Ninth-inning meltdown turns rout into Yankees-Mets thriller

Ninth-inning meltdown turns rout into Yankees-Mets thriller Just as the Yankees planned, a left-handed reliever recorded the final three out...

Ninth-inning meltdown turns rout into Yankees-Mets thriller

Just as the Yankees planned, a left-handed reliever recorded the final three outs Saturday in the second of three Subway Series games against the awful Mets.

What wasn’t draw up was Chasen Shreve on the mound after All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman turned into Mitch Williams in the ninth, when the Yankees flushed all but one run of a four-run cushion before hanging on for a 7-6 victory that was witnessed by a sold-out gathering of 47,102 at Yankee Stadium.

Chapman hadn’t pitched since last Saturday partially due to a balky knee and the All-Star break, when Chapman attended the festivities in Washington but didn’t participate, and the wildness showed.

“I think he is OK. Just a week down and not coming into a save situation,’’ was Aaron Boone’s explanation of Chapman walking three, hitting a batter and giving up a single. “I think it’s one of those hiccups that happens over the course of the year. When [pitching coach] Larry [Rothschild] went out the first time, [Chapman] said he was fine and that everything was good. It just got away from him.”

Three pitches after Rothschild’s visit, Chapman hit Brandon Nimmo to force in a run that cut the Yankees’ lead to two runs.

Enter Shreve, the lefty who has been up and down this season due to hitters not offering at his splitter early in the count. With the bases loaded and the heavy-legged Devin Mesoraco at the plate, Shreve fed him a splitter that resulted in a ground ball to Brandon Drury near second base. He stepped on the pillow to start a 4-3 double play that scored a run and made it a one-run contest. Shreve ended the game by fielding Wilmer Flores’ slow roller and firing to first.

“That was a huge pick-me-up,’’ Boone said of Shreve’s clutch pitching. “He came in and pounded the zone and [made] a good pitch to Flores, who is really tough on lefties.’⠀™

Watching Chapman fall apart, he issued four-pitch walks to Ty Kelly and Jose Reyes, Mets manager Mickey Callaway smelled a big comeback from his morbid club.

“We had a guy out there that was kind of struggling his way through the strike zone and I thought we were going to be able to make a good comeback,’’ Callaway said.

Until Chapman lost the strike zone with fastballs that weren’t near the triple-digit mark that has been a staple of his arsenal this season, the Yankees were cruising to a bounce-back victory after dropping a 7-5 decision to the Mets on Friday night.

Austin Romine and Chasen Shreve

Sonny Gray provided 5 ¹/₃ innings in which he gave up two earned runs, three hits, walked three and fanned six for his second straight win to even his record at 7-7.

“It was a huge win for us, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement,” Gray said. “I have to get through the sixth inning.”

Aaron Judge homered for the first time since July 7 and Greg Bird and Austin Romine drove in two runs each. Miguel Andujar went 3-for-4 and Jonathan Holder and Dellin Betances worked clean seventh and eighth innings, respectively.

Steven Matz (4-8) didn’t make it out of the sixth and gave up five runs and nine hits.

“I thought [Matz] battled. He was up in the zone a little bit, which works out some against this lineup. He got some outs as a byproduct of that, but in return his ball was kind of flat, running out over the plate,’’ Callaway said. “He wasn’t able to get it in like we have seen him do effectively probably the last two months. I thought he had a chance to give up four, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”

Chapman didn’t used a balky left knee as an excuse, but it had to be in play Saturday. While he doesn’t have the type of control that allows him to throw pitches into a tea cup, he never looks like Mitch Willi ams without the hair flying from under the cap.

Source: Google News US Sports | Netizen 24 United States