Source: FanGraphs
The free-falling Yankees dropped their fifth consecutive game on Thursday night, falling to the Mets by the score of 3-1. All the magic of April’s lovable overachievers is long gone, as the Bombers have now lost seven of their last nine games. They’ve scored a whopping ten runs in their last five games. I didn’t see a single pitch of the game and I’m very happy that was the case. I got home just after ten and figured I’d get to see an inning or two, but nope.
Robinson Cano hit a solo homer in the third inning and that was it — Mets pitchers retired the next 20 batters (!) to finish off the win. Twenty in a row sat down, eleven by strikeout. Keep in mind that Dillon Gee entered this game with a 6.34 ERA (4.93 FIP) in 49.2 innings. He allowed four hits (three singles and Cano’s homer) and walked no one in 7.1 innings. Oh, speaking of walks, the Yankees haven’t drawn one since Monday, 106 plate appearances ago. The last time the Bombers went three straight games without a walk was way back in 1991, which, coincidentally, is the last time they had an offense as anemic as this one.
The only mistake Vidal Nuno made was giving up a two-run homer to the corpse of Marlon Byrd, a deficit that was far too big to overcome. Two runs in six innings is plenty good enough from the seventh starter. Shawn Kelley and Joba Chamberlain combined to strike out six of ten batters faced, which is pretty great. Joba allowed a run (charged to Kelley) on an infield single. It happens. Austin Romine’s passed ball didn’t help. Yes, I know it was scored a wild pitch, but the damn thing hit him right in the chest. He has to keep that in front of him.
I guess the good news is the schedule gets a whole lot easier now. The first place Red Sox come to town for three games this weekend, the second place Indians come for three games next week, then the Bombers go out on a ten-game West Coast trip. Piece of cake. Check out MLB.com for the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs for some more stats, and ESPN for the updated standings. The Yankees are one game in the loss column away from both first and fourth places. CC Sabathia and Jon Lester is your Friday night pitching matchup.