BOSTON -- It was a game that felt more like a hangover the morning after a particularly good, and exhausting, party.
No Derek Jeter, no Brett Gardner, no Mark Teixeira, no Brian McCann. Very few players, in fact, who resembled genuine New York Yankees. And the game bore absolutely no resemblance to the vaunted New York-Boston rivalry of recent years gone by.
Still, the quasi-Yanks had just enough to squeak by the pseudo-Red Sox, 3-2, Friday at Fenway Park in a game that featured just two earned runs all night.
Back in the saddle: One night after blowing a save -- and setting up Jeter's dramatic, walk-off single -- David Robertson was sent out to preserve the Yankees' 1-0 lead and did, but not without another anxious moment. Robertson gave up a leadoff single to Xander Bogaerts, who reached second when second baseman Jose Pirela had the ball pop out of his glove when it appeared John Ryan Murphy had him thrown out trying to steal. But Robertson struck out Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig and got Garin Cecchini to fly out.
Irregular lineup: The Yankees lineup resembled that of a spring training game more than one against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, evidence of the fate that has befallen both teams this season -- and perhaps the cooling of a once-great rivalry. The only semiregular in the lineup was Francisco Cervelli, and he was playing out of position at first base. In fact, the Yankees had three catchers in the lineup, but only one of them, Murphy, was behind the plate. Austin Romine, the fourth-string catcher on the expanded roster, was tonight's designated hitter.
Fenway first: Despite having pitched here 12 previous times, including for the first half of this season as a member of the home team, Chris Capuano had never won at Fenway Park until tonight, when he worked a tidy 6⅔ innings, allowing just four hits and one unearned run. It was Capuano's second win as a Yankee against four losses.
Meet the new bats: Same as the old bats. The lineup of Yankees irregulars managed four hits, all singles, off knuckleballer Steven Wright in his five innings of work but took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single by Cervelli and a groundout by Murphy, both in the third inning. Both runs were unearned.
Passed out: The Yankees' first run was the result of two passed balls, one of which put Eury Perez on first despite the fact it was a called strike three, and the second of which advanced him to second, from which he scored on Cervelli's fly ball single off the Green Monster.
Hitting spree: After Wright left the game, the Yankees scored a more conventional run off reliever Matt Barnes. Romine singled home Murphy, who had doubled to right to lead off the sixth.
Wheels in the outfield: Making his first Yankees start, Perez got into the action right at the start by making a terrific diving catch on Mookie Betts' sinking liner to center leading off the Boston first. And in the fifth, right fielder Antoan Richardson ran down a drive by BoSox left fielder Bryce Brentz in the triangle in right-center.
Horse has left the barn: Shawn Kelley, who had taken to wearing a horse's head mask during warm-ups as a good-luck charm, has looked ready for the glue factory recently, and after he came in to relieve Capuano in the seventh, saw his first pitch hit over the Green Monster by Rusney Castillo to cut the Yankees' lead to 3-2. Since Aug. 5, Kelley's ERA has soared from 3.22 to 4.53.
Saturday: One last look at Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 2.47 ERA), who gets the start in Game 2 of this three-game series against right-hander Joe Kelly (3-2, 4.00), first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Jeter is also expected to return to the lineup as the DH, and it's possible Jacoby Ellsbury will return, too, after a week-long absence with a hamstring strain.