Clint Frazier saved it in the eighth inning and then won it in the bottom of the 11th. The outfielder homered to walk off a 5-3 win for the Yankees over the Rays at Yankee Stadium.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Yankees (20-25) and gave them a rare win against the division-leading Rays (35-21), who lead the season series 4-7.
Chad Green had given up two two-out walks in the top of the eighth. With a stolen base and a wild pitch, he had a runner sitting on third as he gave up a shallow pop up to Joey Wendle. Frazier, playing in right field, made a long run in and diving catch to end the inning and save the tie.
Frazier’s fourth home run of the season scored Gary Sanchez, who had struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th.
It was a rough night for Sanchez, who led off the seventh with a hard-hit double, then ran into another out on the bases. The catcher inexplicably tried to advance to third on Miguel Andujar’s ground ball in front of him to short. He was easily tagged out and the Yankees behind Andujar went down without much of a fight.
They haven’t been putting up much offensively of late.
The Yankees went into Tuesday night’s game having scored 202 runs in through their first 54 games, only better than the Tigers in the American League. They are ninth in the AL in OPS (.687) and the team built on power hitting is tied with Cleveland for eighth best in the AL with 62 home runs. They had scored two runs or fewer in nine of their last 13 games and in 20 of their first 54.
It’s no secret that the right-handed heavy lineup is struggling and Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames takes it to heart.
“It hasn’t been pretty at all. I mean, that’s the big elephant in the room everywhere, the offense, the offense, the offense,” Thames said. “I know that, (assistant hitting coach) PJ (Pilliterre) knows that, and the players know that. They care and they’re working their tails off to try to get this thing turned around.”
Thames sees the Yankees’ hitters chasing results instead of sticking with approaches and processes that have worked in the past.
“I think sometimes we just get outside of our plan and our approach and, and that’s what makes us a really good offense and we just got to get back to that,” Thames said. “I know the guys are working really hard, but I just feel like guys got to trust our work... and I got to continue to do their homework and be prepared, and go out and execute it in the game.”
Andujar hit his second homer in as many games and second of the season, doubling the number he had in his injury-shortened 2019 and 2020.
“He’s starting to get some playing time. He’s starting to get some consistent at bats ... I just feel like the more at-bats he gets, the better the more comfortable he’s going to be in the box because he’s a really good hitter,” Thames said. “He’s gonna expand (the strike zone) at times but also he’s gonna hit the ball harder at times and he’s gonna have some success, so I just feel like he’s getting more opportunities and he’s taking more advantage of it.”
Frazier had gotten it started with a two-out walk in the bottom of the third. DJ LeMahieu and Rougned Odor followed with singles. Frazier scored on Aaron Judge’s bases-loaded walk and LeMahieu scored on a wild pitch.
Domingo German gave up a two-run homer to Austin Meadows after allowing a leadoff single to Brandon Lowe in the first. After Andujar’s homer gave German the lead, he gave it right back with a solo homer to Kevin Kiermaier.
German allowed those three runs on just those three hits over five innings pitched. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
