Paxton finds groove after Gleyber slams Sox

NEW YORK -- James Paxton's shoulders slumped ever so slightly as he returned to the dugout with three outs in the books, once again mystified by his continued inability to work a clean first inning. Then Gleyber Torres sent a grand slam into the left-field seats, and all seemed right within the Yankees' universe.

That is the version of Paxton that the Yankees need to see more as they drive toward the postseason, especially now that they know their only reinforcements are likely to come from within. Torres' first-inning grand slam off Eduardo Rodriguez held up as the difference in a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox on Friday evening at Yankee Stadium.

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"We're really confident in the guys in this room," Paxton said. "We've also got guys coming back that'll be like making trades. There's a lot of guys that are going to be coming back here and making a big difference. I think that the guys in this room can get it done."

As Paxton noted, the quiet Trade Deadline leaves the Yanks banking on healthy returns from pitchers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances down the stretch, and they also expect to have Giancarlo Stanton's big bat in the lineup at some point. They did fine without all of that on Friday, sending the reeling Red Sox to their fifth straight loss.

New York's American League East lead over the third-place Sox is 11 1/2 games heading into Saturday's separate-admission doubleheader. The second-place Rays are 7 1/2 games behind the Bombers, who recorded their Major League-leading 35th come-from-behind win as they bounced back from J.D. Martinez's first-inning homer.

"Our guys are ready to go and love playing with each other," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "They are confident. We know we’re up against a good team. It's Boston, it's the weekend. It's easy to be ready for that. I thought we went out and played a clean game."

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Paxton has allowed a Major League-leading 11 home runs in the first inning this season, part of the formula that has produced an obese 11.37 first-inning ERA. Boone said he believes the first-inning troubles are a fluke, commenting that Paxton "threw the snot out of the ball in the first inning," but Boston's bats were largely absent after that first walk to the dugout.

Leaning on his curveball more frequently than in his July 26 start at Fenway Park, when Boston hammered Paxton for seven runs over four innings, Paxton permitted just two hits in a 100-pitch effort. The 30-year-old walked three and struck out six, generating a season-high 20 swings and misses to log his first victory since June 21.

"I didn't make as many mistakes and the ones that I did make, they didn't put over the fence," Paxton said. "J.D. hit a pretty good pitch in the first inning, not a great pitch to him. He hits stuff pretty well down and in and I missed my spot. Other than that, I felt like I threw the ball pretty well."

The first three Yankees reached against Rodriguez, who induced a foul popout that brought Torres to the plate with the bases loaded. That is a situation in which Torres has enjoyed success thus far in his young career; Torres owned nine hits in 23 at-bats with the sacks full, including a June 19 grand slam off the Rays' Oliver Drake.

"He's a guy you want up in that situation," Boone said. "He likes being in that spot. He's able to really lock in and focus."

Torres said he was looking for a first-pitch fastball that he could get the barrel of his bat to. Rodriguez obliged, firing a 95.4 mph fastball toward the inside corner. Connecting with a drive that came off his bat at 106.4 mph and soared 384 feet into the left-field seats, Torres provided all of the support that Paxton and the Yankees' bullpen would need.

"I never think [about trying] to hit homers, just put the ball in play and try to hit really hard," Torres said. "It doesn't matter if it's a ground ball or a sacrifice. I just try to do my job, and I did."

With Paxton done after 100 pitches, Tommy Kahnle pitched around a single in the seventh before Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman worked perfect frames. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu made a leaping stab of a Sam Travis liner to seal Chapman's 28th save in 33 opportunities.

"We're just trying to rack up wins right now," Boone said. "There's still a couple of months to go in this thing. Anytime you can rack up a win against a division opponent that is as capable as the Red Sox are, you enjoy those a little more, frankly."