The Yankees fell to the Mariners for the second straight game on Tuesday night, and while there was plenty of blame to go around, a curious bullpen decision was made by the manager. Aaron Boone was central.
After Gleyber TorresThree-run home run narrowed the Yankees’ deficit to 4-3 in the seventh, Boone decided to start the eighth inning with a recently called up lefty Clayton Andrews. The left-hander was in the team Ian Hamilton, which was posted on the COVID IL earlier this 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 place to land him. Andrews was warming up in the bottom of the seventh inning when the score was still 4. 0, but once the game heated up, Boone stuck with the southpaw who had already warmed up.
“I liked the job for him,” Boone said after the game. “Simple as that.”
Boone explained that the “job” he was talking about was for Andrews to compete against the southpaw Lucas Raley and then rotate Cal Raleigh to the right side. Unfortunately, Boone’s plan didn’t work as Raley sent Andrew’s first pitch in a Yankees uniform into the right field seats to give the Mariners a 5-3 lead.
After two batters, Boone retired Andrews Nick Burdi. When asked if Burdi was the pitcher being considered to start the eighth, Boone said that was indeed the case Caleb Fergusonwhich the longtime Yankees manager admitted was a mistake on his part.
“The business is there to be brought in [Caleb Ferguson] there,” Boone explained. “Which, in retrospect, I probably should have done.”
Ferguson, also a lefty, wasn’t great in his first season with the Yankees after being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 21 appearances, the 27-year-old pitched to an ERA of 5.29 and a WHIP of 1.29.
Once again, there were a few reasons why the Yankees lost their first back-to-back games since late April. The offense got going late and the bullpen, which has performed excellently all season, gave up four runs in four innings.
So while Andrews’ home run might have sapped any momentum the Yankees had after their seventh of three runs, it didn’t guarantee they would hold Seattle to just four runs.
Fortunately for Boone and the Yankees, Tommy Kahnle is expected to be activated on Wednesday. To make room for Kahnle, New York selected Andrews back to Triple-A after Tuesday’s loss.
