On top of being terrible Friday night against the Red Sox, the Yankees’ relievers are falling apart at the worst possible time.
Following the Yankees’ deplorable 12-8 loss to the Red Sox in front of 44,117 at Yankee Stadium in which his bullpen flushed a five-run advantage one night after a one-run lead vanished in the ninth, Joe Girardi said, “I am worried about health’’ when asked his feelings about the beleaguered pen.
He should be terrified after learning David Robertson will be out several days following an MRI exam earlier in the day that unearthed tendinitis in the right shoulder. That was before Boone Logan, who gave up grand slam to Mike Napoli in the seventh, said he felt tightness in the left elbow a few pitches prior to the slam that tied the score, 8-8.
Two injured relievers and a five-run lead blown in the same game isn’t the recipe for staying in the chase for the second AL wild-card ticket.
After these two brutal losses, the Yankees trail the Orioles and the Indians in the wild-card race. Fortunately for the Bombers, they remain 2¹/₂ games behind the Rays for the final wild-card spot. Tampa Bay lost 6-4 to the Mariners.
“It’s a chance for guys to step up,’’ Girardi said of Robertson going down with Logan possibly to follow.
One reliever who didn’t step up was Hughes, who let the Yankees scoring eight runs in five innings slip into the fall-like evening.
Deleted from the rotation Tuesday because of a 4-13 record and 4.86 ERA, Hughes made his first relief appearance, and it was a disaster.
“The stuff was flat. I didn’t make a good pitch until [Dustin] Pedroia,’’ said Hughes, who faced five batters, retired one and the other four scored. “Obviously, it was a terrible inning. This time of year a terrible inning costs you big time.’’
Hughes handed Logan a bases-loaded, one-out mess after Pedroia’s RBI infield single and the lefty responded by fanning David Ortiz looking at a 3-2 slider. That brought up the right-handed hitting Napoli without a right-hander throwing in the bullpen. At 3-2 Napoli hit a ball to right field that hit on the top of the wall and went into the seats for a grand slam that tied the score, 8-8.
“I knew Napoli was trying to go the other way, that was probably the worst miss I’ve had all year. I was supposed to go in and it was way away,’’ Logan said. “It was only a matter of time that he took one of those heaters the other way and the time I wasn’t trying to go away, he hit it out.’’
Preston Claiborne gave up a two-run homer to Shane Victorino in the eighth and Joba Chamberlain issued a bases-loaded walk to Daniel Nava and an RBI single to Stephen Drew.
After scoring eight runs in five innings the Yankees got one runner in scoring position across the next four frames.
Having used the 43-year-old Mariano Rivera three straight games, Girardi wasn’t going to make it four in row. Thanks to Hughes, Claiborne and Chamberlain, that issue never came into play.
“I love the way the guys are swinging the bats,’’ said Andy Pettitte, who was in line for a fourth straight victory until Hughes melted. “We are not going to pitch like that.’’
When Girardi called for Hughes he obviously wanted better than what he got.
“You hope you get two innings there,’’ Girardi said.
Instead, he got five batters, one out and the second consecutive flush job that was worse than Thursday’s.