MLB

Yankees fall on Cervelli’s 11th inning throwing error

MINNEAPOLIS — Provided with a second chance, Francisco Cervelli would have settled for one out instead of attempting to get an inning-ending double play.

That was in retrospect, because the Yankees catcher’s ill-advised throw to first base sailed past Mark Teixeira and into foul territory as Josh Willingham raced home from second to give the Twins a 2-1, 11-inning victory was witnessed by 36,514 at Target Field.

With the bases loaded and one out, Matt Thornton fielded Trevor Plouffe’s chopper and threw to Cervelli for the force at the plate. With Plouffe blocking his vision to first, Cervelli threw anyway. By the time he attempted to abort the throw it was too late, and the ball slipped out of his hand.

“The next time I have to have clear vision to the bag,” Cervelli said. “If I don’t, I have to eat it. I couldn’t see and made a bad throw. The ball just fell out of my hand.’’

The loss didn’t cost the Yankees ground in the AL East, because the first-place Orioles dropped the first game of a doubleheader to the Red Sox in Boston. The Yankees trailed the Orioles by three lengths going into the nightcap.

Cervelli was measured for the goat horns in a loss that ended the Yankees’ two-game winning streak, but there were plenty of others to absorb the blame.

Thornton gave up a leadoff double in the 12th to pinch-hitter Chris Colabello and hit Oswaldo Arcia to load the bases with one out.

A Yankees lineup that scored 13 runs in the previous two games and went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position collected seven singles off six Twins pitchers. Cervelli’s RBI single in the fifth was the lone clutch hit in five at-bats.

“To lose like that, the ball slipping out of Cervy’s hand is frustrating,’’ manager Joe Girardi said. “It came down to, we didn’t score runs.’’

The lack of hitting wasted a sensational pitching performance by David Phelps, who allowed a run and three hits in seven innings.

“It’s tough, Phelps pitched a great game,’’ Girardi said.

Facing right-hander Yohan Pino for the first time, the Yankees scored once and had three hits against a 30-year-old pitcher who entered the game 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA in three big league starts, after appearing in 305 minor league games.

Because he wanted to give Brett Gardner a rest, Girardi started Alfonso Soriano in left field against a right-hander and Soriano’s funk continued with a 0-for-4, two-strikeout day. Soriano is in a 5-for-32 (.156) slide and hasn’t homered since May 17 — a stretch of 73 at-bats.

“I put him out there hoping he would provide offense,’’ Girardi said of the right-handed hitter he platoons in right field with Ichiro Suzuki. “But no one did today.’’

Soriano, an every-day player since 2001 when he broke into the majors with the Yankees, is clearly not comfortable in a part-time role.

“If I sit and maybe not see another pitcher for two days, it’s very hard for me to make adjustments and get my rhythm,’’ said Soriano, who hit 17 homers and drove in 50 runs in 58 games a year ago after being acquired from the Cubs.

Phelps was unaffected by his gem being wasted.

“The last two days we scored seven and six runs,” he said. “I know what we’re capable of.’’

Capable is one thing; delivering another. Had the Yankees hit better, Cervelli likely wouldn’t have had to decide to throw the ball or eat it.