Yankees Leave Oakland With Unsatisfying Split

The Yankees splitting a 4-game series against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum usually wouldn't be a bad thing. But this split was frustrating, since they took the 1st 2 games and had, despite getting only 1 hit in 11 innings, good chances of taking the 3rd as well.

But the 4th game was a washout early on. Not a "wash," a "washout." So this split was very unsatisfying.

Clarke Schmidt started, because the placing of Nestor Cortes on the Injured List due to either a real injury or "load management," plus the injury to Luis Severino, who may finally make his 1st minor-league rehab start on Friday, leaves the Yankees with a hole in the rotation, because Brian Cashman doesn't care about giving the Yankees enough competent starting pitchers. Schmidt is a somewhat competent reliever. He is not a competent starter.

He proved that again by allowing 4 runs in 4 1/3rd innings: 2 runs each in the 1st and 3rd innings, and that was the ballgame right there. The bullpen was great, with 3 new acquisitions, Anthony Banda, Greg Weissert and Luke Bard, allowing no runs, no hits and 2 walks the rest of the way. Cliché Alert: But the damage was done.

With 2 out in the top of the 5th, Aaron Hicks, of all people, started a rally, with a single. He advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. And Kyle Higashioka, of all other people, singled him home. Hicks also drew a walk in the 7th. When was the last time he reached base twice in a single game?

Other than that, this is all the Yankees got last night: Walks by Josh Donaldson and Oswaldo Cabrera in the 2nd, singles by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo in the 6th, and Andrew Benintendi reaching on an error in the 8th. Once again, the bats just did not answer the call.

A's 4, Yankees 1. WP: Adrián Martínez (3-3). SV: A.J. Puk (4). LP: Schmidt (5-3).

The Toronto Blue Jays also lost, but the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros both won. So the Yankees' Magic Number to clinch the AL East remains 28, and they're 3 1/2 games behind the Astros for home-field advantage in the Playoffs.

Tonight, the Yankees begin a new series, against the Los Angeles Angels, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, once known as simply Anaheim Stadium. Frankie Montas starts against José Suarez.