Price finally solves Yankees as Red Sox win 8-5 to stop skid

NEW YORK (AP) — David Price finally won at Yankee Stadium for the first time with the Boston Red Sox, backed by early homers from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts in an 8-5 victory over New York on Sunday night.

Boston stopped a four-game losing streak and improved to 1-4 against the Yankees this season, preventing a three-game sweep in a series shortened by a rainout. Thunder and lightning crackled in the eighth inning of this one as New York tried to rally in a brief rain against frazzled reliever Matt Barnes, who looked incredibly uncomfortable on the mound even after the grounds crew applied drying agent.

Barnes spiked pitches, kicked at the mud, walked consecutive batters and balked home a run. He gave up three runs before finally settling down and getting out of the inning.

Brandon Workman tossed a scoreless ninth for his second career save, both this year.

The third-place Red Sox moved within 8½ games of the AL East-leading Yankees, who have a 2½-game advantage over Tampa Bay. The next time baseball’s biggest rivals meet will be June 29-30 in London, with Boston the home team for the first two major league games in Europe.

The Yankees, who lost for only the fourth time in 19 games, don’t visit Fenway Park until July 25-28.

Boston, the defending World Series champion, hasn’t lost five straight since an eight-game slide in July 2015. Every other major league team has dropped at least five in a row during that period.

Price (3-2) permitted two runs and six hits with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, outpitching CC Sabathia in a matchup of AL Cy Young Award winners.

Since signing a $217 million, seven-year contract with the Red Sox before the 2016 season, Price had been 0-6 with a 9.79 ERA in six starts at Yankee Stadium. He is 3-7 in 12 regular-season starts against the Yankees overall since joining Boston — 0-4 with a 10.90 ERA in five starts last year, including the playoffs.

The left-hander is 15-15 versus New York overall.

Looking for his 250th win, a fired-up Sabathia (3-2) yielded three runs in six innings. The 38-year-old lefty struck out a season-high eight after missing a turn with inflammation in his troublesome right knee.

New York was trailing 3-2 in the seventh when right fielder Clint Frazier let Eduardo Núñez’s sharp single get past him for an error, allowing Michael Chavis to score from first base. Pinch-hitter Brock Holt looped a soft RBI single over a drawn-in infield, and Andrew Benintendi’s single caromed off a diving Frazier and bounded away, permitting another run to score.

Bogaerts doubled in the eighth and scored on a single by Rafael Devers, sending fans streaming toward the exits. What was left from a crowd of 40,068 booed Frazier when he had trouble with Chavis’ pop-fly RBI triple.

Martinez hit a solo homer in the first inning and Núñez had an RBI single in the second. Bogaerts, on a tear at the plate, launched a leadoff shot in the fourth that reached the elevated bleachers in left field for his third home run in four games.

Price retired his first 10 batters before giving up four straight hits in the fourth, snapping a streak of more than 14 innings without allowing an earned run.

Luke Voit homered and the Yankees loaded the bases on three singles that led to Gio Urshela’s sacrifice fly, cutting it to 3-2. New York had runners at the corners with two outs when Gleyber Torres took off for second and stopped, producing a long rundown that ended when Aaron Hicks was tagged out between third and home.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: 1B Mitch Moreland, out since May 26, was feeling better and slated to hit off a tee, manager Alex Cora said. Both sides of Boston’s first base platoon, Moreland and Steve Pearce, are on the injured list with low back strains. … LHP Brian Johnson (elbow inflammation) is scheduled for another minor league rehab outing Tuesday, Cora said. Johnson gave up two runs and four hits in two innings Thursday for Double-A Portland.

Yankees: Frazier was back in the starting lineup. He was removed from Saturday night’s game one inning after getting hit by a pitch in the left elbow. … SS Didi Gregorius went 0 for 4 as the DH in his latest rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gregorius is expected to rejoin the Yankees in Cleveland this weekend. At first, Gregorius will probably play only two out of every three days or three out of four, manager Aaron Boone said. … RF Aaron Judge (left oblique strain), RHP Dellin Betances (shoulder impingement) and 1B Greg Bird (left plantar fascia tear) are headed to the team’s complex in Florida for rehab work when the Yankees go on the road this week. … SS Troy Tulowitzki has pretty much recovered from his strained left calf and the team is discussing when he might start a rehab assignment, Boone said. … Sabathia was reinstated from the injured list. To open a roster spot, the Yankees optioned LHP Nestor Cortes Jr. to Triple-A after Saturday night’s game.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: After an off day Monday, the Red Sox play 17 games in 16 days to cap a stretch of 32 games in 33 days. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (5-3, 5.04 ERA) makes his 100th career start Tuesday night in Kansas City against RHP Glenn Sparkman (1-1, 4.21). Because of Thursday night’s rainout, Rodríguez hasn’t pitched since winning 4-1 at Houston on May 26.

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-4, 3.20 ERA) starts Tuesday at Toronto vs. LHP Clayton Richard (0-1, 3.38) when the AL East foes meet for the first time this season. Tanaka is 11-4 with a 2.69 ERA against the Blue Jays.