Domingo German, now apparently having taken the Luis Severino slot in the rotation, pitched into the 7th inning, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, before being replaced in the 7th by Green.
He was backed up by good hitting. Luke Voit hit 2 home runs -- Luke isn't using The Force, he is a force -- and Mike Ford hit his 1st major league home run. It was 7-1 Yankees going to the bottom of the 8th.
But then, for the 2nd night in a row, Green blew it. He allowed 2 singles, a walk, and a grand slam to Justin Bour. (No, I'd never heard of him, either.) Before getting any outs in the bottom of the 8th, it was 7-5, and the outcome of the game was in doubt.
Aaron Boone brought Luis Cessa in, and he issued a double and a walk. The potential winning run was at the plate. This was going to be a meltdown of epic proportions.
But Cessa bore down, and got a strikeout and a double play to end the threat. It's interesting that, after the previous night's screwup, Boone did not trust Aroldis Chapman to close the game out, instead going to Zack Britton. He got the job done.
Yankees 7, Angels 5. WP: German (4-1). SV: Britton (1). LP: Chris Stratton (0-2).
I don't know what's wrong with Green. He saved the Yankees' necks a few times in 2017 and 2018, but he has nothing now. He needs to go to the minor league complex in Tampa, and get straightened out.
Tony Cloninger and Billy Connors, two of the better pitching coaches of the previous generation, both of whom helped the Yankees win a lot, are dead now, and being around Larry Rothschild hasn't helped any yet pitcher. Green needs to get as far from him as possible, and straighten himself out. We can afford to lose him for the moment, but we can't afford to keep him until he gets straightened out.
The Yankees remain 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The series with the Angels continues tonight. CC Sabathia starts against Felix Pena.
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