CHICAGO – Anything short of a South Side sweep would’ve been unacceptable to Yankees Universe, entering a three-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field.
After all, it’s the home of MLB’s worst team, trying to avoid a record-setting season of futility.
Last week, the White Sox snapped a 21-game losing streak but had lost 24 of their last 25 games entering Monday night against the Yankees, who were tied for the AL East lead.
Wasn’t this the classic definition of a big-league mismatch?
“When we don’t win it’s usually catastrophic. When we do win, it is what is is,’’ said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, almost anticipating the question before Chicago’s shocking 12-2 win.
Adding to the Yanks’ lost night was concern over Jazz Chisholm Jr., who exited for a pinch-hitter in the seventh due to a left elbow injury suffered on an aggressive head-first slide home in the fifth.
Chisholm will undergo an MRI and further examination on Tuesday, after initial X-rays were negative.
Yankees haunted by multiple missed scoring chances
Alex Verdugo saw it as “just a normal day’’ across a 162-game season, which won’t exactly soothe the masses.
“Yeah they’re one of the worst teams, if you want to put it that way, but these guys are still big leaguers,’’ said Verdugo. “They still have days where they’re still clicking.
“We just have to do a better job of cashing in those runs we had on base,’’ said Verdugo, with a questionable and failed bunt attempt that added to the misery.
“We gave them a little bit of momentum, and they ran with it.’’
Repeatedly, the Yankees pinned rookie starter Ky Bush against the ropes, only to watch him miraculously escape serious damage.
In going a stunning 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position, the Yankees stranded a staggering 16 runners on base.
“Just not able to break through, but that wasn’t the issue,’’ said Boone. “We couldn’t keep them off the board.’’
Bad luck and bad execution
Yankees starter Luis Gil left after yielding four runs in four innings (98 pitches) against a lineup further compromised by trade deadline deals, and with Luis Robert Jr. on the bench.
“Frustrating,” Gil said of his outing via interpreter, though he didn’t find much fault in his execution. “Everything was going the right way for them.”
Still, the White Sox (29-91) were 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position, and they knocked the Yankees (70-50) a half-game behind the idle first place Orioles.
Making his second MLB start, Bush had the advantage of being a lefty, and the Yanks are now 13-18 against lefty starters this season.
Meanwhile, the White Sox are now 3-26 since July 6.
Aaron Judge and the Yankees fall short
Over the first four innings, the Yankees left nine runners on base – eight of them in scoring position.
Bidding for his 300th career home run, Aaron Judge flied out at the right field warning track to end the second inning, stranding the bases loaded.
By distance, that drive would have resulted in a grand slam in one ballpark according to MLB Statcast – Yankee Stadium.
“Could’ve been one of those nights where we threw a lot of crooked numbers up there,’’ said Boone. “Just couldn’t get that hit…and they kept us in the yard.’’
Judge collected a first-inning RBI double, but Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres each popped out with runners at second and third.
Chisholm grounded into a double play to end the third, and Stanton struck out to end the fourth after Judge was intentionally walked – with first base open – to load the bases.
That inning saw Verdugo pop out on an ill-fated bunt hit attempt, with runners at first and second, none out and the Sox ahead 2-1.
“All the bunts are always on me,’’ Verdugo said of green-lighting his own decision.
“I gave myself one chance…but he made a pitch up and in that I kind of really didn’t want to bunt,’’ though he’d already committed.
“Just got a little lazy with it and popped it up…it happens.’’
In other words, That’s Baseball Suzyn, but that’s barely acceptable to Yankees Universe tonight.
