Bullpen is separating Yankees from Indians

A four-game series between the Indians and visiting Yankees beheld a rematch of the 2017 American League Division Series and a very possible preview of what’s to come in the 2018 postseason.

Should the Indians and Yankees meet again in October, the Indians’ 7-4 loss July 12 also portends what may again impede their World Series aspirations.

The teams’ respective Cy Young candidates, Corey Kluber and Luis Severino, dueled to a 4-4 tie after five innings. Then, Yankees manager Aaron Boone re-

moved Severino and turned the game over to his bullpen. Adam Warren, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman proceeded to shut the Indians’ hitters out over the game’s final four innings.

Meanwhile, Ind ia ns manager Terry Francona sent Kluber back to the mound three more times. The reigning Cy Young winner worked scoreless sixth and seventh innings with a Miguel Andujar single the only blemish. The heart of the order awaited Kluber when he went out to the mound with 100 pitches in tow to start the eighth.

Didi Gregorius led off with a four-pitch walk. Giancarlo Stanton flew out before Aaron Hicks worked the count full and sent the eighth pitch of his at-bat, Kluber’s 114th of the game, off the wall in left-center field to score, ultimately, the game-winning run.

“I felt fine,” Kluber said. “Leadoff walks aren’t a good thing, Hicks had a good atbat and then he was able to foul off enough pitches and get one that was left up in the zone a little bit.”

Hicks’ double knocked Kluber out of the game. Kluber (12-5) allowed six runs and eight hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.

Kluber said he and Francona discussed how he felt after the seventh, when they agreed Kluber was fit to return to the mound. Francona downplayed any notion his bullpen’s struggles factored into the decision.

“Tonight, I thought he was fine,” Francona said. “He was at what, 100 (pitches)? I thought he was throwing the ball well. There’s been some instances, I think we’ve given guys some wiggle room but I thought he was in command of what he was doing.”

Greg Bird’s sacrifice fly off Oliver Perez and Brett Gardner’s home run at Tyler Olson’s expense stretched the Yankees’ lead to three.

Blame for the late-inning letdown doesn’t rest solely on Kluber’s shoulders. Francona himself is hamstrung by a bullpen which owns the major leagues’ worst ERA.

The Yankees moved to 10-3 when tied after six innings. The Indians lost for the 10th time in 12 such instances.

Among the Indians’ 32 losses, 21 have come i n games they led.

Entering the contest July 12, the Indians’ starting pitchers’ 3.40 ERA stood as the AL’s second-best mark behind Astros. The Yankees’ 3.88 starters’ ERA ranks 12th.

But the Yankees 2.72 bullpen ERA is the best in the game and the Indians’ 5.39 bullpen ERA is the worst in the game.

Francona, still missing Andrew Miller from an increasingly taxed group of relievers, was left with little recourse but to ride Kluber as long as possible. Beyond the loss July 12, 114-pitch outings in July add strain to an elbow the Indians will count on come October.

Boone’s luxury of a shutdown bullpen afforded his hitters time to wear Kluber out and score the game’s decisive run.

“Their bullpen is also exceptional,” Francona said. “They brought in four guys that are pretty good and they kind of did a number on us.”