ROUGH START
CC, Yanks begin key series vs. A’s with a major dud
OAKLAND, Cal i f. — Bre t t Gardner doesn’t put much stock in how far back of the Red Sox the Yankees are or what their lead over the A’s for the top AL wild-card spot is.
All the longest-tenured Yankee knows is what everybody who has been paying attention sees: The level of play has to improve.
“Whether it’s them or the Red Sox, I am not too concerned where we are in the standings in relation to them or relation to Boston. I am just concerned about us playing better,’’ Gardner said following a 6-3 Labor Day loss to the A’s in front of 40,546 at the dreary Oakland Coliseum. “We got a really, really good team, a team that can do a lot of damage and get deep into the postseason, but we have to play better if we want to get there. It’s up to us to figure out a way to do that.’’
A good place to start is by not repeating what went down Monday. CC Sabathia allowed f ive runs (four) earned and seven hits in 3 ¹/₃ innings. Miguel Andujar made a throwing error (his 15th) that extended the first inning and cost the Yankees a run. Gary Sanchez didn’t glove a very catchable pitch and was charged with his 11th passed ball. Sanchez also whiffed with two runners on to end the eighth against former Met Jeurys Familia. After Sanchez reached on a wild pitch on a third strike and Gleyber Torres walked to start the seventh, Luke Voit was called out looking, pinch-hitter Neil Walker struck out and Gardner flied to left.
The Yankees’ fifth loss in eight games cut their lead over the A’s to 3 ½ games in the chase for the top AL wild-card ticket. For those who believe in miracles, the Yankees fell 8 ½ lengths back of the AL East-leading Red Sox.
Staked to a 1-0 lead entering the home f irst, Sabathia needed 39 pitches to record three outs and gave up three runs (two earned). Voit’s sixth homer as a Yankee in the second off Trevor Cahill (6-3) plated Sanchez and tied the score, 3-3. But Matt Chapman’s RBI double in the second put the A’s ahead for good. They added one in the fourth and the f inal run on Mark Canha’s fifth-inning homer off A.J. Cole.
Aaron Boone said Sabathia’s cutter, so effective when it gets in on right-handed hitters, wasn’t sharp. The veteran lefty went beyond that as the reason for his second shortest outing of the season and the loss that dropped him to 7-6.
“I didn’t make enough good pitches. It was one of those days. It wasn’t my day,’’ Sabathia said. “I thought I could navigate it and give us a chance to win but that wasn’t the case.’’
The A’s hit home runs, possess a deep and talented bullpen and at 28-14 have the best record in the big leagues since the All-Star break.
“You know you have to play well to beat them,’’ Boone said of the A’s, who are 2 ½ games back of the first-place Astros in the AL West.
Monday the Yankees didn’t come close to playing well enough to handle the A’s. The two things they did best were execute a cut off play that resulted in an out at third and two scoreless relief innings by Jonathan Loaisiga, who fanned four.
There a re two mortal locks in the Yankees’ universe: They aren’t going to catch the Red Sox and they will snag one of the two wild-card tickets into October.
What will be decided in their remaining 24 games is whether the Yankees or A’s host the one-and-done contest. Based on Monday’s outcome, don’ t bet against the surging A’s — if they don’t catch t he Astros — avoiding having to play that game in The Bronx.