ST. PETERSBURG — Jose Trevino was able to toss his bat apart, believing he’d simply seen a pitch sail excessive for ball 4. The Yankees’ catcher was shocked when that providing was rung up as a strike, and much more shocked two pitches later, when he was punched out a borderline providing.
As Trevino slammed his bat towards the dugout bench, pitching coach Matt Blake was ejected, showing to inform home-plate umpire Edwin Moscoso: “You missed two!” That was how the night went for the Yankees, who dropped a 5-4 contest to the Rays at Tropicana Area on Thursday, accepting yet one more collection loss.
“Lacking alternatives, that’s what I feel it comes right down to,” mentioned captain Aaron Choose. “There was a whole lot of struggle out of the fellows, all the best way to the top. We had been having robust at-bats all the best way down the stretch, and simply weren’t capable of come away with the win.”
Ben Rice trimmed the deficit with a ninth-inning RBI single, however the Yankees fell to 0-7-1 of their previous eight collection, remaining unable to win a set since taking three of 4 video games from the Royals from June 10-13. New York has additionally been unable to win consecutive video games over that span.
“No person goes to really feel sorry for us,” Trevino mentioned. “If something, individuals need to see this. We’re the Yankees. Folks don’t care. If we win, [it’s], yeah, we should always have gained. If we lose, they like that. I feel we are going to get again to the place we had been, and play with that chip on our shoulder.”
The choice to ship Trevino up as an eighth-inning pinch-hitter towards Colin Poche raised eyebrows, regardless of the obvious left-right platoon benefit.
The lefty-hitting Austin Wells was 2-for-3 with a house run already within the recreation, and Poche has struggled towards lefties this season (1.032 OPS in 48 at-bats). Supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned these stats appeared “slightly bit wonky.”
Regardless, the supervisor believed that the end result ought to have been completely different.
“I appreciated the ball 5 that Trevi finally ends up taking that finally ends up being strike three,” Boone mentioned. “I simply appreciated the matchup there.”
Mentioned Trevino: “I in all probability ought to have hit the 3-1 [pitch], I assume.”
The Yankees fell into an early gap as Nestor Cortes’ highway struggles continued. The left-hander was dented for 5 runs and 7 hits over 4 1/3 innings, surrendering Randy Arozarena’s two-run homer within the first inning and run-scoring hits to Brandon Lowe and Amed Rosario in a three-run third.
Cortes fell to 0-5 with a 6.04 ERA in 10 highway begins this season, in comparison with his 4-3 document and 1.81 ERA in 10 begins at Yankee Stadium. These numbers have perplexed Cortes, who’s conscious of the discrepancy however has been unable to repair it to this point.
“I do know it’s there,” Cortes mentioned. “I haven’t had success on the highway this yr, however I don’t assume a lot of it once I’m on the market. I’m simply making an attempt to find pitches, command pitches.”
Juan Soto additionally homered for the Yankees, although the celebrity once more grimaced after a strikeout within the seventh inning. Soto has been taking part in by a proper hand damage, sustained on a slide into house plate on June 28 in Toronto, which the Yankees have described as a ache tolerance subject.
“If I hit the ball, I’m nice,” Soto mentioned. “It’s every time I swing and miss.”
Regardless of the continued subject, Soto mentioned he plans to play in Tuesday’s All-Star Recreation at Globe Life Area.
“Why not? It’s an ideal expertise,” Soto mentioned. “Positively, I’m going to watch out and attempt to deal with it.”
New York completed 1-for-9 with runners in scoring place, leaving 10 males on. They wasted two on with none out within the first, settled for a bases-loaded Rice sacrifice fly within the fifth and had been turned apart with the baggage full within the eighth, with Trevino rung up on strike three and Trent Grisham flying out.
Rice’s ninth-inning knock off Pete Fairbanks gave the Yankees hope, putting the potential tying run 90 toes away as Soto chugged to 3rd base.
However Fairbanks induced Gleyber Torres to hit a shallow pop into heart area, secured by shortstop José Caballero with a juggling seize. The Yankees challenged, however replay confirmed Caballero had made the catch, dropping the ball on the switch out of his glove.
“No person likes dropping,” Choose mentioned. “No person is glad about it. We’ve simply bought to maintain exhibiting up, doing our factor. [The Yankees are] a few video games out of first place. We’re going to play a first-place workforce proper now. We’ve bought to take these good at-bats into Baltimore.”
