis for an error, loading the bases before Okajima walked in the winning run. Robinson Cano added a homer in the ninth for New York.
“I just made a bad throw, that’s it,’’ Scutaro said. “I don’t really have an excuse. If I would have made a good throw, out. I don’t have any excuse at all. I just made a bad throw. I threw a nice two-seamer.’’
Scutaro said he didn’t rush the throw because of Jeter scampering down the line, as manager Terry Francona had indicated he might have. He just erred, and so the game went to the Yankees.
“It just hopped up quick,’’ Youkilis said. “Just hit the top of my glove, and just didn’t get in the webbing. It was one of those plays that I blame myself, thought I could have made it, but it just hopped up enough where it got a bad bounce. One of those tough breaks you have. One play doesn’t screw up the game. That’s not how we lost the ballgame.’’
Pitching and defense are fantastic in theory. But for the second straight game the Sox’ starting pitcher was far from dominant, and runs were not being prevented against the Yankees.
Sunday night, it was Josh Beckett giving up five runs. Last night, it was Jon Lester giving up four. Neither got the decision, although the Yankees’ A.J. Burnett didn’t either last night.
“Lot of deep counts,’’ Francona said of Lester. “I think in the second inning he was 3 and 2 on just about everybody. We talk about it all the time, and it’s certainly a lot easier said than done, but pounding the zone with good stuff [is a must] because they don’t chase balls that a lot of other teams will. They work counts very well. He had a lot of deep counts tonight.’’
