High On a Montas of Loss

This is my 46th season watching the New York Yankees. At this point, no one loss, no matter how great the margin, no matter how embarrassing the method, should bother me beyond the simple desire to win not having been fulfilled.

This one did. To paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien, One does not simply blow a 5-0 lead. With eight pitchers, you should not do this. It is folly.

And yet, that is what happened last night at Milwaukee County Stad-- I mean, Miller P-- I mean, American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Frankie Montas was sent out as the starting pitcher. While we're on the subject of folly... He was handed a 5-0 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers after 2 innings, and by the bottom of the 4th, he had set up a fully blowing of that lead. Lucas Luetge, who should never pitch for the Yankees again, allowed the Brewers to tie the game.

It remained 5-5 until the bottom of the 8th. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Jonathan Loáisiga allowed a leadoff walk in the 8th, and it led to the Brewers taking a 6-5 lead. Josh Donaldson led off the top of the 9th with a home run to tie it.

Bottom of the 9th. Aroldis Chapman had been activated from the Injured List, but Aaron Boone went with Clay Holmes to close it instead. Holmes' sequence: Leadoff double, groundout advancing winning run to 3rd, walk, strikeout, defensive indifference allowing meaningless run to 2nd, bases-loading walk, game-losing single.

Brewers 7, Yankees 6. WP: Taylor Rogers (4-7). No save. LP: Holmes (6-4). But the loss should go to Montas. Or to Boone, for starting him. Or to Brian Cashman, for acquiring him.

I'm reminded of the old song, "Mountain of Love," by Harold Dorman in 1960:

Standing in the ballpark looking down on the diamond.

The way I been feeling leads to darn sad rhymin'.

Teardrops falling on the dugout's side.

Every time he's pitching, it ends up that I've cried.

We used to be so happy, now we're gathering moss

high on a Montas of loss.

And the Toronto Blue Jays won, leaving the Yankees' Magic Number at 13, although the Tampa Bay Rays lost, dropping the number to eliminate them to 12.

The series against the Brewers continues tonight. Jameson Taillon starts against Brandon Woodruff.