From Bill Ladson:
It looked like the Yankees were going to have a great day with the sticks on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. After all, they scored two quick runs off right-hander (and former Yankee) Luis Severino in the first inning. But New York’s lumber was silenced the rest of the way as they lost to the Athletics, 3-2.
The A’s broke a 2-2 tie against Yankees closer David Bednar in the ninth. The problems for Bednar started quickly. After allowing a single and double to Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, respectively, Tyler Soderstrom struck out, but Brent Rooker hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Kurtz to take a one-run lead.
“I was able to get ahead of guys, but I wasn’t able to put them away, especially in a tight game like that. It can’t happen,” Bednar said.
The Yankees could do nothing in the ninth against right-hander Joel Kuhnel, who retired the side in order to win the game and lock down his first save since 2022.
It was absurd that Severino even got through five innings (it took him 100 pitches, but still). The Yankees let him off of the hook BIG time, and did nothing against the Athletics’ terrible bullpen (although, in back-to-back games, Mark Kotsay has extended one of his only decent relievers to multi-innings to get through the game without having to go to the bottom of his pen, treating these games against the Yankees like it’s a fucking playoff game while he managed the Toronto series like an exhibition. That irked me).
The Athletics’ “closer” is a bad pitcher, but against the Yankees’ 7-9, even a shitty pitcher should do fine. That’s when we got to one of the most aggravating parts of the game, when Boone stuck with JC Escarra and Ryan McMahon while having Austin Wells (better than Escarra), Goldy and Grichuk on the bench. Yes, the pitcher was a righty, but you can’t possibly believe that Goldy against a righty or Grichuk against a righty is worse than Escarra or McMahon against a righty at this point.
Putting up McMahon up there to flail away at Balls 4 and 5 to end the game was maddening.
Again, though, the ENTIRE offense fell apart, so it’s not JUST on McMahon and Escarra, it’s just that those two were more irritating because they should never have batted in the ninth in a “score a run or the game’s over” situation. Just awful managing.
This afternoon’s game is going to be brutal, as Jeffrey Springs is a good pitcher, and Ryan Weathers will only have Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and the phantom pitcher known as Cade Winquest pitching behind him, and presumably, if the Yankees somehow have a lead, Cruz to close it out. GULP.
By the way, in all seriousness, as pissed as I was by Escarra and McMahon batting there (ESPECIALLY Escarra, who has never hit in the majors EVER, and yet Boone continues to try to gaslight us into thinking Escarra is a good hitter), I think Boone is correct enough in noting that it’s been 11 games, so it’s more likely that this is an awful slump than it is that this is McMahon’s new normal. But holy fuck, dude, you better hurry up and show that shit sometime soon!
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Despite what Kay said yesterday it would be good to have a right handed catcher to back up Wells. Now if Escarra didn’t suck.
Chisholm sits, McMahon plays vs the LHP. Rice starts, PGold on the bench.
1:35 start.
A Rosario (R) 2B
A Judge (R) RF
C Bellinger (L) CF
G Stanton (R) DH
B Rice (L) 1B
R Grichuk (R) LF
A Wells (L) C
J Caballero (R) SS
R McMahon (L) 3B
I think they would prefer a righthanded backup catcher, but there was no one really available that would hit any better than Escarra. Heim was the only real choice, and he wanted to go somewhere where he could play more (and Heim has ALSO sucked on offense this season, as well).