Prior to Friday night’s game Joe Girardi explained Mariano Rivera and David Robertson would not be available to face the Red Sox.
Evidently no one was available out of the Yankees’ bullpen. This has suddenly become the bullpen from hell.
Friday’s night’s collapse put Thursday night’s dreadful performance to shame.
When Andy Pettitte left after six innings Friday the Yankees were sitting on an 8-3 lead. By the time the bullpen got done messing with Pettitte’s game the Yankees were 12-8 losers.
Coming off the heels of Thursday night’s 9-8 loss, the Yankees are in collapse mode, thanks to their bullpen where injury has been added to insult.
Robertson has tendinitis in his shoulder and Boone Logan left Friday night’s game complaining about soreness in his elbow after he gave up a grand slam to Mike Napoli that tied the game at 8-8 in the seventh.
Piece by piece the Yankees, who have used 53 players this season, are falling apart. Joe Girardi has had to rely heavily on his bullpen all year. The Yankees are paying the price.
Girardi admitted he is worried about the health of his relievers. Shawn Kelley also is out with a triceps injury.
“I think it’s part of the game,’’ Girardi said. “These are relievers that have pitched a lot for us in the last four, five, six years. I’m not a little bit surprised.’’
At one point in the eighth the scoreboard was running an advertisement noting: “You can host your event at Yankee Stadium.’’
At this rate dates will be open beginning Oct. 1.
Said Logan of the recent bullpen failures: “Yeah, we [stink]. We’re scoring a lot of runs. Starters are giving us their best and it’s our job to lock it down with that kind of lead. It’s bull—- for that to happen.’’
Phil Hughes, making his bullpen debut this season, gave up four hits and a walk and only retired one batter in the seventh. Then came Logan. After throwing a nasty slider to strike out David Ortiz for the second out, Logan allowed Napoli to lift a grand slam to right, Napoli’s third grand slam of the season. One of his other grand slams came against the Yankees — against Hughes, naturally.
About three pitches into the Napoli at-bat Logan said he felt some tightness in his left elbow. He will have an MRI exam Saturday.
“I knew Napoli was trying to go the other way,’’ Logan said. “That was probably the worst miss I’ve had all year. I was supposed to go in and it was way away.’’
At one point in the inning, a frustrated fan yelled out to Hughes: “Don’t s—.’’
It was that kind of night for the Yankees bullpen again. Preston Claiborne was the loser, allowing a two-run home run to Shane Victorino in the eighth to break the 8-8 tie and when Joba Chamberlain, the losing pitcher in Thursday night’s affair came on later in the eighth, he surrendered another run and left to a chorus of boos when he struck out David Ross to finally end the inning.
Yes, the Yankees are still in the wild-card race, but that is only because of MLB mediocrity.
The Red Sox have manhandled the Yankees here.
Hughes was charged with four runs as the Yankees bullpen gave up nine runs on the night. “My stuff was flat and my command wasn’t very good,’’ Hughes said. “It was a terrible inning and this time of year terrible innings cost you big time.’’
Hughes looked uncomfortable coming out of the pen. When he jogged onto the field the Yankees grounds crew was going through their “YMCA’’ antics. Hughes had to slide past the dancing workers.
The Red Sox were soon dancing around the bases.
The loss dropped the Yankees a full 10 games behind the Red Sox. The Red Sox have scored 21 runs and have lashed 31 hits these two games.
Remember when they hit Alex Rodriguez that last game up in Boston. Now the Red Sox are hitting everything in sight.