Scoring one in extras means holding serve, and that never rang truer than in tonight's 3-2 loss to the Padres. The Yankees got one in the 10th only to allow a pair in the bottom of the inning thanks to a Luis Campusano homer off Paul Blackburn to secure the walk-off win for the Friars.
Through nine innings, though, each team only scored once, as this game delivered scarce scoring opportunities on both sides. Ty France led off the second inning with a double, and the Friars' attempts to score a run via small ball momentarily came back to bite them—Jackson Merrill moved the runner to third on a bunt, only for Austin Hays to pop out. It was the type of frustrating plate appearance a starter like Max Fried is capable of generating when he needs it the most. And Fried looked like he'd get out of that inning unscathed after inducing soft contact from Xander Bogaerts with two outs, but Trent Grisham was unable to run it down in center, letting in the game's first run.
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The way in which Grisham chased the sinking hit certainly generated some concerns, and it was no surprise to see him subsequently removed due to right hamstring discomfort. It's not yet certain if this issue is connected to the hamstring problem that affected his campaign a year ago, but it wouldn't be a stretch to pose that question. Heliot Ramos replaced Grisham, entering the game in right field in the third inning, and moving Spencer Jones to center field for the remainder of the game.
It also didn't take long for the Yankees to respond to the Padres' opening run, tying the game in the top of the third with a solo shot. Ben Rice received one of Walker Buehler's biggest mistakes of the game—a middle-middle 1-0 slider—and hit a no-doubter to dead center, his 36th long ball of the season.
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Buehler's ability to mix and match and keep the Yankees guessing, though, and allowed him to bounce back from that homer about as well as he could've. The Yankees had their opportunities, with the leadoff hitter reaching safely in each of the next two innings after Rice's homer, but both times that runner was stranded—including a double play from Ramos in his first at-bat of the game.
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Still on a leash in his return from injury, Yankees starter Max Fried received a little more leeway than in his previous start, and he ultimately covered 5.2 innings on 73 pitches. The only thing standing in the way of Fried and a scoreless performance was that soft single by Bogaerts. Surprisingly, Aaron Boone removed Fried after two quick outs in the sixth and went to starter-turned-reliever Will Warren, entering in the middle of a frame instead of starting one himself, somewhat unusual for a pitcher embarking on a new role. Warren took a moment to settle in, walking the first batter he faced, but with two outs, an easy grounder prevented any real problems.
With different methods —the Yankees with Warren in a long relief role and the Friars using their outstanding bullpen—these two teams combined to keep the score at 1-1 through nine with few threats of a run. Adrian Morejón and Mason Miller showed why they are one of the most menacing late-inning duos in the big leagues, striking out five of the six Yankees they faced in the eighth and ninth.
With David Bednar entering a tied game in the bottom of the ninth, the Padres finally threatened a run with France once again coming up big with a double. However, Bednar pitched around him, striking out Hays to strand the winning run at third and take the game to extras.
In many ways, one could define the tenth inning by the levels of aggression from both managers. Craig Stammen sent his closer out there for a second inning of work, and although Spencer Jones got to Miller with an RBI single before getting thrown out trying to steal third, Miller stopped the scoring at one.
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Trying not to ask too much of David Bednar, who had already faced four batters, the Yankees went to Paul Blackburn for the save, and despite sterling numbers on the season
, he couldn't get the job done.
Blackburn started the inning off well, retiring Xander Bogaerts on a strikeout, but the thing about the Manfred Man is that you're one bad pitch away from a multi-run homer, always. That bad pitch came to Campusano, and he hit a no-doubter to left field.
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Expect a much different lineup from the Yankees on Saturday as Carlos Rodón and Robbie Ray will deliver a battle of veteran lefties to a national audience. Fox will broadcast the matchup between the Yankees and Padres that starts at 7:15 p.m. (ET).
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