BOSTON � Domingo German wasn't quite his ace-like self from the early part of the season, but the Yankees and their beaten-up rotation didn't require that Sunday night. A good outing � or even a decent one � would suffice, and German gave them a combination of the two against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
German allowed three runs, four hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings _ marking the longest outing by a Yankees starter since Masahiro Tanaka lasted six innings July 20 _ as the Yankees beat Boston, 9-6.
German, who departed with a 6-3 lead, featured a mostly filthy curveball that helped him strike out nine, matching his season high established April 18 against the Royals.
The numbers for the rotation in the last week-plus were almost hard to comprehend. The group, which general manager Brian Cashman is feverishly trying to upgrade before Wednesday's trade deadline, had a 17.67 ERA and 2.74 WHIP in its last 27 innings, allowing 57 runs (53 earned), 61 hits (including 19 homers) and 13 walks. In the first three games of this series, the Red Sox totaled 38 runs and 52 hits, including 33 for extra bases.
German did his part to contribute to the rotation's struggles in his previous outing Tuesday in Minneapolis, allowing a career-high eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. The primary issue that night, one in which German allowed three home runs, was his curveball, his best pitch, arriving in the strike zone invitingly flat.
It was far from flat Sunday.
German struck out Mookie Betts, who homered three times Friday, in the first with a fastball. Rafael Devers reached on an error by Gleyber Torres, but German got Xander Bogaerts to fly to center and struck out J.D. Martinez swinging at a wicked curveball.
After Chris Sale retired the Yankees in order to start the second, German struck out two more in a perfect 17-pitch second. He struck out Andrew Benintendi, who had three hits on Saturday, looking at a fastball and ended the inning with a swinging strikeout of Mitch Moreland on a curveball.
Subscribe to Newsday's sports newsletter
Receive stories, photos and videos about your favorite New York teams plus national sports news and events.
Austin Romine pumped up the Yankees' dugout in the top of the third, blasting a first-pitch changeup nearly over the Green Monster for a two-run homer that made it 2-0.
German continued to dominate in a 10-pitch third. Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out swinging on a curveball and Sandy Leon went down swinging at yet another curveball. Betts grounded to third for the third out.
Didi Gregorius gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead in the fourth. Luke Voit walked with one out and Gregorius stepped into a 1-and-1 slider and hammered it deep into the seats in right. His seventh homer gave him 20 RBIs in his last 12 games and 15 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
The Red Sox soon cut their deficit in half. Bogaerts scorched one off Gio Urshela at third � scored as a hit, Boston's first � with one out. After Martinez struck out swinging at a curveball, German hung a 1-and-2 curve to Benintendi, who slammed it to deep right for his 10th homer and brought the Red Sox within 4-2.
In the sixth, Urshela hit a rocket to center for an RBI double that made it 5-2 and knocked out Sale. Cameron Maybin greeted righty Colten Brewer with a single to left to make it 6-2.
The Red Sox got one back in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Martinez, but Tommy Kahnle relieved with one on and one out and retired Benintendi and Brock Holt.
The Yankees got two unearned runs in the seventh. Bradley made a running catch for the second out but threw to an unoccupied first base in an attempt to double off Voit. The ball carried into the Red Sox dugout, bringing in two runs to make it 8-3. Maybin doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the eighth for a 9-4 lead.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Zack Britton, but he struck out Bradley and got Christian Vazquez to ground into a forceout.
Benintendi had a two-out, two-run single off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth to make it 9-6, but Chapman struck out Michael Chavis to end it.
