Gerrit Cole can’t hold the lead against Orioles, the Yankees fight continues

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Gerrit Cole can't hold the lead against Orioles, the Yankees fight continues

BALTIMORE — The dog days of summer have arrived for the Yankees.

They’re dealing with an overworked and injury-ridden bullpen and a rotation that doesn’t live up to the success of the first half.

The result was three losses in four games after the All-Star break as they lost 6-3 to the Orioles at Camden Yards on Saturday night.

Gerrit Cole had a three run lead in the fourth inning, but Baltimore came to him for two runs in the fifth inning and he faltered again in a seventh inning by two runs during which the Orioles took the lead.

It didn’t help that the Yankees failed to score after the fourth inning, which was shut down by four different Orioles reliefs.

The Yankees continue to have a firm grip on the AL East, but they’ve lost eight of their last 12 games and are now just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Astros for the best record in the AL, giving General Manager Brian Cashman some work to do before the close of trading on August 2nd.

Speaking of the 4-8 record since July 9, Cole said, “I didn’t realize that. That is not very good.”

Gerrit Kohl
Getty Images

The ace added that a lull is to be expected at some point.

“It’s probably a little bit of 50-50 games where we got on top early that didn’t go our way [lately]’ Cole said. “You’re always trying to duck and avoid adversity, but eventually you get over it. The season is just too long. How we continue to react and emerge will show us what we’re made of.”

The Yankees were on their way to a second straight win early on, but Cole gave up two two-out runs in the fifth.

In part because the bullpen is in poor shape, Cole stayed in the game through the seventh despite throwing 112 pitches on a steamy night, with a 97-degree temperature on the first pitch.

Michael King lost to a broken elbow on Friday, Wandy Peralta is struggling with a minor back injury and Aroldis Chapman has been playing for the last two days. When Cole came out, manager Aaron Boone said he failed to Clarke Schmidt after Albert Abreu and Shane Greene both were needed.

In the seventh inning, with the Yankees leading 3-2, Cole surrendered a leadoff double to Ramon Urias. Jorge Mateo followed, firing a single right down center to tie the lane and end Cole’s night.

Abreu came in and hopped a pickoff throw to first base that DJ LeMahieu couldn’t handle. Mateo made it to third place.

Yanks
Matt Carpenter celebrates his home run against the Orioles.
USA TODAY sports

Cedric Mullins followed with a sacrifice fly that hit Mateo to give Baltimore their first lead of the night.

Greene, who was just called up by Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace the injured King, gave up a two-run home run against Urias in game eight to give Baltimore a cushion.

It was a surprising turn of events after the Yankees quickly took the lead. LeMahieu led the game with an infield hit and Aaron Judge followed with an RBI double on the left field line from right-hander Jordan Lyles.

Matt Carpenter opened the second inning with his 14th homer of the season to make it 2-0.

Judge added an RBI single in the fourth, the Yankees’ only hit on the night with runners in scoring position; They went 1-for-14.

Yanks
Aaron Judge leaves the field after the Yankees lost to the Orioles.
AP

Cole, meanwhile, went through four scoreless innings before faltering in the fifth.

He hit the first two outs in the inning but then gave up three straight hits as the Orioles scored two runs to get back in the game.

The Yankees had a chance to extend their lead at the top of seventh when Anthony Rizzo doubled and Gleyber Torres walked, but Josh Donaldson landed in a double and Carpenter landed in second to end the inning.

In the ninth, LeMahieu caught an error from first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and Judge followed up with his fourth of the night.

Rizzo landed on the floor and Torres threw a flyball over the right field line where Anthony Santander made a fine running catch.

Donaldson struck out to end it.

“I think it’s inevitable, but we’re not satisfied,” Kyle Higashioka said of the recent stretch.

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