ALL FOR NAUGHT

YANKS S WASTE TA ANAKA’S RIKEOUT ERPIECE

Everyone has off nights. It’s just that the last two times it has happened to Tyler Clippard, a poor outing has contributed to a Yankees loss.

A week after he gave up a game-winning run to the Rays, Clippard marred Masahiro Tanaka’s 13-strikeout gem, paving the way to a 4-1 Athletics win at the Stadium, the Yankees’ second loss in their past three games at home.

With a 1.77 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, Clippard has pitched very well this year. He has been particularly important as the setup man to closer Dellin Betances with Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) sidelined, but he has shown signs of slippage lately.

Clippard inherited a runner on first base with one out in the eighth inning and proceeded to allow three of the next four batters to reach base. After his wild pickoff attempt enabled Adam Rosales to move to third base with one out, Clippard looked to have escaped trouble when Rajai Davis bounced out to third.

Chase Headley threw out Rosales at the plate, preserving the tie. But Clippard couldn’t close the door, walking Matt Joyce and allowing consecutive runscoring singles to Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis.

“Getting that out was huge. I felt good about the [next] batter that was up,” Clippard said. “Three-and-two [against Joyce], just didn’t execute. After that, I felt like I executed OK, just a couple of balls found a hole.”

The Joyce at-bat was where the game ultimately was lost. A .194 hitter who had struck out in his first three trips to the plate, Joyce fouled off a pair of twostrike pitches, and laid off a high fastball on a full count. On the first pitch Lowie saw, he singled through the hole between first and second, ending the Yankees’ 17-inning scoreless streak, and Davis narrowly beat out an infield single to plate another run.

“I feel like I should be able to get [Lowrie] out pretty easy, but I feel the same way about anybody, as long as I’m executing my pitches,” Clippard said. “Unfortunately, Lowrie’s hot right now and found a hole on a good change-up down and away.”