From Bryan Hoch:
Anthony Volpe tossed his bat aside and admired the flight of his game-tying home run, beginning the slowest trot of his big league career as he glanced toward the visitors’ dugout, repeatedly dropping his palms as if to say: “Calm down.”
And Volpe’s eighth-inning solo shot felt like a statement swing, answering back after newly acquired relievers Jake Bird and David Bednar were tagged for six runs in their Yankees debuts.
But after Ryan McMahon delivered a go-ahead hit, Camilo Doval blew the save in the ninth — including a costly error by José Caballero in right field — as New York fell in a 13–12 slugfest to the Marlins on Friday evening at loanDepot park
While I have his error as the featured image because it was just SO BAD, to be frank, the Yankees were likely losing that game whether Caballero makes that error or not. It’d be first and third with one out and a 12-11 game. They’d almost certainly score that 12th run, and then win in extra innings. So the error didn’t change the game THAT much. But it was just SUCH a bad error that I had to feature it here (and yes, there would have at least been a CHANCE of getting out of the game with a win had he not made the error, so it WAS still important).
No, the main concerns in the game were:
1. Carlos Rodon being a choking loser, walking FIVE batters in four and two thirds innings despite having a 3-0 and then a 6-0 lead, and not even being able to get through five innings in a game where the Yankees had a very short bullpen, and all of their main relievers were guys who JUST arrived here.
2. Jake Bird pitching about as bad of an inning as you could possibly imagine, including walking the bases loaded in front of the guy who crushes righthanded pitching (all 24 of his home runs were off of right-handed pitchers), and then, you know, getting crushed by said guy
3. Camilo Doval walking the #9 hitter to put the tying runs on base, and then allowing a base hit right after that. I know everyone thought he was going to blow it, right? I know I did. It honestly made it hurt a bit less, since it was SO expected. It reminded me of Gio Gallegos blowing a game during that crazy long losing streak in 2019.
4. Bednar not being able to pitch well in Miami
5. Boone deciding to use the shortstop in right field instead of the outfielder he has on his bench (that one was less of a big deal because it was honestly a fluke error. Trent Grisham infamously made a similar error in a playoff game. It happens sometimes).
The offense was good, at least.
I was the least upset at Bednar. He should should have gotten out of it with only one run allowed, but Volpe made a bad play behind him. Plus he then pitched really well in the 8th in a tie game. I’m fine with Bednar. The other two dudes, though, I am not fine with at all. But even there, I assure you, Camilo Doval was NOT acquired to close out games. Yes, he was the closer in San Francisco, but that was more by default. Doval was here to be better than Ian Hamilton, and I think he still is. Today was a fluky game with Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and Tim Hill all unavailable.
If the Yankees had a normal bullpen, this game would have gone MUCH differently. For one thing, Tim Hill obviously would have pitched to Stowers in the 7th.
So this was both terrible pitching, but also just some bad luck with the bullpen being stretched EXTREMELY thin against Tampa Bay.
They got Jake Bird because they think they can fix something in him. That obviously wasn’t going to happen in less than a day, so throwing him out there tonight when he is having a terrible month pitching normally was bizarre to me.
Beyond that, I really don’t think you can overlook what nerves can do to players making their debut on a new team. Max Fried was also super nervous in his debut this season. I think Doval will be fine pitching in the 6th and 7th.
In the short term, though, of course this was an embarrassing, sloppy loss. Still, it was just one game. I’m honestly more annoyed that the Astros couldn’t hit Cooper Criswell, and so the Red Sox beat the Astros in a game started by Hunter Brown. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays got their asses kicked by the Royals. There is a lot of baseball left to be played. One excruciating loss is just one loss.
But BOY was it excruciating.
Weird, weird night for baseball.
The Reds also lost 12-11, and the Pirates scored nine runs in the first inning, were up 16-10 in the 8th inning, and lost 17-16 to the 80-loss Colorado Rockies (old friend Dennis Santana gave up five runs).
Mariners walk it off against the Rangers, so the Yankees remain 3.5 games up on the final Wild Card spot.
This was all on Rodon, he was awful. Just a pathetic and unprofessional start by him.
Yep, that’s why I had him #1 on the list. He was the biggest offender. Just an incomprehensively bad job by him. You’re up 3-0 and 6-0, and you’re walking guys like crazy?!! You’re desperately trying to get through the fifth, and you walk a dude on four fucking pitches?!
Perfect example would be the amazing Mariners comeback after being no-hit through seven innings and trailing 5-0. Devastating loss for the Mariners, and it then…didn’t matter to them at all!
The Yankees, meanwhile, followed that up by with an awesome 11-0 win over the Cubs…and then were dominated for the next two games.
One loss, no matter how bad, is just one loss.
And first game jitters is ENOUGH of an excuse that I’m going to personally stick with that for Bednar (the other two, less so. Doval I want only in the 6th and 7th going forward).