The Indians had been in a bit of a slump since Monday’s trade deadline, dropping five of their last six games and surrendering a staggering 10+ runs in each of the losses. The Yankees were able to capitalize on the Tribe’s recent struggles in the first game of their series on Friday, and early in Saturday afternoon’s contest it appeared as if they might do so again.
The Yankees got to Cleveland starter Corey Kluber early, when Gary Sanchez doubled Starlin Castro in in the bottom of the second. An Aaron Hicks single moved Sanchez to third, and after a wild pitch, the Yankees found themselves with an early 2-0 lead.
Alas, that would be all the offense the team would muster against Kluber, who found his form by ultimately going eight full frames without allowing another run. The team managed just five hits against the former Cy Young winner, drawing a lone walk and striking out eight times as they fell to Cleveland by a score of 5-2.
It was clear the two runs weren’t going to hold up for long once Yankee starter CC Sabathia found himself falling victim to the long ball yet again. After holding Cleveland scoreless for the first three frames, Jason Kipnis ripped a solo shot into the right field stands to cut the Yankee lead to 2-1 in the fourth. An inning later, Rajai Davis tied the game with a single. Mike Napoli would join the party in the sixth with an opposite-field shot to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Sabathia would leave the game after five and 2/3 innings having surrendered six hits and four walks.
The Tribe would tack on a pair of insurance runs as the game progressed, highlighted by another solo-shot, this time from Davis. The save opportunity would be left intact, however, giving the Yankees their first glimpse of Andrew Miller in a visitor’s uniform in nearly two years. Miller would allow a leadoff single in the ninth to Brett Gardner, but otherwise locked the game down in familiar fashion. The loss dropped the team back to .500 once again, evening up their record at 55-55.
The Play: Napoli’s go-ahead home run in the sixth (+.173 WPA)
All three home runs that New York gave up were of the solo variety, but that would be more than enough offense for Cleveland. Napoli dealt the final blow to CC in the sixth with this shot to the opposite field that broke a 2-2 tie.
Top Performers
Yankees: Gary Sanchez (1 for 3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI)
Indians: Rajai Davis (2 for 4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
The Quote
“It’s strange to see him in a different uniform. I know I’ve done it before; I’ve seen him in a Red Sox uniform, in a Baltimore uniform. But he was just here, so it was kind of strange to see him come out. I think the fans showed their appreciation for him…for what he meant to us in the time that we had, which I thought was nice.” -Manager Joe Girardi on having to face Andrew Miller
The Highlight: Sanchez puts the Yankees on the board with an RBI double
Sanchez has made a nice impression since being called up earlier this week by picking up a hit in each game he’s played. He continued the streak with an RBI double in his first at-bat Saturday afternoon. He’s gone 5 for 16 so far since his promotion.
Up Next
The Yankees will meet Cleveland in the rubber game of their three-game set tomorrow afternoon. Masahiro Tanaka will take the hill for the Yanks. The ace was slapped around in his last outing against the Mets, surrendering seven runs on eight hits in six and 1/3 innings. Opposing him will be Carlos Carrasco, who owns a 3.12 ERA in 95 and 1/3 innings this year. Game time is 1:05 pm.
Lead photo: Anthony Gruppuso / USA Today Sports