JUDGE DREAD
Slumping Aaron goes 0-for-3 as Yanks fall on their faces again
MINNEAPOLIS — Caleb Smith’s major league debut has a loss attached to the name in the boxscore from Monday night’s YankeesTwins game at Target Field.
After a pair of perfect frames in relief, the lefty gave up two runs in the eighth and that was enough for the hosts to cop a 4-2 victory that was witnessed by 27,566.
Yet, the Yankees’ 21st loss in 30 games that dropped them to 47-44, had more people to shoulder a lot more blame than Smith who went out for a third inning because Joe Girardi’s bullpen options were limited to Adam Warren and Dellin Betances and only if the Yankees got a lead, something they never did.
The Yankees’ problems hitting with runners in scoring position continued with a 2-for-11 night that did include hard-hit balls right at fielders. In the past five games, the Yankees are 9for-45 in the clutch.
First baseman Garrett Cooper (3-for-4) ranged too far toward second base for a ground ball in the third that forced pitcher Bryan Mitchell to take second baseman Starlin Castro’s perfect throw that glanced off Mitchell’s leather and allowed an unearned run to score on the error.
With two outs and the score tied 2-2 in the eighth0, Clint Frazier was on third when Didi Gregorius noticed Twins third baseman Miguel Sano moved back after the count was 0-1 and unsuccessfully attempted a bunt that didn’t get out of the dirt in front of home plate and was the third out.
“It’s not his fault we lost,’’ Frazier said of Smith. “We didn’t score runs when we had opportunities and they did.’’
Frazier provided the Yankees with scoring chances in the sixth and eighth with leadoff doubles that were highlighted by him thinking two bags from the second he hit the ball. However, he didn’t move off second in the sixth and only got to third in the eighth when the ice-cold Matt Holliday banged into a 6-4-3 double play after Aaron Judge (0- for-3) was walked intentionally following Frazier’s double.
“Sano moved back and if I put a perfect bunt down we would have scored a run,’’ said Gregorius, who didn’t get the bunt far enough away from catcher Jason Castro and got stuck in the dirt that he said was moist all game before it started to rain in the home eighth. “I am not blaming the field. It should have been a better bunt.’’
Since the AL East-leading Red Sox lost also the Yankees remained 3 ½ games behind in third place.
As for Mitchell, who made his first big league start this season and went five innings, he agonized over the error.
“I was on the base and the ball went off the end of my glove,’’ Mitchell said. “It’s a ball I need to catch.’’
While the bats have been mostly silent in the five games back from the All-Star break (13 runs) the fielding has been spotty for longer than that. In the last 18 games, the Yankees have committed 15 errors.
As for sending Smith out for a third inning, Girardi said he didn’t have a full deck after four games against the Red Sox in three days, a 16-inning deal Saturday in front of Sunday’s doubleheader.
“If we took the lead I probably would have gone to Adam for Sano. I had Adam, I had Dellin. [Tyler] Clippard, the third day in a row, I had him for a little bit,’’ Girardi explained. “[Chasen] Shreve was probably not, so I didn’t have a lot.’’
Just like the Yankees hitters.