The Yankees finally had a chance to breathe easy after clawing back from behind three times, but that hope vanished in the eighth inning. Brent Headrick, a pitcher who had been rock solid for weeks, gave up three runs and handed the Astros a 9-7 victory. It was a rare bad outing for a guy who had only given up three runs over his past 21 games. Now the team (74-57) wasted a huge opportunity to chase the Rays, who still sit 3 1/2 games ahead in the division.
The Eighth Inning Disaster
Will Warren and Fernando Cruz had already struggled earlier in the night, giving up runs while trying to hold leads. The offense did the heavy lifting, scoring enough runs to give Headrick a 6-5 lead to protect. That is usually the job of a setup man: throw up a zero and hand the ball to the closer. Headrick could not do his job. Yainer Diaz hit a home run to tie the game, and then the Astros took the lead with a single, a triple, and another single. The Yankees tried to rally one last time but only managed one run. It was the first time since Aug. 3 that the pitching staff gave up more than five runs in a game.
Luis GarcÃa Jr. did everything a hitter could do to keep the team alive. He had a four-hit night and twice put the Yankees ahead. His two-run blast made it 5-3, and an RBI double later put them up 6-5. Neither lead lasted long. The first one fell because Cruz left a fastball down the middle for José Peña to crush for a tie. Cruz has been struggling, and that is a worrying trend for the bullpen. The second lead died when Headrick could not get the job done.
Betting Fans Are Pissed
The fans are not happy, and they are not hiding it. According to a Brooklyn reader speaking to the New York Post, NY Post Sports reported, “The Yankees won six of their last seven games. The loss was when you bet on them. Knock it off!” Another fan, Patrick Fergus, felt the pain of a losing streak that is hard to watch. He wrote, “You’re getting very close to Hondo territory! I’m laughing almost every day… and losing!”
The frustration is real because the team was playing so well right before this game. The Astros are desperate after firing their GM, Dana Brown, on Monday. They are still in the playoff hunt thanks to a weak division, and they played like a team that knows they are running out of time. In six of the nine innings, they scored, gradually eroding each lead the Yankees built. The Yankees had the momentum, but they could not close it out.
The Red Sox are coming to town this weekend for a massive four-game showdown. The Red Sox just won in extra innings and are now within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees. The margin for error is gone. Every loss matters more now. The Yankees need their pitchers to step up and stop giving up leads in the late innings.
