NEW YORK — It began with Corey Kluber and it ended with Kluber. The right-hander had begun the streak of scoreless innings by Yankees starters when he threw a no-hitter against the Rangers a week ago. It ended Tuesday night at 37 1/3 innings when he gave up a two-run home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., in the third inning Tuesday night.
Even worse for the Yankees, that inning ended Kluber’s night.
The 35-year-old left the game with what the team said was “tightness” in his right shoulder. The Yankees announced Kluber would have an MRI on Wednesday.
It was bad news on top of a bad team performance.
The Yankees bats struggled against former Mets and Long Island native Steven Matz as the Blue Jays beat them, 6-2, at Yankee Stadium in front of a crowd of 12,025.
The Blue Jays (24-23) snapped a six-game losing streak and picked up their fifth win in seven games against the Yankees (28-20) this season.
Kluber and the Yankees starters — and solid defense — had been the catalyst to the team’s recent success. The Yankees went into Tuesday night’s game having won six straight, including a sweep of the White Sox. They tore off those wins despite the fact that a team built on power hitting scored just 25 runs in that span.
All of it — starting pitching, defense and their bats — failed them Tuesday night.
Kluber allowed the two runs on three hits and he walked three getting through three innings. He struck out five and threw just 58 pitches.
The Yankees had taken what they thought was a low-risk gamble with Kluber. He had pitched just one inning in 2020, suffering a torn muscle in his right shoulder that shut him down for the rest of the coronavirus pandemic abbreviated 60-game season. Kluber had rehabbed with Eric Creesey at his performance facility over the winter. Creesey, who also happens to be the Yankees’ director of health and performance, gave the Yankees the added confidence in Kluber’s health when they outbid division rivals like the Red Sox and Rays to give him a one-year $11 million deal.
He was seen as a steadying force for a rotation that had some question marks. Kluber and the rest of the Yankees starts seemed to be answering those questions this month after a slow start in March. His first five starts, Kluber pitched to a 4.15 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. In his last four starts, Kluber had a 1.72 ERA over 31 2/3 innings. Like him, the Yankees starters have pitched to a 2.01 ERA, the fifth best in the majors, over the last month.
If Kluber has to miss time, with the Yankees in a stretch of 13 straight games, they could use Michael King as a spot starter. They also have Deivi Garcia, who made six starts last year, in the minor leagues working out some command issues.
Kluber gave up a single to Bo Bichette and then the league-leading 16th homer of the season to Guerrero. It was just the fifth homer Kluber has allowed this season.
King gave up a solo home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., in the fourth, but gave the Yankees three solid innings.
In the seventh, Lucas Luetge gave up three straight, one-out singles leading two unearned runs when the defense came apart. Gleyber Torres made a nice stop on Gurriel’s grounder to the hole and fired it home. The throw was slightly wide and catcher Kyle Higashioka let it get by him, allowing two runners to score.
The Yankees’ bats were of little help.
Matz struck out a season-high 10 and allowed just one earned run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. He did not walk a batter and held the Yankees out of scoring position until the bottom of the eight. Clint Frazier’s double with two outs in the seventh was the first runner past first base all night. Higashioka, who was 3 for 38 going into his at-bat, singled down the left-field line to bring in the Yankees’ first run. Higashioka also drove in the second run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Rougned Odor when his single was booted in the outfield.
