Yank Bullpen Blows 2-Run Lead Twice in Late Innings. Colorado 8 NY 7 in 11

July 17, 2023 paperbacklou 2023 0
Oswaldo Cabrera scores on a Oswald Peraza single in the 11th to put NY up 7-5.

Not once but twice the Yankee bullpen blew a 2-run lead in the late innings.

NY had a 3-1 lead in the 8th, courtesy another terrific pitching performance by Gerrit Cole — but a 2-out Grand Slam coughed up by Clay Holmes to C.J. Cron later, the Yanks were down 5-3.

The Yankees battled back to tie the game and then take a 7-5 lead in the 11th inning. “Hold my beer” said Nick Ramirez and Ron Marinaccio — Ramirez immediately allowing a 2-run homer to Nolan Jones to tie it, and Marinaccio coughing up a solo walk-off homer to the first batter he faced — Alan Trejo — with 2 outs in the 11th.

Final score: Colorado 8 NY 7 — the worst loss of the year for the Yanks so far, as they also lose the 3-game set to the dead-last-place, 36-58 Colorado Rockies.

On a Sunday afternoon in Colorado.

“A tough one,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “We did a good job of getting back into it. Putting a couple on the board there, we just couldn’t finish it off today. And that’s part of it. You’re going to have gut-wrenching losses at difficult times of the season. That’s part of it. We have to get through it; get on that plane and get ready to go in Anaheim.”

NY falls to 50-44, back in a tie with the Red Sox for last place, and 9 games behind Tampa, 8 behind Baltimore, and 3 behind Toronto.

1. Cole Tremendous Again

Gerrit Cole, in his first start since starting the All Star game (and pitching 1 shutout inning, with help from his outfielder) — was tremendous again. He pitched 6 innings of 2-hit baseball, striking out 11, walking 1, and leaving with a 3-1 lead. All those strikeouts caused Cole to be at 102 pitches after 6 innings.

The only run he allowed was a solo homer to Michael Toglia in the 2nd.

He was in line for the win.

2. Yanks Take 3-1 Lead

Colorado started Chase Anderson, who came in with a 0-4 6.89 record. Anderson kicked the Yankees ass with 5 shutout innings.

Jake Bird came in to pitch the 6th, and the Yankees pounced.

DJ LeMahieu reached on an infield single with 1 out, Harrison Bader followed with a single, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled in a run. Bader came around to score too on a throwing error by 3rd baseman Ryan McMahon, trying to double off LeMahieu at 1st, with LeMahieu instead going to 3rd.

With 1 out and the runner on 3rd, Anthony Volpe then made like Phil Rizzuto — slashing at the ball on an 0-2 count to put it in play toward shortstop — scoring the run on a pseudo-sacrifice.

 

3. Kahnle & Holmes Blow It

Wandy Peralta started the 7th in relief of Cole who was at 102 pitches. Wandy pitched a 1-2-3 inning and all was looking good as he handed off the 8th to Tommy Kahnle.

But Kahnle — who has been tremendous this year so far — didn’t quite have it.

A leadoff walk, and 1-out single put 2 on. But Kahnle got out #2 and it looked like he would weather it.

Hard-hitting lefty batter McMahon hit a dribble to 3rd that couldn’t be fielded in time and it was bases loaded — a key turning point.

Bases loaded, 2 outs, and in came Clay Holmes. Yanks up 3-1. Holmes threw 2 balls, then a 96-MPH sinker in the strike zone that C.J. Cron hammered to center for a grand slam.

Rockies 5 NY 3.

4. Yanks Battle Back to Tie It 5-5

As devastating as that was, the Yanks launched an incredible comeback in the top of the 9th. Former Red Sox fireballer Daniel Bard was in — and he hit Billy McKinney with a pitch to lead off the inning.

Gleyber Torres reached on an infield single to 3rd, and 3rd baseman McMahon threw the ball away again — past the 1st baseman into right field. McKinney scored and Gleyber went to 2nd.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a deep sac fly to get Gleyber — the tying run — to 3rd. Anthony Rizzo then walked — and Oswald Peraza ran for Rizzo and stole 2nd base.

With 2nd and 3rd, 1 out — the Rockies intentionally walked DJ LeMahieu.

Harrison Bader hit a HUGE, CLUTCH sac fly to left that tied the game — but Peraza tried to go to 3rd and was tagged out — called safe at first, but on challenge was called out — even though the umpire was on top of the play.

5. Hamilton Terrific

Ian Hamilton pitched a shutout bottom of 9th, and a shutout bottom of 10th — stranding the inherited runner on 2nd.

6. Yanks Take 7-5 Lead in 11th

In the top of the 11th, Oswaldo Cabrera led off with a HUGE, CLUTCH RBI single to right for a 6-5 NY lead.

Cabrera stole 2nd, and with 2 outs, Giancarlo Stanton was intentionally walked, and then Oswald Peraza — in the game as a pinch runner — ripped an RBI single to left to put NY up 7-5 — seemingly the ballgame.

7. Bullpen Blows It Again

But Nick Ramirez said hold my beer — giving up a leadoff homerun to Jones in the bottom of the 11th with the inherited runner on 2nd. Tie game — 7-7 as many on Yankee twitter were screaming that Boone should have brought Ron Marinaccio in.

Ramirez got the next 2 outs, and then Boone brought in Marinaccio. He threw 2 balls and then went to an 85-MPH sweeper that Trejo swept into the seats for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

  • Oswaldo Cabrera had a game: 2 for 3 with 2 walks, and the clutch RBI single in the 11th. He raised his average to .211 (.271 OBP).

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401472424

 

 

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