BOSTON — In his previous start, Michael Pineda was done in by the four homers he gave up in just five innings.
So, if you’re desperate for good news, you will be pleased to learn the Red Sox didn’t go deep against Pineda once Saturday.
But because it’s Pineda — and the Yankees can’t seem to get out of their own way these days. Pineda was beaten by a bloop hit to right, as well as a feeble lineup, in an 8-0 loss at Fenway Park.
In fact, if the Yankees’ offense ever would awake from its month-long slumber, the five-inning, two-run performance Pineda had against the Red Sox may have been enough for a win, but it still hardly inspired greatness.
“Michael battled his butt off for five innings,” manager Joe Girardi said. “We are not hitting.”
The bullpen fell apart in the later innings.
“We had some young pitchers give up runs late,” Girardi said. “It’s a learning curve.”
Pineda’s inefficiency is what forced those young pitchers into the game, since the bullpen had to navigate three innings. Pineda needed a season-high 106 pitches to finish five innings.
The combination made it no surprise the Yankees lost their fourth straight, especially with the bats remaining silent.
“It’s our job to score runs,” Brett Gardner said. “It’s not the starting pitchers’ fault.”
At this point, it would be hard to imagine the pitchers would be much worse than the regular lineup, which was shut down this time by Rick Porcello.
Pineda was no match for the right-hander, as every inning seemed to be a fight, while Porcello cruised through seven shutout innings.
“I’ll continue grinding and fighting every day, and everything can be better,” Pineda said.
Among Pineda’s issues Saturday was a lack of command. He threw 28 pitches in the first, 25 in the second and 24 more in the third.
He also matched his season high with three walks after not walking more than two batters in any outing since joining the Yankees.
Though he escaped a pair of two-out baserunners in the first without giving up a run, Pineda wasn’t as fortunate in the second.
After getting two quick outs again in the second, Pineda surrendered a single to Christian Vazquez and a double to Jackie Bradley Jr. before Mookie Betts came to the plate.
To show just how bad things are going for the Yankees, Pineda got Betts to pop to short right on a 95 mph fastball, but it fell perfectly between Carlos Beltran and Starlin Castro to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
“It’s tough because you believe in your team,” Pineda said. “You know everything will get better. We’ll be OK.”