Teixeira’s huge homer goes for naught; Brewers walk-off with 6-5 win

Source: FanGraphs

I was out visiting family for Mother’s Day, and it looks like I picked a good game to miss. Mark Teixeira’s two-out, two-strike, game-tying solo homer off Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth inning was wasted as former Yankee Mark Reynolds and the Brewers walked off with a 6-5 win a half-inning later. Like Saturday, this was a winnable game that will go for a loss.

David Phelps managed to put eleven men on base in five innings plus two batters of work, including the leadoff man in five of the six innings he started. It’s a miracle he didn’t give up more than four runs. His balk and some (more) shaky defense came back to bite the Yankees in the middle innings, after they jumped all over Matt Garza for three runs in the first inning. I’m sure this one had the look of a laugher early on.

My least favorite thing about David Robertson being the closer is that he never pitches. He’s pitched twice in the last nine days, and Joe Girardi preferred to use Adam Warren for 40+ pitches and Shawn Kelley’s balky back (he warmed up) before Robertson on Sunday. Matt Thornton against a righty predictably went wrong — didn’t Girardi see the pinch-hitter coming? — and Dellin Betances finally found a jam he couldn’t escape. The Yankees had 15 base-runners in nine innings, but apparently that wasn’t enough.

For the box score and video highlights, go to MLB.com. FanGraphs has some other stats and ESPN has the updated standings. The Yankees now head home for what amounts to a seven-game homestand — two of the seven are in Flushing, so they aren’t traveling — starting Monday night against the Mets. Hiroki Kuroda and Bartolo Colon, two of the three oldest starters in baseball this season (R.A. Dickey is the other), will be the pitching matchup. Check out RAB Tickets if you want to catch the Subway Series live.