The New York Yankees had victory all but finalized in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run lead, but relief pitcher Chad Green gifted Boston with a chance to make a comeback. With one out and nobody on, Green allowed two consecutive singles before a double to left-center by Enrique Hernandez, which drove in two runs, giving Boston another chance at life.
In the 10th inning, Brett Gardner hit a sacrifice fly to left field, driving in Tyler Wade, but Boston enjoyed one of the most spotty pitching performances of the season by relief option Brooke Kriske.
Kriske set a Yankees franchise record in the worst way possible, allowing four wild pitches to occur, allowing Boston to steal an essential win as the Bombers try to climb their way back into the AL East standings.
The Yankees currently sit eight games back from the Boston Red Sox in the East and are 4.5 games behind the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card. While they have a chance to make the postseason, the next two weeks are essential to their plans. The Bombers have three more games against Boston in a four-game series before taking on Tampa in a three-game series, which represents an equally important challenge.
On Friday evening, the Yankees will feature Gerrit Cole on the mound, who has a 2.63 ERA and 0.94 WHIP this season. Their opponent, Eduardo Rodriguez, hosts a 5.19 ERA, allowing 104 hits over just 95 innings. Comparably, Cole has allowed 89 hits over 120 innings, so the Yankees have a serious advantage in the pitching matchup.
With rumors spreading that the Yankees could be active at the trade deadline, posting a few more wins with their reserve pieces before the starters return from the Covid list and injured reserve would be fantastic, as the team recently embarked on a four-game win streak before the loss on Thursday, dampening the mood and stopping the momentum. The Yankees need to shake this loss off and put it behind them quickly, as another loss would further bury them in the abyss of the AL East.
This post was published on 2021-07-23 10:02
