Without fail, it seems that we learn something new from every baseball game. Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays was no exception. Despite the score, this wasn’t a particularly ugly loss, nor one that fans will be lamenting for days to come. In the scheme of things, this game was quite generic and unremarkable, yet there was a clear takeaway that we can keep in mind for the remainder of the season. The Yankees have little margin for error.
The reason why the Yankees are so easily vulnerable to lapse into a six-game losing streak before embarking on a six-game winning streak is because they aren’t overmatched on the field, but the team can easily throw a game away. An offense that has scored the sixth fewest runs in baseball this season is good enough to win games when the starter throws a quality start and the bullpen is impeccable, but one bad pitch can change the course of a game for good. An anemic offense doesn’t make winning impossible, but the Yankees won’t have many blowout wins.
The mediocre-at-best offense could be saved by good pitching performances, but the Yankees’ staff isn’t strong enough to ensure a win when the offense scores just a few runs. Their ninth worst ERA in baseball isn’t a death sentence–especially because of that bullpen–but it doesn’t leave much breathing room when the offense isn’t producing.
These two unspectacular sides of the game for the Yankees combine to form games that are perpetually close. A ‘meh’ offense and ‘meh’ rotation can win when it comes with a special bullpen, but these games are always going to be nail-biters. Every pitch will count, because every pitch could change the game for the better or worse. This was exposed on Wednesday, when Ivan Nova was just okay on the mound–allowing four runs–and the offense was just okay at the plate. The Yankees were in the game for a while, but they had to play pristine baseball to actually win the game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do that. Chasen Shreve allowed three runs on a pair of dingers from Russell Martin and Michael Saunders, and Nick Goody ceded another run the next inning.
Just like that, a game the Yankees were in for six innings became out of reach. The offense actually rallied to score two runs in the seventh and another in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to make up the deficit. Going forward, expect Yankees games to almost always be winnable. Whether they can actually come away with the victory, though, will depend on if they can play nearly flawless baseball in the later innings. It’s a lot to ask from the Yankees, which is why the rest of their 2016 is so hard to predict.
The Play: Ryan Goins doubles in two (.249 WPA)
Ivan Nova was cruising and the Yankees had a 1-0 lead in the fourth…and then they didn’t. With men on first and second and two outs, Nova missed Brian McCann’s outside target and left a fastball inside which Goins pulled into the black hole that is the right-center field. Kevin Pillar scored easily, but Devon Travis could have been out on a clean throw from Didi Gregorius. Instead, the ball was short-hopped and unable to be caught by Brian McCann, allowing Travis to score and Goins to advance to third. Although Nova was able to strand Goins at third, the Blue Jays would take a lead they never relinquished.
Top Performers
Yankees: Didi Gregorius (3-4, HR, R, RBI)
Blue Jays: Russell Martin (2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)
Notes
—After a 62-pitch outing in his last start, Nova went 107 deep in this one. The in-game situations were obviously different, but this does decisively answer the question of whether Girardi’s early hook of Nova in his previous start was due to a stamina concern.
—Before the game, one of the Yankees’ top prospects (and third-string catcher) Gary Sanchez was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his thumb. He’ll head to the minor league disabled list and will be reevaluated in two weeks. The Yankees will have to hope nothing happens to Brian McCann or Austin Romine while Sanchez is sidelined.
—Another unfortunate pre-game development was Mark Teixeira’s neck injury. He reportedly had spasms that were enough to convince the Yankees to send the first baseman for an MRI. Teixeira also received a cortisone shot. Although the disabled list is not currently being discussed, Joe Girardi said he was “concerned.” This is brutal news for the Yankees–even with Teixeira struggling–as their backup plan at first base is the uninspiring Dustin Ackley, Romine, and current Triple-A player Nick Swisher. Teixeira is a slow healer, and there’s a decent chance he ends up being sidelined for an extended period of time.
The Highlight: Chase Headley and Didi Gregorius go back-t0-back (belly-to-belly)
It didn’t last long, but there was a brief moment where the Yankees showed signs of life in the bottom of the seventh. In a 7-1 ballgame, Chase Headley hit his third home run of the season and three pitches later Gregorius followed suit with his fourth dinger of 2016. The next three batters were retired, but Headley and Gregorius turned a 7-1 blowout until a 7-3 game that wasn’t over just yet. Probably the best part of this highlight is that it came from the pair of Yankees who you’d least expect to hit back-to-back home runs.
Up Next
CC Sabathia will make the start on Thursday, hoping to win the three-game series for the Yankees. He was excellent in his first start back from the disabled list and has became one of the team’s most reliable starters. Facing the Yankees will be JA Happ, who has a 3.43 ERA this season. Happ is also a lefty, which isn’t great news for New York. It’s likely not often that both starting pitchers have just two letters in their first name.
Photo: Brad Penner / USATSI