Winning streak comes to an end in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. — It had to end at some point.

The Yankees’ (76-53) exultant 13-game winning streak met its death on a sticky Saturday afternoon in Oakland, killed by 90-degree heat, Kelly green uniforms and A’s starting pitcher Frankie Montas.

“Look, there are a lot of really good pitchers in this league,” manager Aaron Boone said. “When they’re executing and on top of their game, they’re going to hold you down on certain days.”

The 3-2 loss was a stark contrast to the type of baseball the Yankees had been playing recently, as the long half innings on offense disappeared. Instead, it was swings and misses all afternoon, making for a quick game and a big pickup for the Athletics (71-59) in the Wild Card standings.

Northern California’s unusually sweltering heat got both managers’ blood boiling early in the game. Already down by a run in the second

inning, the Yankees gave Oakland another one thanks to a balk and, if you ask Boone, the umpires. Third base umpire Will Little called a balk on Nestor Cortes Jr.’s pickoff attempt with runners on first and third and appeared totally unsatisfied with the ump’s explanation for it.

“I think with the pause, (they said) he started toward home enough (for it to be a balk),” Boone said. “That was kind of what we gathered.”

“At first I didn’t know what I did,” Cortes said. “I was very surprised that the third base umpire was the one that gave the call. I feel like he had a rough first three innings at third base.”

Little’s rough day continued in the next inning when he called Starling Marte safe on a stolen base that should have been a caught stealing. But Boone had already burned his challenge to review Chad Pinder’s sliding double in the second inning, so Marte’s tainted stolen base stood as called. In a bit of karmic retribution, a call then went the Yankees way that ensured Marte wouldn’t score.

Standing on third base, Marte watched a Yan Gomes line drive zoom up the middle. DJ LeMahieu caught it and immediately fired to third to double off the leaning Marte.

He got back just as third baseman Rougned Odor lunged to catch the ball, and to everyone in the world it looked as though Odor’s foot had come off the bag.

Everyone but Will Little that is.

Marte was called out, the inning ended, and Bob Melvin justifiably came out to plead his case. The A’s skipper was promptly ejected, and like the Yankees did on Thursday when Boone was rung, Melvin’s team responded with some inspired play for their departed manager.

Matt Chapman banged a home run over the 388-foot marker in left center field to extend Oakland’s lead to 3-0. It kept a dubious streak alive for Cortes, who’s been a godsend for the Yankees’ pitching staff, but has also now allowed a home run in each of his last five starts. Cortes dipped after 5.1 innings, scattering just four hits but letting two of the three walks he issued become runs.

There are dozens and dozens of games like this over the course of a 162-game season. But for the group of players and coaches who have been on this magic carpet ride for the last 13 games (and really the entire month of August) the loss brings them right back down to earth, needing a win on Sunday to take the series that they had firmly in hand after the first two games.“Just one of those days,” Anthony Rizzo said. “At the end of the day we didn’t do enough to back Nestor. It’s a group effort, and it’s going to take all 26 guys.”