During a recent run of close defeats, the New York Yankees were pleased with the quality of their at-bats and felt a big inning was coming.
The Yankees did not necessarily expect to see it against the best bullpen in the major leagues but were thrilled when they erupted for 10 runs in the seventh inning on Tuesday.
After their biggest inning of the season, the Yankees attempt to produce some more big at-bats when they conclude a three-game series with the visiting San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
The teams split the first two games by staging rallies in the late innings. The Padres scored four times in the eighth inning to earn a 4-3 victory on Monday. They held a one-run lead heading into the seventh on Tuesday before it all went off course.
The Yankees wound up scoring 10 runs by getting seven hits off left-handed relievers Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta. New York’s left-handed hitters combined for four hits and a walk in its biggest inning since an 11-run inning at the Texas Rangers on July 28, 2015.
Austin Wells hit a tying RBI single off Morejon and a grand slam off Peralta to cap the inning. Trent Grisham drove in the go-ahead run off Peralta, Ben Rice hit a two-run double and Cody Bellinger had an RBI single.
“It just kind of felt like we’ve had some really good, close games this past week,” New York starter Clarke Schmidt said after the Yankees avoided a fourth straight loss. “A lot of good (at-bats), a lot of good pitching performances and felt we were really close the whole time.
“So it just felt like chips were going to fall our way one of these nights and the performance by the offense was very impressive. It’s a lot of fun when they’re clicking like that.”
The Padres fell to 4-1 on their season-high, nine-game trip after allowing their most runs in an inning since also giving up 10 at Boston on June 20, 2011.
The worst showing by the bullpen also saw San Diego’s ERA from relievers climb from 1.68 to 2.34, which still leads the majors,
“Just one of those days,” San Diego starter Michael King said. “They’ve been the best part of us to start the year. So I got a ton of faith in both Morejon and Wandy and I know that their next outing is going to be clean.”
San Diego’s next challenge in handing its bullpen a lead comes against New York ace Max Fried (6-0, 1.01 ERA),
Fried last pitched in a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, when he allowed a fifth-inning single to Jose Caballero in seven innings.
The left-hander is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in five career starts against the Padres.
Right-hander Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61), who is 0-2 with a 6.65 ERA in his past five starts, will get the start on Wednesday for the Padres.
Cease last pitched on Friday when he allowed two runs on three hits in four innings of a no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cease is 1-2 with a 6.39 ERA in five career starts against the Yankees. He last faced New York on May 25 when he allowed four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings during a 4-1 loss in San Diego.
–Field Level Media
