THERE’S NO RELIEF
Yankees finally score but pen authors latest fiasco
TORONTO — The fight is almost over.
The Yankees dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday, this one in heartbreaking fashion as the Blue Jays scored twice in the ninth to steal a 4-3 win at Rogers Centre.
Just a half-inning earlier, it looked like the Yankees would be the ones dealing out a late-inning loss as they scored twice against Toronto closer Roberto Osuna, putting them in position to snap their three-game skid.
But Dellin Betances walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth, then Tyler Clippard failed to close out the game, dooming the Yankees to their 11th loss in the last 14 games.
The loss, combined with the Orioles’ win Sunday, puts the Yankees’ elimination number at two, meaning any combination of two Orioles wins and Yankees losses will officially knock the Yankees out of the wild-card race.
The Yankees will try to avoid being swept Monday, starting Luis Severino against J.A. Happ in their final road game of the season. “We’ve been fighting and fighting, and you think about some of these games we’ve lost, they’ve been really tough,” Joe Girardi said. “We’ve gotten really good pitching performances. We’ve lost them in a number of different ways.”
Toronto’s game-winning rally Sunday included a safety squeeze, an intentional walk and an infield single as the Yankees appeared helpless to stop the bleeding.
“It’s disappointing, obviously,” Chase Headley said. “We worked really hard to get ourselves in position to make a run at this thing. This last week or so has been tough.”
The Yankees trailed 1-0 in the seventh thanks to Jose Bautista’s fourth-inning solo shot off Michael Pineda, the only run allowed by Pineda in his 5.2 innings.
It looked like that run might be enough as Marco Estrada blanked the Yankees through the first six innings, extending their scoreless streak to 33 innings.
Having been shut out in three straight games for the first time since 1975, the Yankees were trying to avoid a dubious distinction, as no American League team in the designated hitter era (since 1973) had been blanked in four consecutive games.
Didi Gregorius’ homer off Estrada in the seventh snapped that ominous streak, tying the game at 1.
Girardi brought in a well-rested Betances in the eighth to face the meat of the Jays lineup, but he walked Josh Donaldson, who then stole second.
“I can’t walk the leadoff guy,” Betances said. “That hurt me.”
Encarnacion’s groundout moved Donaldson to third, then with the infield in, Bautista delivered another big hit, lining a single up the middle to put Toronto ahead by a run.
But the Yankees came back in the ninth, starting the rally with singles by Mark Teixeira and pinch-hitter Billy Butler. Headley’s groundout moved the runners to second and third, setting up Mason Williams’ game-tying single and Ronald Torreyes’ sac fly.
Betances came back out for the ninth, but another leadoff walk prompted Girardi to call on Clippard for the save.
Kevin Pillar singled to put runners at the corners, then Ezequiel Carrera laid down a perfect safety squeeze, scoring Upton to tie the game. Clippard tried to scoop the ball with his glove and flip it to Gary Sanchez in one motion, but the ball got away from the catcher, the runners advancing to second and third with nobody out. “It was just a reactionary thing trying to save a run,” Clippard said. Three batters later, Encarnacion singled in the game-winner.
NEXt gAME
Tonight, 7:07 p.m. at Toronto, RHP Luis Severino (3-8, 5.70 ERA) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.28); TV: YES
SAd gLovE StorY
Betances’ fielding issues continue to be a problem.Baserunners are 21-for-21 stealing against the Yankee closer this season, including two on Sunday.
“At certain times, he can be (quicker to the plate),” Girardi said. “The one time that Donaldson went, he picked up. The other times, he was pretty quick to home plate. But, yeah, that’s an issue.”
CAN’t go dEEP
Pineda has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five September starts, but the righthander hasn’t gotten through six innings in any of those outings, either.
“Today I have really good command of my fastball, the slider is working good today and I’m throwing a good changeup, too,” Pineda said. “I’m trying to make my good pitch and get the outs quick.”
SEvErINo SUBS
Luis Severino will start Monday’s game, taking Masahiro Tanaka’s scheduled start. Tanaka has tightness in his forearm. AP