HALF-BAKED
Sevy lit up in opener Yanks rally in nightcap Lose ground to Bosox
Jeez, Luis! Yankees ace Luis Severino gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings as the Yankees lost the first game of Saturday’s twinbill with the lowly Royals, 10-5. They escaped with a 5-4 win in the second game, thanks in part to a game-tying homer by Greg Bird (inset) but still lost a half-game to the Red Sox, who beat the Twins.
They had seen Luis Severino get spanked in a loss to the lowly Royals in the first of two games at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, so right away the two-gate doubleheader had a large stain on it.
That was followed by Zach Britton walking the light-hitting Drew Butera with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of the nightcap that gave the visitors a one-run lead.
“That was a must win for me. It’s tough to lose two games in one day,’’ Brett Gardner said after Greg Bird homered and Aaron Hicks delivered a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win. “If you lose the first one the second one is a must win.’’
Since the Yankees dropped the opener, 10-5, and the Red Sox beat the Twins the Yankees fell 5 ½ lengths behind the AL East leaders.
With Aaron Judge joining Gary Sanchez on the DL the Yankees are missing two big bats, even if Sanchez went on the shelf hitting .188.
“I love the compete in our guys. Obviously, it’s not easy for us right now,’’ Boone said of playing without Judge and Sanchez. “We are going through one of those stretches but love the way the guys continue to fight and continue to compete.’’
The Yankees are 10-9 in the past 19 games, but more alarming is how poorly Severino has pitched in the past four outings.
For Severino, who leads the AL in wins with 14, it’s not a one-game blip. After giving up six runs and eight hits in 4 ¹/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season, Severino’s four-game totals are nowhere near what a staff ace is supposed to possess. In 19 ¹/3 innings Severino has given up 33 hits (seven homers), is 1-2 and has an 8.85 ERA.
“I don’t know what the issue is, but I will make sure I work hard. I have been through this in the past. I have to work and try to be myself again,’’ said Severino, who is 14-4.
After the Yankees came back from a 6-0 hole in the first game and pulled to within a run in the seventh inning, David Robertson gave up a three-run homer to Brian Goodwin in the eighth and the winners tacked on a run against Chasen Shreve in the ninth. It was Shreve’s last appearance for the Yankees who dealt him to the Cardinals after the second game.
After CC Sabathia departed with two outs in the fifth of the nightcap, Jonathan Holder stranded three. The Royals tied the score, 3-3, on Rosell Herrera’s RBI single off Chad Green in the sixth before Britton imploded.
“Lost the strike zone right there. Obviously you can’t do that. You’ve got to make them put the ball in play. It’s unacceptable. Tie game right there, you want to give your offense a chance, and whether you want to say I lost focus, it’s unacceptable,’’ said Britton who was booed in his second appearance as a Yankee. “When you walk two guys in a row on four pitches after getting two quick outs, I think it’s part of it. I’m frustrated with myself, too, but I’ll go back out there tomorrow. It’s not the first time I had a bad outing. So I’ll go out there and be better next time. That’s all you can do. Just learn from it and be better next time.’’
Bird homered leading off the eighth against lefty Brian Flynn. Neil Walker, who went 5-for-7 in the two games, doubled and scored on Hicks’ sacrifice fly.
That turned a 5-4 lead over to Aroldis Chapman, who was pitching for the first time since melting in front of the Mets last Saturday. He wasn’t sharp, issuing a single to Hunter Dozier and walking Butera with two outs but ended the long day by catching Whit Merrifield looking at a slider for his 27th save and saved the Yankees from having to explain how one loses twice to the Royals in the same day.
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