NEW YORK – Coming off being swept by the Rays at Tampa Bay, the Yankees could’ve easily been swept again.
In a four-game set with another AL mediocrity, the Los Angeles Angels, the Yanks managed to pull off two rabbit-out-of-a-hat wins – after trailing in the ninth inning both times.
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This was mostly an entertaining and historic series, featuring two future Hall of Famers slugging it out.
Aaron Judge clubbed his fourth homer of the series in Thursday afternoon’s first inning, and Mike Trout later smashed his fifth – on the way to an 11-4 Angels victory.
Ineffective relief, poor decisions on the bases, and a couple of unmade infield defensive plays contributed to the Yanks’ seventh loss in their last nine games.
This was the week where Oswald Peraza – batting cleanup as an Angel – came back to haunt the Yankees, who cast him off at last summer’s trade deadline.
At the plate, Peraza went 5-for-10 with two homers, three walks, four RBI, a double and two stolen bases.
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“He’s super talented, always has been,’’ said manager Aaron Boone of Peraza, who batted .190 with a .548 OPS in parts of four Yankees seasons. “He’s in as good a place as he’s been the past few years.’’
Peraza was another version of prime Gio Urshela, except for the pop fly that dropped between him and shortstop Zach Neto (more Neto’s responsibility) that contributed to the Yanks’ walk-off win Wednesday.
If he were still in pinstripes, Peraza would be the Yanks’ starting third baseman, over Amed Rosario – who started Thursday over the slumping Ryan McMahon.
Maybe the hardest thing for the 38,424 fans to square – beyond the incessant, meaningless wall of sound assaulting every eardrum – was a loss to an Angels team tossing a bullpen game versus Max Fried.
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“Falling behind a lot’’ in counts, said Fried, feeling he was “not as sharp’’ over his 5.1 innings, ultimately charged with five runs on three hits and three walks.
After Peraza’s two-run homer in the first, following a four-pitch walk to Jo Adell, Fried’s other two walks were against Trout – the second being in the pivotal sixth inning.
Facing Trout for the first time in his career, “I was trying to throw the ball over the plate, but for some reason I was just missing,’’ said Fried.
“I wanted to go after him.’’
Fried left a 3-3 game with one out, leaving it to a bullpen where the only solid trust is with Tim Hill and closer David Bednar.
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After yielding a go-ahead, ground single to Vaughn Grissom just past third baseman Amed Rosario (the .119-hitting Ryan McMahon was benched), Cruz engaged in the game’s most critical at-bat.
Josh Lowe won it with a tough at-bat, fouling off four pitches and taking a pitch before dunking a two-run single to center for a 6-3 lead.
Cruz’s splitter is one of the game’s most lethal pitches, but his command isn’t always consistent and Lowe, with a patient and professional approach, outlasted Cruz there.
Meanwhile, Boone is still sifting through bullpen arms and trying to define roles.
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Angel Chivilli made his Yankee debut and joined the Trout clout list, yielding a solo homer in the seventh before Jo Adell’s say-goodnight grand slam off Ryan Yarbrough in the eighth.
“That’s why there’s opportunity for guys to grab roles,’’ Boone said of a bullpen still finding its way, though more changes are coming.
Someone must go to the ‘pen when Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole return to the rotation, tracking toward mid-to-late May returns.
That could be a role change for Ryan Weathers or a demotion for Luis Gil.
Top minor league starting prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez could impact the Yankees’ staff sooner than later, either in the bullpen or the rotation.
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That was one more item to ponder as the Angels won the home run contest this week, 13-8, led by Trout – now a .346 hitter with 13 homers in 34 career games at the current Yankee Stadium.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees bullpen, defense and baserunning must tighten before next series
