Brendan Ryan Stops the Bleeding, But a Lot of Blood Lost

Brendan Ryan is a classic good-field-no-hit infielder, a jack of all trades and master of none.

Last night, in the Yankees' game against the Houston Astros, he added pitching to his trades. Maybe he finally got a bachelor's degree in one, if not a master's.

He pitched the 8th and 9th innings, pitching to 8 batters, allowing 2 hits, no walks, and no runs. A good performance.

That was the only positive from last night's game, as bad a game as the Yankees have played in the modern era. Ryan stopped the bleeding, but a lot of blood was lost.

Ivan Nova started, and he got the 1st 2 outs of the game, then allowed walk, RBI triple, walk, RBI double, 2-RBI double, RBI single, walk, before finally getting out of the inning. The Astros had hung a 5 on the board before the Yankees even got to bat.

Actually, after that, Nova got the Astros out 1-2-3 in the 2nd and the 3rd, and stranded 2 runners in the 4th. But he allowed a double and a home run to start the 5th. That's when Joe Girardi decided to take him out, and brought in Nick Rumbelow. He allowed 2 more runs in the inning.

Then Girardi looked in his Binder Full of Strategies, and brought in Chris Capuano. Trusting Chris Capuano to stop a team that's already scored 7 runs off you is like electing a Tea Partier as your State's Governor. He pitched well in the 6th, and got the 1st out in the 7th, but then the inevitable happened, and he allowed 6 more runs.

That's when Girardi brought Ryan in. This is what it's come to for Chris Capuano: Brendan Ryan is a better pitcher. (He might as well be a pitcher: Since becoming a Yankee in September 2013, he's batted .196.)

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the bottom of the 9th with a single to right. Chris Young was hit by a pitch. Brett Gardner grounded into a force play that got Ellsbury to 3rd. Greg Bird grounded out, scoring Ellsbury. But Stephen Drew struck out to end the comeback. (Go ahead and laugh.)

Astros 15, Yankees 1. WP: Dallas Keuchel (15-6). No save (as if). LP: Nova (5-6).

The series concludes this afternoon. Michael Pineda returns from the Disabled List, and Collin McHugh starts for the Astros in this rubber game.

The Yankees scored 1 run in the 1st game, the Astros none; the Yankees scored 1 run in the 2nd game, the Astros 15. Good thing this stuff isn't decided on aggregate. Today, "rubber game" means the Yankees need to bounce back big-time.