Last Night's Action: Matter of Inches

Photographs of Johnny Damon attempting to catch Kevin Youkils's hit by Julie Jacobson/AP

• Red Sox 6, Yankees 4: If Johnny Damon had caught the ball, things might have turned out differently. With the Yankees leading, 3-1, and two Red Sox on base, Kevin Youkilis lifted a high drive to left field, and Damon appeared to have it in his glove. Then gravity kicked in, Damon returned to Earth, and, after literally hanging on top of the wall, the ball fell to the warning track. That proved to be the turning point.

  The Red Sox had tied the game and would go on to take the lead in the fifth. The Yankees wasted chances in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings to go down for the second straight day. They now trail Boston by six games in the wild card standings. They need to regroup fast. And Joe Girardi missed again with his team-meeting attempt at turning things around.

  

• Phillies 3, Mets 2: Johan Santana is about as blameless as any Met for the disappointment this season, but he'll still probably catch undeserved flak over this one. He was handed a 2-0 lead but gave the runs back in the sixth inning. Outside of that frame, Santana, still 7-7, was nearly flawless, allowing six hits, no walks and striking out six. Santana's ERA has dropped by a third of a run as he has picked up four losses. He got a no-decision Friday as the the Mets mistook J.A. Happ for Robin Roberts.

  They got two runs in the fifth and nothing else. When Duaner Sanchez took the ball with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, a two-out double and a two-out single spelled doom. The Mets' runs came on a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk. The teams play the second of four on Saturday night.

Photograph of Johan Santana by Tom Mihalek/AP