The Yankees can’t even win when Gerrit Cole pitches brilliantly into the 7th with 10 strikeouts and no walks, 5 hits and 2 earned runs. This time it was the Tampa bullpen that stifled the vaunted Yankee bats — on their bullpen day. NY is now 5-10 with the worst record in the American League and getting worse. Tampa SWEEPS them at Yankee Stadium. Ugggh.
5 Reasons how it happened:
1. Cole Undone By Hicks’ Defense in Centerfield
This time it was Aaron Hicks in centerfield — not concentrating on two balls hit to him in the top of the 3rd. With the Yanks leading 1-0 after a Giancarlo Stanton homer in the 2nd, catcher Mike Zunino led off the 3rd with a single, but was dead to rights at 2nd when centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier hit a little bloop to center that fell for a single. If Hicks had come in quickly and fielded the ball cleanly he should have easily thrown Zunino out at 2nd — as Zunino had to stay close to 1st not sure if the ball would fall for a single or not. But Hicks muffed the play allowing 2 on with nobody out.
1st baseman Yandy Diaz then singled to center and Hicks came in and again muffed the ball — it bouncing off his glove, which allowed Zunino to score and Kiermaier and Diaz to end up on 2nd and 3rd instead of 1st and 2nd. Margot hit a sac fly to put Tampa ahead 2-1.
2. Stanton Homer
At least Giancarlo Stanton hit a homer. In the 3rd to put NY up 1-0. With Cole on the mound and dominant, it looked like the Yanks would finally win one.
G'd up. pic.twitter.com/0zzYOvr2p1
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 18, 2021
3. LeMahieu Ties It
In the bottom of the 5th, Gio Urshela led off with a double, but looked like he’d be stranded there after Rougned Odor grounded out to the pitcher and Clint Frazier grounded out to 3rd. But Kyle Higashioka worked a 3-2 walk and DJ LeMahieu got a big 2-out single to tie the score 2-2.
26 ties it up 🤖 pic.twitter.com/uCyxswTuIx
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 18, 2021
4. Cole Runs Out of Gas in 7th
Cole struck out the first batter of the 7th, but then allowed a single to shortstop Joey Wendle and an RBI double to Yoshi Tsutsugo and it was 3-2 Tampa and ballgame. Tampa added an insurance run in the 8th on a homer by Wendle off Darren O’Day.
5. Tampa Bullpen Great; Yankee Offense Stinks
But the big reason for the loss was the Yankees’ vaunted lineup which got 3 hits on the day. THREE HITS. The Homer by Stanton, the double by Urshela, and the single by LeMahieu. That was it. Against Tampa’s bullpen day —Â Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Yarbrough, Diego Castillo, and Jeffrey Spriggs. Of those pitchers, Yarborough was the hero — and game winner — with 5 innings of 2-hit ball, allowing the RBI single to LeMahieu.
The Boxscore
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401227287
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