Last night, the Yankees began a 3-game weekend series with the Washington Nationals at the new Yankee Stadium. It should have been a rematch of the 2019 World Series, but, what can I say, the Nationals punished the Houston Astros for their cheating, and the Yankees didn't.
DJ LeMahieu led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a home run, but Jameson Taillon didn't keep this early lead. He gave up 2 home runs in the top of the 2nd, and fell behind 3-1. Gary Sanchez hit one out in the bottom of the 2nd, and that seemed to settle Taillon down, as he retired 15 straight batters. LeMahieu hit another homer to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th, and Taillon got out of the top of the 7th despite allowing a hit. It looked like it was going to end up as a good game.
But the bottom of the 7th was a bad omen for the Yankees. With 1 out, Sanchez drew a walk, and advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. But Clint Frazier grounded out, and Miguel Anduar, making his season debut after coming back from injury, flew out.
That wasted chance came back to haunt the Bronx Bombers. Jonathan Loaisiga has done a terrific job in relief for the Yankees, but, this time, he gave us a total implosion. He gave up single, fielder's choice, RBI single, 3-run homer, single.
Then he got a strikeout, for the 2nd out of the inning. Only then did Aaron Boone take him out. Why would you take a pitcher out right after he got an out, especially a strikeout? Unless he was hurt? Loaisiga wasn't.
The Yankees certainly got hurt by who Boone brought in: Luis Cessa. Cessa is to relief pitching what the National Enquirer is to journalism. I honestly don't know why he is on the Yankees' roster. I don't know why he is on any major league team's roster.
The 1st batter he faced was Starlin Castro, the All-Star 2nd baseman the Yankees traded to the Miami Marlins to get Giancarlo Stanton, whose 12-game hitting streak came to an end. Cessa walked Castro. Then he gave up an RBI single, Gleyber Torres gave up an error that brought a run home, and Cessa walked the next batter, before getting 2 outs. Cliche Alert: But the damage is done: It was 9-3 Washington.
Tyler Wade drew a walk off reliever Tanner Rainey to lead off the bottom of the 8th, and there was a little bit of hope. Then Rainey struck out the side: LeMahieu, Stanton, Aaron Judge.
Cessa was sent back out to pitch the top of the 9th. He walked the leadoff batter, Josh Harrison. Unlike with the Yankees the inning before, this walk of a leadoff batter hurt. Then Cessa hung a curveball to Juan Soto. Never, ever hang a curveball to Juan Soto. If you do, bad things will happen. 11-3. The Yankees got a meaningless run in the bottom of the 9th, after Hicks drew a 1-out walk, advanced to 2nd on defensive indifference, and was singled home by Frazier. But that was as close as the Yankees would get.
Nationals 11, Yankees 4. WP: Kyle Finnegan (2-0). No save. LP: Loaisiga (3-2). The Yankees drop back to .500, at 16-16. That's bad, but it still beats 6-11, which they had been.
The series continues this afternoon, and it looks like a dandy of a pitching matchup: Corey Kluber for the Pinstripes, and future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer for Washington. Weather permitting: As I typed this, it poured for a few minutes, although it's now stopped.
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