DENVER — Two phrases had been heard ceaselessly within the Yankees’ clubhouse following their 8-7, 11-inning loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday afternoon:
“Frustrated” and “capable.”
New York dropped two of three video games in opposition to the workforce with the worst file within the National League to open the second half of the common season.
The offensive futility that had beset the Yankees’ lineup since Aaron Judge was sidelined with a sprained proper massive toe on June 3 didn’t relent this weekend. And the cloud of inconsistency that has hung over all of them season solely turned extra laden with unmet expectations.
Despite a dominant begin by Gerrit Cole, wherein he struck out 10 or extra batters for the twenty fourth time as a Yankee to set a franchise file, New York’s hitters had been unable to supply a single extra-base hit in essentially the most hitter-friendly park within the Majors.
Instead, the Yankees managed eight singles and, regardless of being inside 4 outs of victory on two events, watched an uncharacteristic unraveling by their bullpen. New York misplaced for the primary time in its historical past when it had a number of leads of two or extra runs within the eighth inning or later, in accordance with the Elias Sports Bureau.
In a season full of frustration, this weekend introduced solely extra of the identical after the Yankees changed hitting coach Dillon Lawson in favor of Sean Casey in an effort to jolt the offense to life.
Sunday’s wild marathon left the clubhouse at a loss for solutions.
“I wish I knew,” Anthony Rizzo mentioned concerning the ongoing difficulties after enjoying in his forty first consecutive sport and not using a residence run. “It’s frustrating on all ends. Guys have been here and done it for a long time, and we’re frustrated. But we know that’s not going to do anything for us.”
While Cole was overpowering the Rockies for the primary 5 innings, the Yankees’ bats had been mute in opposition to Colorado starter Chase Anderson, who held New York scoreless over 5 innings after getting into the competition with a 6.89 ERA on the season.
The hitters’ hibernation lastly ended with consecutive one-out singles within the sixth off Jake Bird by DJ LeMahieu, Harrison Bader and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Those produced two runs — one earned and one unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Ryan McMahon. Anthony Volpe adopted with an RBI groundout to offer the Yankees a 3-1 lead.
With his 11 strikeouts, Cole broke a tie with Ron Guidry for essentially the most double-digit-strikeout performances within the franchise’s 120-year historical past. He did it in his ninety fifth begin for the Yankees, the fewest of any pitcher with 20 or extra such outings. Guidry had 23 of them in 323 begins, David Cone had 21 in 144 begins and CC Sabathia had 20 in 306 begins.
“It’s tough [to wrap your head around],” Cole mentioned. “I think that it’s a different era, too. So I think you have to take that into consideration a little bit. But I think the bottom line is, to be surrounded by a lot of great Yankees is something you dream about.”
Cole’s outstanding achievement was quickly relegated to the again burner. In the eighth, reliever Tommy Kahnle loaded the bases with two outs earlier than Clay Holmes got here in to face C.J. Cron, who launched a go-ahead grand slam. It was the primary homer Holmes has allowed this season.
“I think we believe that we’re capable,” Holmes mentioned. “It’s not like there’s not that belief. But I think at the same time, we understand that it needs to happen. One way or another, we need to figure it out.”
The Yankees tied the sport within the ninth on Gleyber Torres’ RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Harrison Bader. They went forward on RBI singles by Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza — who was known as up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday morning — within the high of the eleventh.
But reliever Nick Ramirez allowed a game-tying two-run homer to Nolan Jones within the backside of the body, and Ron Marinaccio got here in from the bullpen and surrendered a walk-off homer to Alan Trejo.
“Look, it’s on us,” supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned. “We know what’s in entrance of us. We know the expectations on us. … Everyone, I do know, goes to speak about it. But we’ve obtained to go do it.
“The canvas is in front of us to write our own script, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.”
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