A. Brian Cashman not giving Joe Girardi a proper bullpen to work with. And...
B. Girardi taking the lousy hand he was dealt, and playing it like a chump.
Last night, the Yankees began a home series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Michael Pineda started, and allowed 3 runs, but only 1 earned, on 3 hits, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts in 5 2/3rds innings.
Pineda got the 1st 2 outs in the top of the 6th. Then he allowed a single to Maldonado. That brought his pitch count to 105. Because Girardi is an idiot who manages by what his binder tells him, he took Pineda out, and brought in Chasen Shreve.
Shreve got the last out in the 6th. Good job. He should have been left in for the 7th. But because Girardi is an idiot who manages by what his binder tells him, he put Tyler Clippard in for the 7th.
Clippard, like Phil Coke, Ted Lilly, Scott Proctor and Javier Vazquez before him, was a lousy pitcher for the Yankees, then was mercifully traded, then got good elsewhere. It turns out that pitching in the National League is a lot easier than pitching in the American League. Clippard can't pitch in the AL, and, like Vazquez, he should never have been brought back.
Once again, Clippard was in the game because Girardi's binder told him to bring in a lefthanded pitcher, and Boone Logan is no longer available.
When Clippard came in, the score was 3-3. He faced 4 batters. He gave up a home run to Cameron Maybin. He gave up a double to Kole Calhoun. He got Albert Pujols (ironically, the best hitter on the team) to fly out. Then he gave up a triple to Yunel Escobar. Only at this point had Girardi seen enough, and he brought in Jonathan Holder. Holder gave up a single to Luis Valbuena before getting the last 2 outs. Holder allowed another run in the 8th, and another in the 9th.
And, having come from 3-0 down, thanks to the 24th home run of the season by Aaron Judge and the 12th by Gary Sanchez, a game the Yankees could have won was flushed down the toilet by Girardi not having the necessary relievers, and bringing on the worst of a bad bunch. Angels 8, Yankees 3. WP: Blake Parker (3-2). No save. LP: Clippard (1-4).
The Yankees have now fallen out of 1st place, half a game behind the Boston Red Sox, although they are a game ahead of the Sox in the all-important loss column, due to having played 3 fewer games.
The series continues tonight, with Jordan Montgomery pitching to Ricky Nolasco.