Ryan’s failure to lay down bunt is costly
The situation obviously called for a bunt. Brandan Ryan couldn’t get one down.
The Yankees had a chance to extend a one-run lead in the seventh after a Scott Sizemore single and a John Ryan Murphy walk started the inning. Joe Girardi wanted Ryan to advance them, but Scott Kazmir’s first pitch was a called strike without an attempt. The next offering was fouled off for a second strike.
“I froze,” Ryan said. “I wasn’t ready fast enough to get the bunt down.”
Ryan ended up taking a called third strike and reliever Fernando Abad whiffed Brett Gardner and got a Derek Jeter flyout to escape the jam. Oakland pushed the tying run across in the eight and went on to the win.
“In tight ballgames,” Girardi said, “you’ve got to be able to execute.”
HARD TO FIGURE OUT
Alfonso Soriano whipped his bat and helmet to the ground after striking out for the third time against Kazmir. He is in a 6-for-41 rut (.146) with 19 strikeouts over his last 16 games. He said he has been in slumps, but “nothing like this.”
“My timing is off,” he said. “I have to figure it out to get my timing and confidence back. It’s not because I don’t play every day, but my timing is off.
“It’s very tough. … Sooner or later I will come out and be fine again.”
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Among the few Yankee highlights Tuesday was the starting pitching of Hiroki Kuroda, who allowed one run on two hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. It ranked among his better starts this season and he said, through an interpreter “most of my pitches were pretty good. I felt pretty sharp.”
He allowed Brandon Moss’ first homer to start the fifth because he said he didn’t want to issue a full-count walk. He got the next three batters in order.
“I didn’t allow a runner, so I felt it was something I could let go,” he said.
STAR GAZING
The most memorable thing about Masahiro Tanaka’s second month in Major League Baseball was that his incredible run of 42 straight regular season games without a loss came to an end.
He was still the best pitcher in the AL in May after going 5-1 in six starts with a 1.88 ERA.
“I am not pitching or playing to get that award, so I can’t really be satisfied just because of this,” he said through an interpreter.
He is a good bet for the AL All-Star team at 8-1 and a league-leading 2.06 ERA.
“I am sure I’ll be tremendously happy and honored, because that was something I never even thought about when I decided to come here and when I first came here,” Tanaka said.
UP AND DOWN
The Bombers brought up Scott Sizemore and started him at third base where he made two good defensive plays. Outfielder Zoilo Almonte was sent down.