Almost everything went according to plan for the Yankees during the first month of the season — at least until the final day of April, when an otherwise fine month ended in ugly fashion in a 7-4, 11-inning loss Sunday to the Orioles in The Bronx.
The Yankees had a pitcher play first base, left 16 runners on base and made a few questionable plays in the field — and still had numerous chances to finish off a sweep of Baltimore and win their fifth straight.
But Bryan Mitchell allowed a run-scoring single to Mark Trumbo for the go-ahead run in the 11th and the Yankees finally ran out of opportunities, as their four-game winning streak was snapped and they fell back into a first-place tie with Baltimore atop the AL East.
“The whole series was kind of crazy,” Brett Gardner said after the four-hour, 37 minute marathon finally ended. “We came back at the end, but we came up a little short.”
Two days after an improbable victory when they overcame an eight-run deficit, the Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with Didi Gregorius’ two-out, two-run single to center. But Chris Carter followed by striking out to end the inning — with Chase Headley on third.
After Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless 10th — more on that in a bit — the Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Starlin Castro hit a grounder to shortstop and J.J. Hardy fired home to Welington Castillo in time to force Austin Romine before Aaron Judge whiffed for the final out.
“That was an incredible play,” said Dellin Betances, who pitched a scoreless eighth.
Mitchell, who tossed a scoreless ninth — and then moved to first base — was back on the mound in the 11th and gave up the game-winner to Trumbo before Castillo added a two-run single to provide Baltimore with some insurance.
The Yankees, who scored 26 runs in the first two games of the series, ran out of rallies and went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
But Joe Girardi certainly got creative on the way to the defeat. Wanting to avoid using Tommy Layne and Adam Warren, Girardi opted to put Mitchell at first base in the 10th, the thought being that if the game continued beyond that inning, he would go back to the right-hander to replace Chapman after one inning.
The move backfired almost immediately, as Mitchell — who said he hadn’t played first since high school — saw Castillo hit a pop-up in his direction to open the inning. An uncomfortable Mitchell barely got his glove — actually, Greg Bird’s glove — on the ball and it extended the at-bat. Castillo then singled to center, but Chapman retired the next three batters to keep the game tied.
In the 11th, Mitchell gave up a one-out hit to Joey Rickard and with two out, walked Manny Machado intentionally before Trumbo’s single.
The fact the game even got to the 11th was surprising, given how frequently the Yankees have come through in the clutch lately.
It certainly felt they were going to figure out a way again Sunday.
“I think we have that feeling every game,’’ Mitchell said. “I don’t think any one of us feels like we’re ever out of a ballgame with our lineup right now.”
Clearly, Girardi feels the same, which is why he went to the heart of his bullpen even with his team trailing by two runs late in the game.
He used Tyler Clippard, Betances and Chapman, but the Yankees still ended up losing just their second game of the season at home in 12 tries.
“We were never able to get that hit,” Girardi said. “We had a ton of chances. We kept putting them on, I thought it was going to happen, but it didn’t.”