By Lenn Robbins
We often find the length of the baseball season a relaxing pleasure, even the languid pace of one game can soothe. The downside is that when the flaws begin to show themselves like the acne on a teenager and the losses start to accumulate, the frustration can build and build and build.
That frustration erupted Monday night in Baltimore when manager Aaron Boone, whose team lost for the 13th time in 22 games and fell back into last place in the AL East with a 4-2 loss to the Orioles.
The Yankees were hoping that Deivi Garcia’s first start of the season would present a boost for a struggling starting rotation. But Garcia gave up a long home run on his second pitch of the game, the Yankees again didn’t hit and when Aaron Judge was thrown out third in the eighth and Boone was not allowed to review the play, he sprung from the dugout and was ejected for arguing.
The memory and mojo of winning that four-game series in Cleveland is fading like winter.
“When our team needs it now the most, hits aren’t exactly falling right now for me or really for anyone,” said DJ LeMahieu. “That just goes back to us pressing a little bit offensively. I know we are going to be better than we’ve been.”
Uh, OK.
The Yankees were hoping for a better start from Garcia, but he gave up two earned runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four in four innings. He was returned to the alternate site after the game.
So much for some badly-needed started pitching help.
“He got into some trouble and made some pitches when he had to,’’ said Boone. “He did his job and gave us a chance. We just couldn’t mount enough [offense].”
True. Another game with six left on base and the Yankees going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Yankees had a chance to do something in the eighth but Judge was thrown out at third before LeMahieu scored on a Gio Urshela single.
By the time Boone opted to have the play reviewed, home plate ump Greg Gibson ruled the Yankees were out of time. That brought Boone out of the dugout in a foul mood and he was tossed. It’s been a season of frustration.
“Very frustrating,” Boone said. “Obviously, I am going to challenge that at that point of the game all day long.”
As for Garcia, he might have summed up the Yankees season best.
“I felt like I had to battle every single pitch,” he said.