Arizona blows lead after rain delay in New York
NEW YORK – Austin Romine hit a goahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning and the New York Yankees beat Arizona 7-5 Wednesday while the Diamondbacks completed a deal to send ace Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros.
The Yankees had been shopping for pitching and may have eyed Greinke ahead of the 4 p.m. trade deadline. The veteran right-hander gave them an impressive first-hand look, striking out seven and pitching five innings of tworun ball. He was in line for the win before Romine’s shot off Yoshihisa Hirano (3-5).
Instead, the 35-year-old Greinke is off to Houston, where he’ll play for a rival AL pennant contender.
Romine’s homer brought a spark to the Bronx on a gray, rainy day that started with the AL East leaders placing slugger Luke Voit on the injured list with a sports hernia that could require surgery. New York had lost four of five, and its only deadline move was to acquire Class A left-hander Alfredo Garcia from the Rockies for reliever Joseph Harvey. The rival Boston Red Sox come to town for a four-game series starting Friday.
Greinke allowed a two-run homer to Mike Tauchman in the second inning but settled after that. He got slick when rain began coming down in the fifth, throwing a 64 mph eephus curveball to Aaron Judge before striking him out with a 92 mph slider.
A 36-minute rain delay followed, and that was Greinke’s last batter faced for the Diamondbacks.
Arizona took a 3-2 lead when Jake Lamb hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off reliever Chad Green in the fifth and center fielder Aaron Hicks airmailed his throw to third base. The ball bounced into the visiting dugout, allowing a second run to score. Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela was shaken up on the play but remained in the game.
Green ended the inning when Nick Ahmed hit a ball to the warning track in left.
Arizona’s Tim Locastro hit his first major league homer leading off the ninth against Nestor Cortes Jr.