The Yankees seemed to be feeling a little hungover from the loss to the Rays last game. Wins and losses at this point in the season become exponentially important and the Yanks – with a loss to the Dodgers – have now let two games in a row go by the wayside. They are still in the hunt for October, but in this game the Yankees where so self destructive that not even Alec Baldwin or Sir Sean Connery himself could have saved them.
Bryan Mitchell – the starting pitcher for the Yankees – did not deserve the outing he was handed. Simply put, his defense was sloppy. Both Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge had two errors and for the most part these errors were meaningful; meaning they led to runs. In fact, according to Win Probability Added, Judge’s run allowing error in the second was the most significant play of the game. A throwing error by Gary Sanchez in the third also led to a key Dodger run. To be fare, Mitchell did give up eight hits, but only two of his six runs allowed were earned.
A bright spot of this game was the performance of minor league journeyman Richard Bleier. Before this game Bleier had only thrown 14 innings at the major league level. He threw four scoreless innings in this game and struck out three in the process. If the Yankees expect to make the playoffs they will need their bullpen to provide more relief innings like what Bleier gave them tonight.
I mentioned this game was sloppy defensively on the Yankees’ side. The same term could be used for their offense in the game. The Yankee batters looked sluggish. They only collected four hits and most of the balls put in play – besides for Castro and Judge’s solo home runs – were weakly struck; lazy fly balls and routine grounders. Bottom line New York did not look like a playoff team tonight. I am not saying they can’t get the spark back, but in this game they showed no fire at all.
It’s possible the baby bombers are starting to feel a little pressure or they may simply be starting to lose stamina. I am not overly concerned yet. There are still 19 games left in the season and the team is only two games back of the Orioles for the second Wild Card spot. That being said – after this game – the Yankee coaching staff will probably have the players working on their fundamentals before game two in an attempt to eliminate another game like this.
The Play: Judge’s 2nd Inning Error (+.171 WPA)
Top Performers
Yankees: Starlin Castro (2 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
Dodgers: Howie Kendrick (2 for 3, 1 R, 1 RBI)
Notes
– Tyler Austin collected his first Golden Sombrero (4 strikeout game) as a major leaguer. It happens to all ball players at some point.
– With an Orioles loss and a Blue Jay win the Yankees remain two games out of a wild card spot.
The Quote
“He did a really good job and somewhat rested some of the other guys for us.” – Manager Joe Girardi speaking of the performance of reliever Richard Bleier
The Highlight: Judge Goes Big Fly
Up Next
Game two of the three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers should be an exciting one due in large part to the pitching matchup. Julio Urias – the young phenom for LA – will take on the weathered veteran for the Yankees, CC Sabathia. Urias – in a way – is like a young Sabathia. Sabathia and Urias are both left handed and while Sabathia may have thrown his fastball harder during his prime, both have a sweeping slider and devastating changeup.
Urias in his last three starts has been solid. His recent success is pretty easy to understand; he is walking less and striking out more. He has also not allowed a home run since August 3rd. Sabathia on the other hand has been going in the opposite direction. His last three starts bore two losses and while his strikeout and walk rate have remained relatively stable he has been giving up home runs at a terrific pace (five homers in his last three starts).
Photo credit: Brad Penner / USA Today Sports