YANKEES SEARCH FOR RISP ANSWERS IN CLEVELAND

The New York Yankees entered Saturday night fresh off a game that felt like a big win.  The Yankees had squeaked out a 3-1 win over the Indians on Friday as CC Sabathia made his return from the disabled list.  Yankee fans were hoping that the normally reliable Hiroki Kuroda could keep things rolling for the Yanks as they looked to build a modest two-game win streak.

Things went badly for New York right from the first inning.  Kuroda hit Indians lead-off hitter, Jason Kipnis.  One batter later, he walked Shin-Soo Choo to put two Indians on base ahead of Michael Brantley.  Brantley made the Yankees pay, dearly.  He drilled a three-run HR to right field to stake the Indians to a 3-0 lead.  It would be all that they needed.

The Yankee offense did not muster a hit until the fourth inning.  Robinson Cano doubled to left with two outs, but he was left stranded by a Mark Teixeira strike-out.  The noteworthy Yankee futility stat of the game occurred in that fourth inning.  Derek Jeter struck out to start the fourth, and in so doing, he became the Yankee franchise career leader in strikeouts.  He passed Mickey Mantle to become the Yankees' new whiff master.

The Yankees mounted a mini-threat in the fifth as Eric Chavez and Russell Martin singled but were stranded by a Raul Ibanez ground out to the pitcher and Ichiro's fly-out to center.  Suzuki had been 6 for his last 12 with runners in scoring position before that key failure.  Somehow the Yankees managed to load the bases twice in the sixth inning but scored only a single run.  Jeter scored the only New York run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Teixeira that cut the Cleveland lead to 3-1.  

After a Curtis Granderson walk re-loaded the bases, Chavez lined out to third and Martin's fly ball out to right ended the sixth inning and the most legitimate Yankee threat of the night.

The Yankees put two more runners on base in the seventh, but Cleveland starter Justin Masterson got capable relief help from Vinnie Pestano as he induced a pop fly out off Teixeira's bat to end that threat.  Masterson dominated the Yankees with his 6.2 inning 106-pitch effort.  Kuroda rallied himself to finish the game for the Yankees, allowing only four hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen on the night.  It would not be enough however, as the Yankee offense reverted to its season-long futility with runners in scoring position.

Cleveland closer Chris Perez dominated the Yankees in the ninth inning, retiring Ibanez, Suzuki, and Jeter in succession.  The Yankees' record falls to 21-20 since the All-Star Game, a long stretch of mediocre baseball.  The Indians raised their post All-Star Game ledger to a meager 11-30, as they evened the score with the Yanks in this series with a 3-1 win of their own. 

Again, Final: Indians 3 - Yankees 1.  Time to win the series Yankees... Geez!

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23



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