Sometimes a slumping offense just needs to see an opposing pitcher it routinely hits. Sometimes a slumping offense just needs a break from the opposing defense.
In Wednesday’s ninth inning, the Yankees were gifted both.
Bats that seem to be silent against everyone except Jordan Romano these days got to face the Angels closer again. And Romano’s job got much harder when a routine pop-up to his infield somehow bounced on the dirt.
When the frame from Angels hell was over, José Caballero had drilled a two-run walk-off double to steal a 5-4 victory in front of 41,019 in The Bronx, where Aaron Boone’s club blew an early three-run edge and was shut out from the third through eighth innings before finding life just in time.
A hard-to-believe comeback was launched against Romano, who historically has not pitched well against the Yankees and who blew Monday’s game when he allowed three runs without getting an out.
This one was not entirely his fault. After a bullet out from Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr. lofted a lazy pop-up to the left side of the infield, but third baseman Oswald Peraza and shortstop Zach Neto seemed unsure of who would catch it and neither did.
Chisholm wound up on first but quickly stole second. Austin Wells walked, bringing up Caballero — who also was the hero Monday, when he scored the game-winner on a walk-off wild pitch. This time he blistered a hit into left-center to easily score Chisholm before Wells’ leg grazed home plate just in time, jump-starting another walk-off party.
The Yankees (10-8) have responded to their five-game skid by taking two of three from the Angels and will try to seize the series Thursday afternoon behind Max Fried.
Apart from the Monday explosion — an outlier both in result (a victory) and game style (a slugfest) — the Yankees have scored 19 runs in seven games (six losses) against the A’s, Rays and Angels, whose pitching staffs are, well, mortal. The offense was fortunate this time and scored three runs in the first and second innings and then not again until the ninth.
Luis Gil gave up three home runs to allow the Angels to inch ahead, and the Yankees offense repeatedly could not find the big hit until late.
In the third, Cody Bellinger’s one-out double was followed by strikeouts from Stanton and Chisholm, both of whom are struggling.
Their next best shot came in the seventh, when Wells laid down a beauty of a bunt and stayed out of a double play by attempting to steal second as Caballero grounded out.
But with the tying run in scoring position, Ryan McMahon struck out and a pinch hitting Paul Goldschmidt lined what looked like a single until second baseman Adam Frazier leapt and snatched it out of the air, coming back to the dirt with the lead still intact.
Gil’s second outing of the season resembled Ryan Weathers’ start a night earlier: Take back all those homers and he pitched well.
Gil lasted five innings and allowed four runs that all were scored from three homers, done in by No. 8 hitter Logan O’Hoppe, No. 9 hitter Frazier and Mike Trout, who has homered three straight days at the Stadium.
The game fell apart in the span of 12 pitches in the fifth inning.
Ahead 3-1 entering the frame, Gil could not hold down Angels bats that have played as if they enjoy The Bronx. Long Island’s O’Hoppe obliterated a home run, 114.3 mph off the bat, into the left field seats to bring the Angels within one. After a Frazier strikeout, Gil walked Neto on four pitches and then missed with a fastball down the middle to Trout, which the Yankees cannot do in this series. A sizzling Trout smacked it over Aaron Judge and the right field wall to put the Angels ahead.
Against righty Jack Kochanowicz, Judge homered in the first and Trent Grisham came through with a two-out, two-run single in the second.
For Judge, a slow start has morphed into another monstrous stretch. With his fourth home run in as many games, the best hitter in the world is up to seven homers through 18 games, which is a 63-homer pace.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
