Yankees 7, Indians 4. Luis Severino started the Thursday night game, and didn't have it: 5 innings, 4 runs, 9 hits, though only 1 walk. Between them, however, the bullpen was fantastic: Adam Warren pitched a perfect 6th, David Robertson a perfect 7th, Dellin Betances a scoreless and hitless 8th with just 1 walk, and Aroldis Chapman a perfect 9th.
The Yankees trailed 2-0 in the top of the 3rd, when Brett Gardner hit a home run to tie it. They fell behind 3-2 in the bottom of the 3rd, then took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 4th on a home run by Didi Gregorius, a single by Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks reaching on an error, and Greg Bird doubling Stanton home.
The Indians tied it 4-4 in the 7th, but in the 8th, the Yankees put it away. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Didi drew a leadoff walk against Corey Kluber. Stanton nearly hit one out, but it was caught. Hicks doubled Didi home.
Only then did Indians manager Terry Francona bring in a reliever, and it was former Met Oliver Perez. Hicks stole 3rd, and Bird hit a sacrifice fly to get him home. Gardner added another homer in the 9th to forge the final score.
Yankees 7, Indians 4. WP: Robertson (6-3). SV: Chapman (25). LP: Kluber (12-5).
*
The Friday night game wasn't so lucky. Domingo German is young, and not ready for the Yankee starting rotation. He lasted only 4 innings, and allowed 6 runs. As with the night before, the Yankee bullpen didn't allow any runs, but, this time, it was too late.
Bird and Tyler Wade each had 2 hits. Gardner had 2 RBIs. And Stanton hit a home run. But it wasn't enough. Indians 6, Yankees 5. WP: Shane Bieber (5-1 -- and that's Shane, not Justin). SV: Cody Allen (19). LP: German (2-5).
*
The Saturday night game was an improvement. The 1st 3 batters of the game were Gardner with a walk (cliche alert), Aaron Judge with a single, and Didi with a home run. So CC Sabathia had a 3-0 lead before he ever took the mound against his former team.
Good thing, because he allowed a homer in the bottom of the 1st. And he did not have a good outing, allowing 4 runs in less than 6 innings. Again, the bullpen got the job done, going 3 1/3rd innings, no runs, no hits, 2 walks.
Bird hit a home run in the 6th. Austin Romine led off the 7th with a double, and was able to come around to score on a throwing error by Indians right fielder Brandon Guyer. That made the difference in the ballgame.
Yankees 5, Indians 4. WP: Robertson (7-3). SV: Chapman (26). LP: Mike Clevinger (7-5).
*
But the Yankees blew the Sunday afternoon game. An RBI single by Hicks in the 3rd and a homer by Neil Walker in the 4th game them a 2-0 lead. But Masahiro Tanaka allowed a game-tying home run in the 4th.
It was still 2-2 going to the bottom of the 7th, when Tanaka allowed a leadoff single. Manager Aaron Boone picked up Joe Girardi's Binder, which is the opposite of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Right there, on the cover, in huge letters, is the word, "PANIC!" He pulled Tanaka for Chad Green, who got out of it.
But he left Green in to start the 8th, and he allowed a leadoff homer to Michael Brantley. Then he allowed 2 more runs.
Indians 5, Yankees 2. WP: Carlos Carrasco (11-5). SV: Allen (20). LP: Green (5-2).
All 4 games were loseable, so getting 2 wins might seem good. But all 4 games were also winnable, so getting only 2 wins is not good. Especially the way the Boston Red Sox are playing.