OAKLAND, Calif. _ A lineup many fans on social media declared DOA upon seeing 3 1/2 hours ultimately fell Friday night.
But the lineup had little do with the defeat, a second consecutive soul-crusher, this one a 7-6 setback in front of 30,184 at Oakland Coliseum.
It was the fourth straight loss on this going-nowhere trip west for the Yankees (38-27), whose AL East lead has been trimmed to one.
The culprit, as it's been much of the seven-game trip, was a bullpen Joe Girardi described earlier in the week as being "fried," a unit that continues to torch games.
Friday night, the group failed to hold a 6-4 lead that was achieved without the injured Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks and included Rob Refsnyder leading off, Ronald Torreyes hitting eighth and call-up Mason Williams hitting ninth as Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius were given the night off.
The Bombers led 6-4 entering the bottom of the seventh but Chasen Shreve allowed a run on a Chad Pinder sacrifice fly.
Jonathan Holder then gave it up in the eighth. He walked Yonder Alonso with one out and allowed a ground-rule double to Ryon Healy, momentarily catching a huge break when the ball hopped over the wall in left-center. An intentional walk to Stephen Vogt loaded the bases and Matt Chapman, who made his big-league debut Thursday, collected his first major-league hit, lining an 0-and-2 curveball down the leftfield line for a two-run single that made it 7-6.
Thursday night, it was Giovanny Gallegos, optioned back to the minors earlier in the day, giving up two in the bottom of the 10th, leading to an 8-7 loss, this after being one strike away from his first career save.
The A's (29-38), who improved to 20-13 at home compared with 9-25 on the road, had seven hits compared with 10 for the Yankees.
The Bombers did make it interesting in the top of the ninth against righthander Santiago Casilla, the Oakland closer.
Judge walked with one out but Casilla struck out Matt Holliday swinging. Starlin Castro, 18 for his last 42 to that point after a two-hit night, struck out, earning Casilla his 11th save.
After Luis Severino allowed four runs in the bottom of the second Friday, Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 23rd homer of the season, sending an 0-and-1 changeup from lefthander Sean Manaea into the seats in right to make it 4-3.
After Torreyes doubled and scored on Williams' RBI single in the fifth to tie it at 4, Chris Carter's eighth homer of the season, and second in as many nights, in the sixth gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
Judge hit his team-best third triple in the seventh and came in on Castro's RBI single later in the inning to make it 6-4. Judge went 2-for-3 with two walks, extending his on-base streak to 19 games.
Severino did well to give the Yankees six innings, allowing four runs, four hits and four walks. The 23-year-old struck out six.
After a perfect 15-pitch first, Severino labored through a 40-pitch second in which he had little command of his pitches, allowing the A's to send nine to the plate in scoring four runs.
Severino walked Khris Davis, who won Thursday's night's game with a two-run bloop single in the 10th, and threw a wild pitch with Alonso at the plate. Severino walked Alonso, who homered the night before.
Severino rebounded, striking out Healy on a slider, but he hung a 1-and-1 slider to Vogt, who drove it off the wall in center for an RBI double that made it 1-0. Chapman chopped one to third and appeared to have his first career hit as first-base umpire Lance Barksdale called him safe. The Yankees challenged and the call was overturned to an out at first, but Alonso scored regardless, giving Oakland a 2-0 lead.
Severino could not capitalize on the break, throwing a flat full-count 97-mph fastball to No. 9 hitter Jaycob Brugman, who hammered it through the hole at second to bring in Vogt, making it 3-0. Leadoff man Matt Joyce singled and Pinder lined a hanging 2-and-2 slider to right-center, the single bringing in Brugman to make it 4-0.
