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Jeter-less Yankees edge Red Sox

Sep 27, 2014 - 5:11 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - With Chris Capuano's 6 1/3 strong innings leading the way, a New York Yankees team playing without Derek Jeter opened a season-ending three-game series with the Boston Red Sox with a 3-2 victory at Fenway Park.

Jeter was given the night off following an emotional Yankee Stadium farewell on Thursday, in which the retiring shortstop delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning to lift New York to a 6-5 win over Baltimore.

"He said he'd like to have a day (off)," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi in a press conference held prior to Friday's game. "It's always difficult at this point because everyone wants to see him, and I understand that, but he's been through a lot. Our team's been through a lot. We've played 18 games in the last 17 days. We got in here late last night."

Capuano (3-4), released by the Red Sox on July 1 after a 28-game stint in relief, held his former club to four hits and an unearned run while striking out five.

David Robertson, who set up Jeter's memorable heroics last night by allowing three runs in the top of the ninth inning, bounced back to record the final three outs and earn his 39th save.

Francisco Cervelli paced a makeshift New York lineup by going 2-for-3 with an RBI single.

Rusney Castillo homered for a second straight night for Boston and finished 2- for-3 in the loss. Steven Wright (0-1) was dealt a hard-luck defeat after being touched for two unearned runs over five innings.

Wright, a 30-year-old knuckleballer making just his second career start in the majors, made things tough on the Yankees through the first two innings. His signature pitch gave his catcher plenty of trouble, however, in the third.

The right-hander fanned two straight to begin the frame, but Eury Perez reached first on the last when Dan Butler couldn't handle strike three for a passed ball. Butler let another Wright knuckler get away to move Perez to second, and Cervelli singled his teammate home to tie the game at 1-1.

Chris Young followed with another hit before Boston's defense again let Wright down, as second baseman Mookie Betts threw wildly to first on John Ryan Murphy's potential double-play ball to allow Cervelli to cross with the go- ahead run.

The Red Sox had gone in front on Bryce Brentz's two-out single in the second that plated Allen Craig, who led off with a single and took second when Young misplayed the ball in left field.

Matt Barnes relieved Wright to begin the sixth and was greeted by a Murphy double and a single from Austin Romine, with Zelous Wheeler later delivering a sacrifice fly to push New York's advantage to 3-1.

Capuano made the lead stand by retiring 15-of-16 hitters after Brentz's RBI single.

"Early it was a little shaky with the command," Capuano remarked. "(I had) a really kind of bad bullpen before the game. But the defense helped me out on a couple hard-hit balls and I was able to kind of settle into a rhythm."

Shawn Kelley served up Castillo's towering blast over the Green Monster with two down in the seventh, though, to bring Boston within 3-2.

"I'm starting to fall into a little bit more of a routine, so from a physical standpoint I'm getting closer to where I want to be," said Castillo, a former standout in his native Cuba who signed with the Red Sox in late August.

The Red Sox then put the tying run in scoring position with none out in the ninth, as Xander Bogaerts singled off Robertson and Yankee second baseman Jose Pirela dropped the throw from Murphy on Bogaerts' steal attempt of second.

Robertson struck out the next two hitters, however, before getting Garin Cecchini to fly out and end the contest.

Game Notes

Jeter said prior to the game that he plans to play in at least one of the remaining two matchups in the series, though most likely as a DH ... Perez, claimed off waivers by the Yankees from Washington on Monday, recorded his first major league hit with a first-inning single ... Red Sox slugger David Ortiz sat out a third straight day with inflammation in his wrist ... Wright lasted only one inning in his previous MLB start, allowing three runs against Houston on August 6, 2013.