He yankees fell to the Mariners for the second game in a row on Tuesday nightand while there was plenty of blame to go around, a curious bullpen decision made by the manager Aaron Boone took center stage.
After Gleyber Torres‘a three-run homer cut the Yankees’ deficit to 4-3 in the seventh, Boone decided to start the eighth inning with the recently summoned left-hander. Clayton Andrews. The left-hander was on the team for Ian Hamilton who was placed on COVID IL earlier in the week.
Andrews had made just four major league appearances before Tuesday night, all of last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, so it was a curious time to bring him in. Andrews was warming up in the bottom of the seventh when the score was still 4-0, but once the game got tougher, Boone stuck with the already warmed-up lefty.
“I liked the street for him,” Boone said after the game. “Simple as that.”
Boone explained that the “lane” he was referring to was for Andrews to face the southpaw. Lucas Raley and then turn Cal Raleigh the right side. Unfortunately, Boone’s plan didn’t work when Raley sent Andrew’s first pitch in a Yankees uniform into the right field seats to put the Mariners up 5-3.
After two batters, Boone threw out Andrews for Nick Burdi. When asked if Burdi was the pitcher considered to start the eighth, Boone said he was actually Caleb Fergusonwhich the longtime Yankees manager admitted was a mistake on his part.
“The point is to get (Caleb Ferguson) there,” Boone explained. “Which, in retrospect, I probably should have done.”
Ferguson, another left-hander, has not had a great performance in his first season with the Yankees after being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 21 appearances, the 27-year-old has pitched to a 5.29 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
Again, there were a few reasons why the Yankees lost their first consecutive games since late April. The offense didn’t get going until late and the bullpen, which has been excellent all season, allowed four runs in four innings.
So while Andrews’ home run may have sapped any momentum the Yankees had after their three-run seventh, it didn’t guarantee they would hold Seattle to just four runs.
Fortunately for Boone and the Yankees, Tommy Kahnle It is expected to be activated on Wednesday. To make room for Kahnle, New York sent Andrews back to Triple-A after Tuesday’s loss.