The series would also feature the Pinstriped debut of J.A. Happ, a lefthander who'd helped the Philadelphia Phillies win the 2008 World Series, pitched for them against the Yankees in the 2009 World Series, and had pitched well for the Toronto Blue Jays since then, including being named a 1st-time All-Star this year, at the age of 35. The Yankees sent 3rd baseman Brandon Drury and left fielder Billy McKinney to the Jays for pitcher Happ.
The idea is that Britton can provide the lefthanded setup relief that Chasen Shreve so rarely has, and that Happ can fill a hole in the rotation.
*
The Thursday night game was started by Sonny Gray, and he shook off his recent criticism by pitching 5 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks striking out 5.
Manager Aaron Boone then took him out. Understandable, even though he'd thrown only 75 pitches. Less understandable was choosing Adam Warren to replace him. Warren allowed 2 runs in the top of the 6th. But David Robertson pitched a scoreless 7th, Britton a perfect 8th, and Shreve a scoreless (if 3-hit) 9th.
The Yankees scored 2 runs in the 1st, thanks to some Oriole sloppiness, a hit-by-pitch and an error bunched in with a double and a walk. In the 4th, a double by Austin Romine and a home run by Didi Gregorius made it 6-0. A Greg Bird sacrifice fly added a run in the 5th.
Yankees 7, Royals 2. WP: Gray (8-7). No save. LP: Jakob Junis (5-11).
*
The Friday night game was rained out, forcing a day-night, separate-admissions doubleheader for yesterday. The opener has led to the question: What has happened to Luis Severino? He was damn near unbeatable in the 1st half of the season, but has gotten hit hard in July. He allowed 6 runs, and didn't get out of the 5th inning.
A home run by Giancarlo Stanton didn't make much difference, as the Royals won 10-5. WP: Brad Keller (4-4). No save. LP: Severino (14-4).
The Yankees also scored 5 runs in the nightcap. This time, it was different. But not because the starting pitcher got the job done. That would be CC Sabathia, and he was a bit shaky. He allowed 2 runs in the 1st 5 innings, and Boone panicked, and brought in Jonathan Holder, who wasn't effective, either. Nor was Chad Green, who blew a save. Nor was Britton, who heard his 1st Bronx boo-birds.
Shane Robinson had hit a home run for the Yankees in the 4th, but CC walked former Met star Lucas Duda in the 5th, and that was when Boone started Girardi-ing up with the bullpen. The Royals led 4-3 going into the bottom of the 8th.
You know Johnny Carson's line, "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"? Well, last night, Greg Bird was the Bird of Paradise. He took Royal reliever Brian Flynn deep to right field for a game-tying home run. Then Neil Walker doubled, and Royal manager Ned Yost had seen enough of Flynn, bringing in Glenn Sparkman.
This didn't work, as Romine singled, Gleyber Torres walked to loaded the bases with nobody out, and Aaron Hicks hit a liner to left that became a sacrifice fly, scoring Walker. In that situation, the Yankees should have gotten more than 1 run.
Especially since Aroldis Chapman once again made the 9th inning interesting, allowing a leadoff single and a walk before getting the last out. Yankees 5, Royals 4. WP: Dellin Betances (2-3). SV: Chapman (27). LP: Flynn (2-2).
*
Today's game was Happ's Yankee debut, and, except for a couple of wild pitches, it went very well: 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, just 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. The Girardi (or Cashman) pitch count appears to still be on, because after throwing 96 pitches, Boone took him out. Again, it could have been a mistake, because Green allowed a run in the 7th, and Robertson allowed one in the 8th.
But the Yankees got the runs they needed. In the 1st, Gregorius walked. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you. Hicks hit a home run to make it 2-0. Hicks led off the 4th with a double, and was singled home by Miguel Andujar. The Yankees got 2 more runs in the 5th, and 1 more in the 6th.
This time, Chapman didn't fool around: He faced 3 batters in the 9th, and blew them all away, needing just 16 pitches to strike out the side. Yankees 6, Royals 1. WP: Happ (11-6). SV: Chapman (28). LP: Burch Smith (1-2).
Taking 3 out of 4 at home from such a poor team should be the minimum we expect from a good team. The Yankees did it. However, they remain 5 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, although only 4 in the loss column. They lead in the race for home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game, but they've never won a Pennant after getting into the Playoffs as the Wild Card, so they need to win the Division. There are 58 games left to play.