The Yankees missed opportunities, both in series and games against teams that couldn’t go anywhere (except for Sacramento).
Coach Aaron Boone’s team continued to threaten and squander opportunities on a chilly Thursday night.
The Yankees lost 3-1 to the Athletics in front of 40,141 fans in the Bronx, a disappointing loss for a club whose ownership is more concerned with getting out of Oakland than putting a competitive team on the field. This was the result.
The Yankees scored one run against opposing starting pitcher Alex Wood, who entered the game with a 7.89 ERA.
Fans who instead watched the NFL Draft or Knicks games didn’t miss much.
The Yankees (17-9), who have won four of seven games on this homestand, begin a seven-game series Friday with visits to Milwaukee and Baltimore, both of which mean increased competition.
The Yankees’ offense on Wednesday showed signs of breaking out of their collective funk, with almost everyone contributing offensively.
The Yankees had 11 hits that night, but they just didn’t seem to get the hits at the right times.
Of those 11 hits, one came in his seventh at-bat with a runner in scoring position, and one was a no-score hit. The problems with key moments started early.
The Yankees had Wood’s night with seven pitches with no outs and the bases loaded.
However, Giancarlo Stanton struck out before Anthony Rizzo grounded out into a double play, which becomes a theme.
Stanton, who is more mobile than he was this season, wasn’t particularly mobile yet, so he loaded the bases again in the fourth inning.
Stanton reached on an error but could not advance to third base on Rizzo’s single to the right field line, only for Gleyber Torres to fly out to right and steal third base on Alex Verdugo’s single.
That single represented the only clutch hit and ultimately meant nothing. With the bases loaded and one out on Juice, Jose Trevino grounded out into a double play.
The problem recurred in the fifth inning, when Stanton reached two runs before grounding out, and in the sixth inning, when Oswaldo Cabrera erased a two-on threat with a grounder.
Even the Yankees’ one point was disappointing.
In the second inning, Torres, who singled, was sent to first base.
Wood’s next pitch was a short porch home run off Trevino, making it a solo shot rather than a two-run home run.
That wasn’t enough on a night when Nestor Cortez was strong (seven innings, five hits, three runs), but threw two pitches he wanted back.
It was someone from Boone’s personal life that caused problems for Cortez in the awkward bottom of the third inning.
Nick Allen, an American shortstop who is married to Boone’s niece, hit a solo homer off Cortez and on target.
A few batters later, the Athletics took the lead for good. At that moment, right fielder Tyler Nevin (son of Boone’s friend and former Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin) hit a two-run homer to the right field, which made the difference.
If the Yankees couldn’t get to Wood throwing a soft toss, they weren’t going to touch the back of the Athletics’ bullpen.
Fireballer Mason Miller capped off his second dominant performance of the series by striking out Juan Soto and inducing a flyout from Aaron Judge.
