Shreve bails out ineffective Chapman in Yankees’ victory
NEW YORK — Aroldis Chapman had flamed out, throwing three of 19 pitches for strikes and enabling the Mets to cut a four-run, ninth-inning deficit in half.
Chasen Shreve to the rescue. Yes, Chasen Shreve.
Maligned last month, Shreve entered with the bases loaded, got Devin Mesoraco to hit into a run-scoring, double-play grounder and retired Wilmer Flores on a slow roller in front of the mound . With his second big league save and first since August 2016, Shreve preserved a 7-6 Subway Series victory Saturday that enabled Sonny Gray to win consecutive starts for the first time since the Yankees ac- quired him last summer.
“He didn’t even break a sweat out there,” Aaron Judge marveled.
On another tumult-filled day for the lastplace Mets, closer Jeurys Familia was traded to Oakland for a pair of minor leaguers and slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was out of the lineup because of body soreness, one game after returning from a two-month absence. Cespedes said Friday night he may need surgery on both heels that would require an eight-to-10-month recovery.
Judge homered for the Yankees , who trailed after Michael Conforto’s second-inning solo home run but rallied against Steven Matz (4-8) with a four-run fourth that included Didi Gregorius’ tying triple, run-scoring doubles by Miguel Andujar (aided by fan interference ) and Greg Bird, and Austin Romine’s RBI single.
Mets center fielder Matt den Dekker took a bad route as he missed a diving backhand grab on Gregorius’ liner that bounced to the fence, allowed Bird’s drive to glance off his glove as he tried for a running grab on the warning track, and had Romine’s blooper short hop off his glove during an attempted diving catch.
“It’s tough when those balls are hit that hard, and you know the wind was moving around out there,” said den Dekker, who struck out three times and is hitless in 17 atbats this season.
Gray (7-7) is 11-14 in 30 starts since the Yankees acquired him from Oakland last July 31. He allowed three runs — two earned — three hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
“I think it’s just about now creating that consistent momentum where he’s finding success start to start and then kind of building on that, and hopefully that’s something that will continue to snowball for him,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Gray has a 7.62 ERA in nine home starts this year and a 3.62 ERA in 10 road appearances.
“For me there was only one way to go, and that’s up. I guess it couldn’t get any worse,” Gray said, adding the key was to stop dwelling on previous batters.
Gray left with a 4-1 lead but David Robertson gave up Amed Rosario’s RBI single in the sixth, then allowed another run in when he made an errant pickoff throw to first .