Alex Cora reveals two painfully obvious reasons why Red Sox were swept by Yankees

Alex Cora reveals two painfully obvious reasons why Red Sox were swept by Yankees originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . It's safe to say that Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was not exactly thrilled with how his club played against the New York Yankees .

After all, they were swept by their longtime rivals at home. But Cora, now in his seventh non-consecutive season as manager of the AL East club, didn't make excuses after Thursday night's 4-2 loss. “They pitched a lot better than us and got clutch hits, and we got swept, that’s it,” Cora told reporters after the game, including MLB.

com's Ian Browne . A rather blunt response from Boston's manager, who is tasked with helping his team return to winning ways during a six-game road trip to Baltimore and Toronto. MORE: Yasiel Puig is back in professional baseball Across three games, the Red Sox offense managed just three runs and 13 hits against the Yankees' pitching staff.

They wasted an excellent start from top prospect Payton Tolle in game three, as the left-hander struck out 11 and allowed just one run on three hits in six innings. Tolle replaced Sonny Gray on the roster, who went on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. He should have a few more turns in the rotation before the veteran returns.